Something wrong with car?

[albertm7]

hi
I had to leave my car out for 6 hours in the cold (-25C... I died a little inside leaving my baby outside for that long) and the battery didn't have enough juice so I had to get someone to boost me
The car started up with a little difficulty but then when I let off the clutch, the car instantly died again and yes, it was in neutral
It's fine when the car is moving but only when it is start/stop
I didn't really have a chance to see if this occurred after everything warmed up since I live like 5 minutes away from work
Is this normal for manual transmission cars when it's really cold outside?
Thanks

[derk]

sounds like a dead/ dieing battery problem. the cold temps most likely killed it

[albertm7]

ummm
how does the battery affect the clutch?

[collector240sx]

Food for though,

Oil at -25 in a boll just imagine trying to stir it in your mind. Do you think it's going to be liquid or more like molasses.

If you pick option 2, you don't win anything sorry. But your right.

Now imagine having molasses in your transmission, even in neutral, parts in the trans. have to move. They have to
move trough that thick molasses, you bet it's going to put some load on the engine when you release your clutch.

You can try to slip your clutch a couple of time to try to get that goo moving or hold your foot on the clutch till a
little bit of the heat from the engine block start to warm the trans.

Once the car is started, the car is running on the alternator, so a bad battery shouldn't make your care stall.

Got to love the cold, I remember -40 holding the clutch to the floor waiting like 3-5 min and every 30 sec slowly
releasing the clutch to see if the damn thing would stay started. lol ( Wasn't in the skyline, but does it really matter)

Hope it help

[derk]

its not the clutch itself thats making it stall, its the fact that when you disengage the clutch, it puts more load on the motor, which means it will draw more power, which the battery doesnt have because its dead and, at idle the alternator isnt spinning fast enough yet to generate enough voltage to run it. so it died.

which is why it doesnt do it when you're already moving

thats my theory anyway, but meh. what do i know

[collector240sx]

Sorry derk, your theory is flawed, you can even disconnect your battery when you car is started and should still run perfectly.
aldo I do not suggest such a move, mostly problem can occur when you connect the battery back, sending over current
(Can be real bad news on new cars, and some old one too) .

I do agree alternators now a day are a pretty cheap excuse for a charging system, behind most of the time barely just for the
application, but running just the necessity on a car doesn't require much. For example I was stranded 2 years ago, 2h30 min
from my tool and spare parts and the alternator let go. I said screw it what do I have to loose, worse case my father will have
less distance to come and tow me bad. Well would you know it, I charged the battery, and no fan, no light, no radio (aldo it's
suppose to take very minimal energy), and I when on my way with a small digital reader telling the charge of the battery.
Started a 13.9v when I left, and drove 2h27min to my fathers garage with no alternator belt (alternator was f*ck, when they
go, they can sometime cause a draw on the battery). Voltage at destination was a measly 10.7v and I could hear relay pooping,
but I made it.

Moral of the story, your car's basic electric need are minimal.

[albertm7]

haha yeah, I had to hold the clutch for 5 minutes and the engine still didn't warm up so I had to get the guy to close the hood for me so I could just drive home
ok well good to know that it's normal and that there is nothing wrong with the car
thanks

[BenC]

If you ride your clutch for 5 mins just after starting the motor your going to chew up your main thrust bearing eventually...

[derk]

will the car start if you leave it in neutral and dont press the clutch?

[starboy869]

it shouldnt

there's / or should be a clutch netural safety switch

[Nismo_line]

mine doesnt have that i can put mine in neutral and can be like standing outside with window down and start it no need to press clutch in when starting this is the first standard car that i have owned that doesnt need the clutch in

[albertm7]

If you ride your clutch for 5 mins just after starting the motor your going to chew up your main thrust bearing eventually...

damn... but the car doesn't start if I don't depress the clutch and if i let off the clutch, it dies
not that I ever plan to start the car again in that kind of weather but just incase do you have any idea of how I can bypass this issue?
thanks

[derk]

it shouldnt

there's / or should be a clutch netural safety switch

most jdm cars dont have that

[collector240sx]

He said riding the clutch, your not riding the clutch if it's fully disengaged. Riding mean partially applying the clutch.

If you ride the clutch it create heat. I think, he tough I was riding the clutch to get heat in the trans. to warm the
fluid faster, which is not what I was suggesting at all. And riding the clutch for that long, would be excruciating for the
clutch if by a miracle she wouldn't be all glaised over. That is unless you have a carbon clutch, where you can trow
every thing you think you know about a clutch out the window.

[Geno]

Sorry to hear about your car not starting, although i had it in the garage so temp doesnt really effect it. But it might be a question for the knowlegable people on this forum to see if 5w30 is possible for winter driving? its currently on mobil 1 10w30 so im thinking this could also effect the motor starting?