In this extremely cold weather, I've noticed that it is hard for me to pull my stick down to Reverse or Drive. Is that something normal in cold weather or is something else going on with my car?

vainandy said:

Depends how cold it is, but yes that can happen. Is your car an automatic transmission?

my brakes were frozen to the wheels the other day

The temperature has been in the teens for the last few nights. Yes, my car is automatic. It's a 95 Cadillac.

Yes. Totally normal - take it from the Minnesotan.

If you're not already, you should be allowing your car to "warm up" for 10-20 minutes before driving when it gets as cold as it has been getting for you guys in the south.

vainandy said:

I'm pretty sure it's just the weather, automatics are more tempremental than manual gears (or so I'm told)

it has been taking a while for my car to heat up in the mornings too

Thank y'all so much. That's a relief because I have been worrying myself to death over that damn car. Everytime I turn around, I'm having to spend money (that I don't have to spare) on repairs.

vainandy said:

I only laugh when you say these otherwise innocent things.

vainandy said:

When was the last time the transmission fluid was replaced?

I have no idea. I had an oil change about two months ago and I know they check all the other fluids when they do one.

vainandy said:

Hmmm. i'd probably have that checked and tell them what it's been doing when it's cold.

;
[Edited 1/11/10 15:49pm]

ernestsewell said:

I was thinking the same thing, but I was going to be nice. ERNEST!!!

yep..
even in florida.. it's unusually cold and my (automatic) transmission
didn't want to go in drive while the car's cold..reverse just fine,but after neutral to drive,,nope!
just wanted to stay neutral
and it was down a bit on fluid..i checked that as soon as it did it.
still cold here..but going into drive just fine now
if you check the fluid make sure the car is hot..
it's more accurate

CarrieMpls said:

10-20? yikes. I'm sure I've been ruining my car by not letting it warm up long enough. I give it 5 minutes when it's really cold. There have been times when I don't have time to let it heat up. I just hop in and go.....I know, not good.

AnckSuNamun said:

Depends on how cold it is and how exposed to the elements your car is. Very few people let it warm up that long, but it's beneficial to do so if you're, say, parked on the street and it's -10 F.

CarrieMpls said:

theres been a spike in car thefts in this area because people have been leaving their cars unattended, warming up...

roodboi said:

Well, you're supposed to sit in it!

It's actually illegal to leave a running car unattended in Minnesota. That doesn't stop people from doing it, though.

We actually have remote car starters here. So you can push a button and start your car (while it remains locked) and allow it to warm up while you eat breakfast or whatever.

CarrieMpls said:

we have those too, Carrie...

and toilet paper for our outhouses...

roodboi said:

I just can't imagine why you'd need them.

I mean, now you're gonna tell me you have ice scrapers and snow tires too.

CarrieMpls said:

well, our wheels are still square down here, so its a problem finding snow tires to fit them...

roodboi said:

ass.

CarrieMpls said:

yeah, thats what we use to pull our wagons...

CarrieMpls said:

before you start hauling ass you should let the car warm up at least past one mark on the temperature gauge. its really bad to drive your car consistently like this otherwise.
plus you can hear your car idle at a smooth rate after a couple minutes, you should at least wait for this before driving.

Thanks for the advice. I let my car warm up this morning for about ten minutes and it just seemed to drive better. Also, the temperature wasn't as low today as it has been been and when I got off work this evening, the gear stick was easier to pull down. Thanks again.

daPrettyman said:

It's a gay thing.

When it's cold out, the tiny passages in a tranny contract and fluid becomes more viscous, and older fluid as well as any debris compound the sticking effect. If you can't remember the last time your transmission fluid was changed, I would go to an authorized dealer and have the tranny flushed and the filter replaced. The local mom and pop service station or Jiffy Lube may be OK for a regular fluid drop-change, but never have them do a transmission flush - dirt can be blown into the small valves if not done properly and ruin the tranny.

The remote startup is heaven. I start my car up while inside my house and put together my lunch for the day while my car is warming up. The car automatically locks when it starts up so I don't have to worry about peeking out the window every five seconds. My boyfriend doesn't have remote start up but what he does as an alternative is take his keypad off his key ring, start his car up, lock his doors and then when he's ready to get his car, he uses his keypad to unlock the door.

Cuddles said:

The whole "warming your car up" thing is pretty debatable in these cold-ass northern states, but this seems like reasonable advice. If you have 20 minutes to let it warm, all the better.