The Cold is coming

[nicola]

The cold is coming here in South Dakota and this is the first Toyota 4runner that I have ever owned. I went from a 2009 mazda 6 with 48k, all done by me, and then went to a 98 4runner with 235k mileage. My concern is with the cold winter coming, what steps should I take now to make sure that she starts up all the time. Right now when I start it in this temp that we have now, it seems like it take a couple of seconds to start. Please give me some advice.

 

[blcktpgsr]

Batteries do have to work much harder during the cold winter season. Do you have a high CCA(cold cranking amp) battery? I would check into that to make sure you have a sure fire every time you crank the ignition. Checked the spark plugs recently?

 

[Maritimer]

Depending if you bought it local or not, it could have oil that's not perfect for the cold. For the age I'd change the fluids, spark plugs, maybe the battery if it looks really old, and just because it will work, I'd get a block heater if there's somewhere to plug it in.