Sounds normal for most cars.

Just make sure the car is warmed up otherwise you may get the hunting idle.

 

I know that some cold weather fussiness can be alleviated in the transmission by switching to Redline or Amsoil gear oils; but is there something that can be done to help the clutch? I've noticed twice now (once last night and once this morning) that when I shifted into 6th gear, there was a small and brief rise in the revs that did not match the wheel speed, and then it settled down a second or two later. I didn't see any other sign of slippage so I am guessing that the clutch was not fully engaged even though I mistakenly thought it was.

Ambient temperature both times was about 15F/-9C.

I suppose it is possible that my clutch is starting to go (I have 41K miles) but I haven't seen any other signs except at these extreme low temperatures.

 

My dealer (a newly opened one) is fantastic. They kept the car overnight, left it outside, and tried to start it this morning and had some trouble.

They are replacing the starter motor and battery per the TSB under warranty.

The fact they did what they did shows their good faith at trying (and succeeding) at duplicating the problem.

I could not be happier with a dealership experience.

 

Well I started just letting it heat up alot more before I drive it and all the stiffness in the gear box and clutch goes away.

Still have a really bad smacking sound that sounds like my windshield by the passenger glovebox or something is slapping against the frame when I go over bad bumps. Its really annoying. I'm hoping its just ice around the seals or something.

 

FYI:

This is NOT caused by your MAF. It is your neutral switch on the manual transmission housing that is going bad. You've got two options, replace it now, or wait a while until it's bad enough that it finally trips the engine MIL light and does it every time. Took mine about 4 months to go from "what the heck what that; that was weird! Oh well..." to "goddamn it if it does this one more time I'm gonna' stick my fist through the tach..."

The part is about $90, give or take (I got a used one for under $50, with a warranty). Takes less than 10 minutes to change it out, but you'll need a modified socket to do it. Do a search on "neutral switch" and/or "searching idle" and you'll find the threads easily. I just replaced mine a couple months ago, so the latest & greatest info is relatively recent.

 

exactly what I was thinking when I saw the thread title. my 8 LOVES the cold.

 

put thin oil