Effects of cold on your car
 

I just thought other people's vehicle(s) might develop strange things during winter and we could make a funny thread about it. I like to say my car is complaining about the cold, just like most of us do.

Aside from the "normal" dash rattles from the contraction of materials, my front suspension develops a creak as well. I haven't pinpointed it, but it sounds like the sway bar bushings because it was a similar sound last summer and I had those replaced. But they aren't broken again, luckily, because when it has warmed up a couple days I don't hear it. I imagine they're just shrinking too. But my Explorer also makes a bit of a squeal like a pig for about a quarter second exactly as I hit 15 mph only for the first time after starting in the morning and taking off. Still trying to figure that one out, haha. It comes from the engine bay somewhere. My transmission also holds in 3rd gear a bit longer than normal. In fact it'll shift from 3rd to 4th then to overdrive about 1.5 seconds later (normally maybe 5 second interval). It may as well skip 4th gear. The contraction also hits my exhaust, as I get a bit of an airleak where my dad and I connected the exhaust pipe right behind the cat. converter. Luckily it's not loud or obnoxious at all, more of a gentle sputter. But once it warms up, the gap tightens and no more noise. Being the neat freak I am about my car, I'd fix it immediately if it was too bad.

I suspect that my voltage regulator in my alternator is going. My voltage will fluctuate between 12.5 and 14.5 volts. It levels out once the engine bay warms up. That's the only thing that I find, except my poor mileage.

-Jay

I get a howl from my GMC's serpentine belt a few seconds after a cold start, which I think I wasn't getting before the cold weather.

Then again, I probably need to replace that belt by now either way.

KU40.......I had the same suspension noises with the jeep in the cold weather and started spraying all the sway bar bushings when I do oil changes (since I am under it anyway) and they are silent now. You could try that. The jeep is pretty silent but running full synthetic fluids everywhere so maybe that has something to do with it.

The car seems to have a little piston slap type of noise at first start-up but it stops after a minute or so. I also hear a slight wine noise for the first minute or so but not all the time so I am not sure what it is. Then these noises go away. Now that the weather has warmed up a little, the noises do not happen any more, so it must be the cold weather. It is also 10 years old and has a lot of miles on it. I think I will sell it in the Spring anyway.