Car won’t start after snowstorm

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Reasons why your car won’t start
• What can you do to avoid this issue?
• Conclusion

Introduction

It’s happened to all of us. You go to start your car after a snowstorm, and nothing happens. No matter how many times you hit the gas, the engine won’t turn over. So, what gives? Why won’t your car start after sitting in the snow?

If you’ve had this happen, you know how irritating it is, and if you haven’t then keep reading to find out what steps you need to take to get the car back on the road. No one wants to be out in the cold with a car that won’t turn over.

Reasons why your car won’t start

There are a few reasons why your car might not start after sitting in the snow. One of the most common is that the battery has become frozen. When battery cells freeze, they expand and break the internal connections. This prevents them from being able to hold a charge and power your car. If this is the case, you’ll need to jumpstart your battery or replace it altogether. You can think of the battery like this: Just like if you put ice cream in the freezer, it gets hard and you can’t eat it until it melts, the battery needs to be thawed out before it will work again.

Another possibility is that snow has gotten into the engine compartment, preventing critical components from moving properly. For example, if snow has gotten into the Distributor cap, it can prevent spark plugs from firing. In this case, you’ll need to open up the hood and remove the snow that’s blocking access to key components.

Finally, it’s possible that your fuel line is frozen. If this is the case, gas can’t flow into the engine and your car won’t start. The best way to thaw a frozen fuel line is to use a hairdryer or pour hot water over the affected area. However, you’ll want to be careful not to pour boiling water on any plastic parts as this could cause them to melt. Once the fuel line is thawed out, your car should start right up.

What can you do to avoid this issue?

One thing that cars sometimes come with, or can have added, in cold climates are block heaters. These will prevent your car from having such a hard time in the cold weather. It will basically warm up your engine a bit as it is like a mini heater for your car that runs off electricity.

The only drawback of this tool is that if you don’t have access to a plug in then you can’t really use it. But if your house gets a lot of snow and it is very cold you might want to see if this is a worthwhile investment to keep your car starting easily all winter.

Here is some more info about what a block heater is , and what it does for your car:

Conclusion

If you find yourself in a situation where your car won’t start after sitting in the snow, there are a few things you can check. Most likely, it’s an issue with the battery, engine components, or fuel line. And we hope that our list of things that you should check has helped you out of your cold predicament. If not, you can always call for help but hopefully, one of our tips has got your car turning over and the heater warming you up.