How to solve the difficulty of starting the truck in winter?

 

When winter comes, the vehicle is often difficult to start, and sometimes the sound of engine ignition can be heard, which means it is difficult to start. Even sometimes there is no sound at all, just can't start.

These phenomena are especially common in winter, what causes this malfunction? Can it be ruled out on its own? How to protect it during normal maintenance?

 

Preliminary investigation

● Confirm whether the vehicle has electricity

Whether the vehicle has electricity cannot be directly judged by whether the indicator light on the instrument is on or off. The light on the instrument indicator does not mean that the vehicle must have electricity. When the key is turned on, you can only hear a "da-da-da" sound. The vehicle may not have enough power to start. However, in the case of insufficient power, the instrument lights can generally be on normally. At this time, remember not to start frequently to avoid damage to the battery.

● Check whether the fuel of the vehicle is sufficient

The vehicle will also be unable to start when it is short of fuel. If this is the case, it is better to refill the fuel that meets the temperature. In this case, the manufacturer's service station will not go out for free maintenance.

● Vehicle protection function

Some models come with a starter protection feature that requires the clutch switch to be depressed or the gear to be in neutral before it can be started. If your vehicle has this feature, just follow the manufacturer's instructions to start the vehicle properly.

Difficulty starting the vehicle with/without electricity

● If it has been confirmed that the vehicle has electricity, but it is turned off again after starting, it may be the oil-water separator and the air entering the oil circuit. You can find the hand oil pump to exhaust, loosen the bolts slightly, and then power on the vehicle to start. At this time, the gas in the oil circuit can be discharged. After the vehicle is started, tighten the bolts again.

● If the battery power is sufficient, you can check again whether the starter fuse and ECU fuse are blown, re-plug the starter relay and ECU relay, and start again to check whether the start is successful. If it still can't start, you need to contact the maintenance personnel to deal with it.

● When the vehicle has no electricity, you can first check whether the battery power cord is securely assembled, and then fasten the plug of the battery power cord again. If the power cord is firmly assembled and there is still no electricity, then under conditions, you can consider starting with electricity. After starting, the vehicle needs to stand for a while to charge before driving.

 

Cause Analysis:

● In the case of insufficient battery power, the starter will be weak and unable to start the engine;

● Most of the current vehicles have electronically controlled engines, and when the electronically controlled engine computer is not powered on or the starting circuit is powered off, it will cause the engine to be difficult to start.  

Potentially faulty parts

● Diesel filter: If the diesel filter is blocked and air enters the oil circuit, the fuel pump will fail to work, so the air filter and the diesel filter should be regularly maintained.

● Battery: The battery needs to be replaced if the battery has a feeding failure or cannot store electricity; the power cord is poorly connected; structural and material defects cause the battery pile head gasket to burst and fall off;

● Harness type: The wiring harness connectors do not match; the wiring harness terminals are in poor contact; the wiring harness is damaged and other phenomena lead to open circuit or short circuit of the signal; poor contact with iron will cause difficulty in starting.

● Starter: The coil and the welding fixing method are wrong, which will cause the starter to fail. The failure of the starter relay, crankshaft position sensor and other sensors will also cause the start to fail;

● If the generator itself is faulty, the wiring harness inside the generator may be ablated, open circuit or short circuit, resulting in difficulty in starting.

● ECU: There is a defect in the underlying data part of the ECU, so that the ECU has no output, causing the vehicle to fail to start;

Special Note:

● Diesel fuel reminder: When the vehicle is driven to a cold area in winter, if diesel fuel with a lower freezing point is not used, freezing may occur.

When the external temperature drops, the diesel fuel in the fuel tank and fuel supply pipe freezes into jelly, making it difficult to start the engine. Therefore, when driving from warm to cold areas, you should use low freezing point diesel fuel sold in cold areas when refueling.

● Battery reminder: It is cold in winter. After parking and resting, if you need to turn on the air conditioner, listen to music, or even charge your mobile phone in the car, the vehicle will be in an idling state at this time. In this state, all the power in the battery will be used, and the battery will be insufficient for a long time, making it difficult to start the vehicle.

In an open space, if you need to park for a long time, it is recommended to start the engine again after idling for a period of time, and use the engine to charge the battery to ensure that the battery is fully charged. In a relatively closed space, such as an underground garage, etc., it is absolutely forbidden to start the engine and close the doors and windows of the vehicle, which will cause the increase of carbon dioxide in the car and threaten personal safety.