I bought a Subaru two years ago and it’s a great car for me but the original owner is from Texas and I live in Montana where it gets really cold in the winter and my car struggles to start when I don’t park it in the garage. Last year I could just use my parents’ garage but I moved out and I don’t have a garage. I replaced the battery earlier this summer so I’m pretty sure it isn’t a battery problem but I was wondering if I need to take it into a mechanic or if there’s another part I should consider replacing?
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If the engine cranks at normal speed, then failure to start is most often caused by worn out spark plugs, a bad engine coolant temperature sensor, carboned up throttle body or low fuel pressure.
A cold engine needs more fuel to fire up. If the coolant temp sensor is giving bad readings, the air/fuel mixture will be too lean. Low fuel pressure can also cause hard start in cold weather. Compare engine coolant temp sensor readings to actual engine temp. Do a fuel pressure test. Make sure the spark plugs are good
90% of the time your battery does not have enough CCA (cold cranking amps). Assuming you are using thinner synthetic oil for the winter (0w weight) you might need a stronger battery.
I had a ‘92 Sentra that had problems starting when very cold (0°F). Turned out it was the coolant temperature sensor (not the gauge sender). It failed so ECM couldn’t compensate for cold weather.