Hello all, Our weather forecast here in Minnesota is abysmal to say the least. As it's getting really cold I'm hearing a lot more engine noise on initial startup, only when the car is parked outside all day at work. After a little bit the engine noise goes back to normal. With temps as low as -23F next week I'm a bit concerned. Is this something other owners are seeing or is there something to be concerned about here? Mileage is getting lower but not terribly so.
You might throw some Seafoam or Marvel mystery oil in it.. maybe a bit too thick on the oil. Also.. you can get some rattle from the transmission when it's cold too. Also.. if you have a bad spark or coil failing. A slight misfire will make a hell of a racket... The misfire causes gear slop in the trans to bang back and forth making a rattling noise. Good luck. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
I would got to Walmart and buy 5 quart jug of Mobil 1 0-20 for $24.95 and install that asap. Your car takes 3.5 quarts with a new filter. 30 weight may be too thick for that temp.
My normal lives in the garage, but I was in a hotel last night so we got to start cold at -16° this morning. It was definitely noisier than usual, but I believe most of that was a very aggressive warm-up strategy that raised RPM significantly higher than usual as I drove. Mine has always been louder when cold, just like every other engine I’ve owned while living up north. 0W20 is better at these temperatures, but the recommended 5W-30 won’t hurt anything.
