Cold Start= No Throttle?

[00SVTStrike]

So I had a very cold start this morning and I forgot to plug my truck in. It was single digits over night and it was maybe 13-15* by the time I went to start my truck.

The first couple times it cranked but nothing, and the 3rd time she fired, and definately protested. Sounded like hell and shook like crazy, but I was impressed it started...I just happened to notice, if I pushed the pedal at all, I wouldnt get ANY change in RPMS....so I pushed a little more, nothing, and eventually put it to the floor, and nothing....so I let her be and went inside....once warm worked normal...

I guess when its that cold you dont have any control will the pedal for some reason? (For reference I wasnt trying to rev the damn thing up, I thought maybe pushing on the pedal any may help start, and then noticed that it did nothing)

[Powerstroke W/smoke]

that could be, especially if it got to single digits, that your fuel was gelling and just trying to warm up enough to even run. just an idea though.

[ridgerunner98570]

My truck does the same thing. The computer won't let you rev that cold motor. It is saving you some serious damage. Remember your motor is computer controlled. When I start mine after it was -30 below and had a -54 degree wind chill, I could not believe it started at all! Les Schwab batteries rule! Anyway, Mine had no throttle until it was warmed up enough to move. Montana in the winter is great!

[FordCowboy]

I don't know if it is the computer "limiting" what you can do with the throttle or rather that the throttle position sensor is having issues when it is that cold, possibly due to built up ice in the sensor? I really don't know for sure, but I just don't think that the computer is voluntarily controlling it saying "Nope, try again later." Women say that enough, I don't need my truck doing it too. lol.

[00SVTStrike]

Well it had SOME control within maybe 30 seconds, but it came in real gradual...at first it did NOTHING.

[TurboSevenThree]

Sorry boys, that's what it's doing. It locks you out at first if its that cold. That happened to me before. It let me move it but no throttle. It does it not only because it's TERRIBLE for it but also because running that rough and cold if you were able to you give it any, RPM's go up and it won't catch its idle again and will stall. The sensor is inside the cab so no ice. And gelling will = STALL and no restart! That is til you heat it in the tank, and change the fuel filter and purge it like you would if you ran out of fuel. Use Power Service. Good stuff.

[ridgerunner98570]

Originally Posted by TurboSevenThree

Sorry boys, that's what it's doing. It locks you out at first if its that cold. That happened to me before. It let me move it but no throttle. It does it not only because it's TERRIBLE for it but also because running that rough and cold if you were able to you give it any, RPM's go up and it won't catch its idle again and will stall. The sensor is inside the cab so no ice. And gelling will = STALL and no restart! That is til you heat it in the tank, and change the fuel filter and purge it like you would if you ran out of fuel. Use Power Service. Good stuff.

I use power service with cetene boost religiously, also the Town Pump service station where I buy my diesel blends it into their fuel in winter. I wouldn't be without it. We used it in Alaska and Now I use it in Montana. My truck started without being plugged in in -30 degrees last Monday night and there was a wind chill of -54. I thought it was going to drop a rod for a few minutes but it started! I had to cycle it 3 times then crank, and then cycle it 2 more times and she went. Thank God for new Les Schwab batteries. Plus I had NO throttle response for about 2 minutes. Then it slowly gave it to me. 99 superduty 7.3 turbo powerstroke 4X4.

[dmd]

Wind chill has no impact on how cold a vehicle gets. Once to the outside temp, that
is as low as it gets. In this case it is still just -30 (which is darn cold anyways).

Windchill is for us humans and other creatures that rely on air to cool us.

[NCHornet]

Every PSD I have ever driven acts the same way!! The reason has already been stated, lube or replace the TPS all you want, but it won't change a thing, just wait for it to warm up a little. A properly working GP system should start a truck down to -20 without being plugged in. If yours is having trouble follow the write up in the maintenance section on troubleshooting the GP syste.
NCH

[elibenson]

I spent a week in an Amish community in Tennessee one winter. I don't know if it was as cold as some of the people on here describe, but it was plenty frigid. And of course there was no place to plug my truck in. It started without much complaint every time. I noticed that the throttle won't work when it's cold either. Further more, I noticed that my truck went into a high-idle when it was ridiculously cold out side too. I know that the truck didn't have a high-idle controller like my ambulances do. Has anyone else experienced this? The truck in question was a '99 (early/late??)