alloccosol

Hello everyone, Del Sol Newbie here and new to the forum. Question, does anyone have any tricks or is there a way to winterize a honda del sol? It runs fine most of the year but as it has started getting colder and near winter my car does not want to turn over and start if left outside in the elements all night. As in I turn the key and nothing. No click, no turn, the headlights dont even want to turn on. Its as if the car is completely frozen which would lead me to think its a wiring issue. Now if I push my car back into the garage and or let the temp warm up a little then by around lunchtime it has de-thawed and will turn over eventually and the headlights actually turn on.
So my 2 part question is does this sound like or is this a wire issue or is this just every honda del slo left out in the cold issue? or is there a special wire covering or anything that would help winterize the engine or wiring and allow for better start-up after being left outside to the elements?

Any help would be great. Thanks

sumdewd

How cold does it get when these issues happen? How old is the battery, and have you checked its voltage when this occurs? Time to start poking around the next time it does this. I suspect the battery voltage may be dipping too low to start the car.

Is this D or B series? You need to also consider a block heater depending on your temperatures. The D series are designed to have one installed on the back of the engine, above the oil filter but below the intake. There's a plug that gets removed to install it. Not sure if B is the same.

alloccosol

Hello @sumdewd The other day when we had a random snow storm out of nowhere it was around 30 or lower. Typically anytime below 30 it acts up this way but only if its outside in the elements over night. I try to keep it in the garage most of the time.
The battery is about 2 years old but I checked it with the voltometer and its putting out the right numbers. I also had it checked at the local store for good measure. Also the alternator, plugs, belts, cap & router are all new and replaced within the same time as the battery. Now when I turn the key in the ignition I get absolutely nothing. No click, no sound, no noise, nothing, but if I turn the key all the way to as far as it will turn and hold it in that far position for about 10-20 seconds it starts to click and act like it wants to start but never does. Then it either requires a jump to get it started or like I said it has to basically thaw out like everything is completely frozen before it will start on its own.
Also "if" I jump it to get it going, nothing else works for instance, the headlights, do not turn on, the blinkers dont work, windows dont roll up or down, radio does not turn on. But after warming up or driving for about 10 minutes or more then everything will eventually start working again. which leads me to beilve its more of a wiring issue, but which wire or is it the full wire harness? and since its only an issues during the winter its just really odd?
I didnt know if anyone else has encountered this issue with other del sols or if its just me?

sumdewd

Was the battery in the car and still cold when you checked its voltage?

It's an interesting issue you're having for sure. Perhaps you can keep a spare battery (or the main one) inside (and warm) and swap it while this issue is occurring to see if the car responds well? Leave the car outside too. I'm still fairly convinced it is battery related since you can jump it.

Are all of the grounds and power wires in good condition?

sumdewd

Using a synthetic 0w-30 will help cold starts, too. I don't know what weight oil you're currently running.

alloccosol

I like the battery swap idea, I might go pickup another battery and try that out. I think I currently have a 5w-30 High mileage oil in it, So I may change that out to and see if that helps.
Also the battery wires look ok, but I am sure they are original to the car so I might try replacing those while I'm at it and see if that helps.
Thanks for all your input.

mk378

No they aren't all like that. In good stock condition, it should work as well as most other cars, it will start readily down to about 10 F or so. Below that becomes iffy with any car.

The most likely reason for no power at all to the car sometimes and normal others is bad connections at the battery. Detach, clean up, and reattach the terminals. Be sure to loosen the nut fully and get them all the way down on the battery post -- there should be some of the lead post showing above the top of the terminal.

Also check the main ground wire that goes from the battery minus to the car frame and the transmission case. Detach those points clean up and reattach. Put some grease over the connection to deter corrosion.