I live in the chicago area and recently it has been really cold and my TSX starts really slow is this normal?

 

Do you mean that it takes more revs to start the car? If you have not added fuel injector cleaners into the gas tank while filling it up with gas, I would recommend it. It fixed my start up time and my car responds better. The car seems to start in 1-2 revs now.

 

When I turn the key the car seems to struggle a bit to start.

 

Poor batteries, and cold climates are not a good combination, living in the midwest definitely doesn't work well with the factory battery. Look to upgrade the battery, but think about this how well would you work if left out in the cold for a few hours..would you want to start right away

 

Yes, mine has given me a scare a few times. It's only recently been really cold in NJ, but the few days we had of these temps my car started slowly, too. I had the dealer check it when I had my last oil change, but they said it's fine. When it's time to replace it, I'm getting one with a higher CCA rating. I don't think the OEM battery is sufficient in cold temps.

 

The OEM battery isn't the best, but I'm over three years now and it's hanging in there. To the OP, yes what you describe is normal. The CCA on the OEM battery is about half what it is on a good aftermarket one.

 

Another Chicago native here with the same trouble. It sounded like a turd when it finally kicked over. The dash lights were all dimming and it cranked really weak. I just added some gas additive, we'll see what happens. If that doesn't work, I might consider a new battery.

 

nice, I was thinking about opening a thread on this topic too but now I dont have too. Its been SUPER cold in chicago lately.

 

It requires a few more cranks to start up the car in cold weather

 

...and cranks slow as hell... it's been below 0F here most nights and early morning when I leave for work, and that seems to be the way this car is... starts every time though!

 

These issues are battery related...plus our long stroke. Our stock batteries suck...plain and simple

 

no problems with mine *knock on wood* whether key starting or remote starting, and my tsx is almost 2 years old.

I found it funny when Cali people were freaking about changing their battery for 40 degree weather in the other thread

 

Long-stroke, high compression + cold weather generally will lead to longer crank times to start the motor. Unless your starter is struggling for more than several seconds, it's probably not somethign to be too concerned about.

 

Yeah as long as it starts and runs, and there are no lingering driveability issues, I'd say it's okay.

The coldest it has gotten here this winter so far is somewhere in the teens, and I noted the starter seemed a little more sluggish than usual and the LCD display in the cluster flickered briefly... but once the engine was running it seemed fine.

Here tonight is supposed to be down to the single digits or teens, so we'll see how tomorrow morning goes.

 

Optima or another high output battery. Give your ride what it needs to overcome "bad" starting conditions. If I lived in your neck of the woods I'd upgrade the battery and switch to a good, full-syn 5-30w oil. Grinding all your goodies while "trying" to start your car is a bad thing. I would avoid it at all costs if possible.

 

I replaced my stock battery with an EverStart from Walmart, 590 CCA, and it starts like a charm even in subzero cold. I also use 0w-30 Amsoil synthetic, which helps. The two-yr-old stock battery was struggling in 20-30 degree weather, I didn't feel like taking a chance and getting stuck at work or having trouble in the morning at home. Not to save the $40 the new battery cost.

 

Same cold here in mke, started after 3 revs this am. Clutch and shifting are a little stiff at the start too.

 

-16 this morning and boy did it struggle. I was thinking of taking a video tomorrow morning for the hell of it. I'll post it if I do. So cold the nav screen was flickering.

 

mine is original and on its way out. would it be covered under my acura warranty??

 

Nav was flickering?

Now that's something I'd be worried about..

 

yeah i was wondering that.. i got kinda scared.. but i just got my tsx like 4 weeks ago.. don't you guy's think it's a little too soon to be switching the batteries?

 

Yeah I was a bit worried. I only saw it do it about 3 times and I got out to scrape the windows. When I got back in it had stopped.

 

I have a non-navi, but all LCD displays were absolutely useless today... -5F this morning, and the displays just couldn't do anything. I guess it would be the same for the nav... LCD just can't operate at those temps.

-3F tonight when I left the office, and I was wondering if the darn car would start... I guess I'm going to be looking for a replacement battery shortly, although I can always call Acura Roadside Assistance if I get stuck...

 

I live in QC Canada and we have a cold -32 F and my tsx start so slowly then my check engin light goes on. with the scanner I read Multi miss fire. So I bought a Block heater for this very cold day and the car start very well now, and I think I will put sythetic oil too, less affected by cold temperature.

 

by the way I have a TSX Navi and I want to know if you can choose other climat control mode like ( defrost/floors, Bi level, vent only... etc) without the vocal system. Because the only mode I have around the Navigation screen is Defrost and auto Mode and Dual.

Thanks

Jeff

 

LCD displays like those in televisions, monitors, nav screens, instrument clusters, and cell phones can have a response time in the hundreds of milliseconds when the temperature is really cold, so I wouldn't worry about that too much. Note that when the LCDs actually get a little heat they are fine again.

A good old fashioned CRT will function perfectly at -16 with no issues at all, except that it may take another few seconds for the filament warm up enough. Of course... a CRT also consumes a buttload more space, uses leaded glass, and requires a lot more power to operate. I guess that's the tradeoff.

 

Don't know if this works, but manual says try normal start, try again with half throttle, try third time with WOT to clear the flooding.

 

altho it is off topic, if you click the climate control button under the navi you have all your options displayed on the screen for you to select....

downside is that you loose your auto setting if you choose the vent settings


I too have had some really cold starts with a few -30F days we've had here, but it always starts , and the LCD screens are totally useless, the nav works ok but is really pale, it's the display up top that doesn't move at all... changing tracks on a cd or input options leave the screen delayed by about 5+ seconds till everything warms up...

 

+17F when I left the office yesterday, had some trouble starting again. It's not even that cold!! Luckily, everything worked fine once it got started, but man does it make me nervous when it takes so long to get going.

 

damn...

-32F = -35C. that's damn cold.

 

Started my car last night in -4F weather. But, my car was outside parked all day because I park it at the train station and take the train downtown.

My 99 US Accord started faster and quicker than this TSX. Pretty sad that Honda gives a better OEM battery to US Accords than the TSX. I've started the TL before as my loaner and that starts exactly the same way as my old Accord did. Maybe it has something to with the TL and Accord being manufactured in the same Ohio plant and they share platforms and apparently batteries too?

 

same issue here. car is 3mo old, temps in DE have been really low. car sat overnight.. took the longest # of cranks yet, maybe a solid 3 sec to start. LCD was really blurry too as expected.

 

Though the winter here isn't anywhere near as harsh as what some of you experience, my TSX experienced its coldest night yet last night--11 degrees F according to the MID. Amazingly enough the starter only needed to turn 3 times before the engine came to life. Those 3 turns sounded slow and labored, but it still seemed pretty impressive.

 

what you do to display climate control under the navi. I find how to display radio under the navi. I click on the Xm radio button and after the FM AM radio button and now the radio are display with my favorite channel.

But I really don't know how display the climate control¸

thanks

 

I don't know if this really helps or not when starting, but before I turn the car off, I turn off the radio and heat, so there are less things that need power right when the car is turned on. Some of you having issues may want to try this. At least in doing this, I don't have any flickering light problems because everything is off.

 

Couple nights ago it was -4F and my TSX didn't start at first I really need to get a better battery any suggestions.

 

press the button labeled 'A/C'

 

ok I never press on because it's winter and I don't need A/C for now LOL

Thanks Cibs

Jeff