Rough Engine in Cold Weather??

[Devo565]

Hi All,

I have a 2021 SX AWD which is primarily driven in Houston, TX. However, we road-tripped to Indiana for the Holidays and the Telly experienced its first snow and below freezing temperatures with highs only in the teens, and negative degrees in the evening/overnight hours. After sitting outside in these conditions over 2 days I went to start it (remotely) and it fired up with a bit of a backfire. I chalked this up to the cold temps and didn’t think anything of it. But during the first 10-15 seconds of running the engine emitted a whining noise… again I’m guessing this is just due to the freezing temps. Anyone else experience this?

And now when driving it around, the engine seems to idle lower than it should at stop lights causing it to feel more “rough” than normal. When I step on the gas though it’s just fine and drives smooth on the highway. No check engine lights or anything.

Hopefully this is just normal behavior and once we get in the 40’s - 50’s again things will go back to how they were. Still curious if anyone else on here as experienced similar behaviors though?

 

[Tellthemride]

Hi All,

I have a 2021 SX AWD which is primarily driven in Houston, TX. However, we road-tripped to Indiana for the Holidays and the Telly experienced its first snow and below freezing temperatures with highs only in the teens, and negative degrees in the evening/overnight hours. After sitting outside in these conditions over 2 days I went to start it (remotely) and it fired up with a bit of a backfire. I chalked this up to the cold temps and didn’t think anything of it. But during the first 10-15 seconds of running the engine emitted a whining noise… again I’m guessing this is just due to the freezing temps. Anyone else experience this?

And now when driving it around, the engine seems to idle lower than it should at stop lights causing it to feel more “rough” than normal. When I step on the gas though it’s just fine and drives smooth on the highway. No check engine lights or anything.

Hopefully this is just normal behavior and once we get in the 40’s - 50’s again things will go back to how they were. Still curious if anyone else on here as experienced similar behaviors though?

It’s possible the oil weights used at the Texas dealerships are not the correct viscosity rating for cold weather starts.

 

[Devo565]

It’s possible the oil weights used at the Texas dealerships are not the correct viscosity rating for cold weather starts.

Thanks for the reply. I change it myself and use the thinner viscosity (5w-30) anyways. But I did forget to check the oil after the long trip up here so I just did that. And it was just a little above the center point of the dipstick. Right where it should be.

 

[Senator20]

Thanks for the reply. I change it myself and use the thinner viscosity (5w-30) anyways. But I did forget to check the oil after the long trip up here so I just did that. And it was just a little above the center point of the dipstick. Right where it should be.

In Texas I would run 10w30. I run it in the summer here in NJ.

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[Devo565]

UPDATE: I did some further testing in the driveway and it seems the car runs just fine in comfort mode. When switching to snow mode the RMPs drop ever so slightly… there is a faint clunk from the undercarriage… and then the idle is rough.

Switching it back to comfort seems to smooth things out.

is this “clunk” normal? It’s almost like something in the transfer case is being engaged. But I am not in AWD lock… I have been leaving that off.

 

[Promethus78]

Hi All,

I have a 2021 SX AWD which is primarily driven in Houston, TX. However, we road-tripped to Indiana for the Holidays and the Telly experienced its first snow and below freezing temperatures with highs only in the teens, and negative degrees in the evening/overnight hours. After sitting outside in these conditions over 2 days I went to start it (remotely) and it fired up with a bit of a backfire. I chalked this up to the cold temps and didn’t think anything of it. But during the first 10-15 seconds of running the engine emitted a whining noise… again I’m guessing this is just due to the freezing temps. Anyone else experience this?

And now when driving it around, the engine seems to idle lower than it should at stop lights causing it to feel more “rough” than normal. When I step on the gas though it’s just fine and drives smooth on the highway. No check engine lights or anything.

Hopefully this is just normal behavior and once we get in the 40’s - 50’s again things will go back to how they were. Still curious if anyone else on here as experienced similar behaviors though?

Don't worry Devo, the sound you describe is another one of those well known phantom issues that can never be duplicated at the dealership. I too have the issue but only when our temps get below -0 and it sits overnight. I am convince this particular engine just doesn't like to be cold and Kia doesn't know where the exact issue is. This goes in the bucket of other non-resolvable Kia issues like the the side view camera flicker There is an extensive thread on the issue at

Cold start screeching noise

Hey folks, my SXP recently had screeching noise from the hood when I start the engine first thing in the morning, it lasts about 10 seconds then fades away. It happens more frequently when it’s freezing cold. Did some search and the most possible reason seems to be loose engine belt that slips...

tellurideforum.org

 

[Devo565]

I thought I’d close this thread out by firstly thanking everyone who replied. There’s nothing like experiencing something worrisome or odd about your car and not knowing it it’s normal or something you need to be concerned about.

That being said, after the temps got back up around 40-50 degrees, things went back to being completely normal. No weird sounds, no rough idling, no odd behavior in snow mode.

These cars just don’t like the cold. Plain and simple. So if anyone else is experiencing odd behavior, just wait until a day when it’s a little warmer out again (20s-30s) as opposed to the teens, and see if the behavior is still there or not.

Hope this helps!

-Rob

 

[CarrieW]

So, is it possible that my Telluride may not start at all in sub zero temps? I'm getting a click and the dash says the car is on... but it is NOT on. I'm hoping if I warm it up and try again tomorrow, it'll at least start? Anyone else experience this? Or should I expect a dead battery?

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