I thought I'd give an update on my TR-3650 in colder temperatures. Recall that I filled it up with ~3 qt of Redline High Temp ATF. This is the thickest Mercon ATF I could find, almost on-par with MTL in terms of viscosity. I suspect it is probably a mixture of MTL and Redline D4. I have driven the Stang in the winter before, but the lowest temperature it has seen is about 30F (the 0F-20F nasty stuff is reserved for the Vic) and so far I haven't felt anything different in the shifter. It shifts the same whether cold or fully warmed up, so the High Temp ATF works for me and I would recommend giving it a try if your 3650 is acting up.

Now onto the question:
Has anyone noticed their 4.6 3V taking longer to crank up? I thought it was the voltage, but the power to the starter seems nominal. I can hear the starter doing its thing but the engine just takes more cranks to fire up versus at warmer temperatures. My 4.6 2V and 5.4 2V both start up without any difficulties in colder temperatures. Is it because the 4.6 3V is a higher compression engine?

 

I have not noticed it take any longer in the cold vs. warm to start my engine. It seems the same no matter the temps, and I have started it in everything from -5F to 100F.

 

At an ambient higher than 45F, it takes like a split second to start, maybe 1/4 of a second.

At an ambient less than 40F, it takes almost 2-3 seconds. I thought it might be the battery, but the starter turns over very rapidly.

I recently changed the oil and filled up my tank with fresh 87 octane. The prev gas was about 6 months old and had Stabil additive, but the car always started fine with that gas.

 

I notice the chattering even when the ambient temp is higher than 50F. I am unsure if it is the hydraulic lash adjusters or the VCT. I'm using synthetic 5W-20 (Pennzoil Platinum and Q Torque 4x4).