2000 XLS arctic cold starting question

[kegunder]

My Avalon did an odd thing when starting this morning at -18 degrees F. Most things that happen at that temperature are surprising (at least to us Iowans), but perhaps the Avalon was behaving as designed.

When engaging the starter, my first reaction was, "The battery is WAY to weak." It took about a full second for the crankshaft to turn one rev. Then two things happened at the same time. First the engine sprang to life, and idled perfectly. Second, the dash went totally dark, even the tach. Ten seconds (or so) later the everything was back to normal and the car has run perfectly. The dash clock reset itself though.

Can anyone explain if this was a sign of a low temp. ground fault or something like that?

Thanks!

[toyomoho]

Clock memory is powered by Dome fuse that gets power directly from battery.

Dash lights are controlled by Tail light relay via the light switch.

Check battery cables and terminals. Bad wire connections can cause strange problems.

[tr7driver]

FWIW It was -23 here last week an my 2000 avy just cranked right up as usual. Gotta love the midwest weather.

Originally Posted by kegunder

My Avalon did an odd thing when starting this morning at -18 degrees F. Most things that happen at that temperature are surprising (at least to us Iowans), but perhaps the Avalon was behaving as designed.

When engaging the starter, my first reaction was, "The battery is WAY to weak." It took about a full second for the crankshaft to turn one rev. Then two things happened at the same time. First the engine sprang to life, and idled perfectly. Second, the dash went totally dark, even the tach. Ten seconds (or so) later the everything was back to normal and the car has run perfectly. The dash clock reset itself though.

Can anyone explain if this was a sign of a low temp. ground fault or something like that?

Thanks!

[csaxon]

A block heater can always help, if you can plug it in. When i lived in Maine I used quick connect battery clamps and took my battery into the house. (no garage) I also used a block heater. The temps would drop from -65 to -100 below. Gee I miss that place.