Can starter freeze?

Don't think the motor it self is freezing and not turning...think it is water
freezing on the solenoid armature and/or the pinion gear that spins out to engage
the fly wheel gear teeth that is freezing with water on their moving parts

Dadoffourgirls wrote:
When I was a kid, we carried a Thermos of hot water to pour on the starter of the 1970 Chevrolet Nova with the straight 6 during winter. If the roads were wet, and then the car sat in freezing temperatures, it would not start. Open the hood, pour water on the starter, and we were good to go.

Probably didn't realize you were exacerbating the situation by pouring yet more water on the starter in extreme cold weather... What do you think happens to hot water in cold weather?

When I was a kid, we carried a Thermos of hot water to pour on the starter of the 1970 Chevrolet Nova with the straight 6 during winter. If the roads were wet, and then the car sat in freezing temperatures, it would not start. Open the hood, pour water on the starter, and we were good to go.

I have had it happen twice in my life. The most recent was just a few weeks ago. It was warm and slushy during the day and a cold front came in and dropped below zero. Went out in the morning and click is all I got and the battery was fully charged. As soon as it warmed up it started right up. It may be rare, but I know it can happen.

Not really on topic buttttttttt, try using your snowblower walk behind after removing snow on a nice 30F Monday and then Monday night it get's down to zero :B
Tell me how well that auger works now :W
Starter??? By pure design with gear holes on bottom, it would be rare but with the right conditions I can see it happening. Very unlikely though..

Just being plain cold outside isn't going to freeze up a starter unless it's full of water and I'm not sure how it would stay full - if the water can leak in, it can leak out also. Have been in the cold winter for 50+ years and never seen a starter freeze and I've been in it down to -67F.

I've plowed enough deep snow in the winter that I've filled up my air cleaner and killed the diesel engine, but I've never had a water or water & freezing problem with a starter. The snow is deep enough up in the hills so that I have to run with all four chained up with modified chains, a 1,000# of weight in the bed and locker units in the front and rear ends.

I've also flooded out my Jeeps in enough deep rivers where I have to use the electric winch to at least pull them far enough to get the spark plugs out of the water to get them restarted. Also sunk one in a river so far that the steering wheel was under water. Just water has never given me a starter problem.

I think you have other problems than cold weather and or water.

Bill

Not often but I've experienced it. most recently on a basically new truck, in the Arctic. Big blow (blizzard) packs Everything full of snow. Start up, engine heat melts a bunch of snow underhood, drips into starter somewhere and re freezes.

Mortal hands fashioned the starter, it can certainly fail through freezing

let me add- I do plow with the truck (after the storm 2 weeks ago)
The truck did drive through some deep snow. (Like at one point where the engine bottomed out on snow drift)- so it's possible that the starter go some ice in it (or near it)- I just don't see how anything can actually get into the starter itself- What I am going to do now that it is warmer is disconnect and clean all the connections

rrev wrote:
It can happen. I had it happen on an old 6.9 diesel. Snow was melting and there was a huge amount of water to drive through to get to our apartment. Got really cold that night and starter froze solid, towed it to work, warmed it up and fired right up.

OK, well I learned something new. Thanks for the info.