dmj
Well-known member
I feel bad for you guys in the cold,after 18 years in NY State I had enough of the cold so I moved to Florida.All GVR4 members should move here this way everyone can work on their cars all year.
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Cold Weather Behavior: Now more serious!
- Thread starter belize1334
- Start date
324vr4
Well-known member
The quality of life is much higher here than in FL...however...visiting and soaking up the sun is never a bad thing... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Dialcaliper
Well-known member
For temperatures that cold, you should be running high mixes of antifreeze to water - enough to keep it from icing while parked at night. Get a magnetic oil pan heater.
Also, switching to a 0W-30 oil is a good idea (possibly even 0W-20 if it gets even colder)
Lastly, tape or block up your radiator grille, at least partially if not entirely - there will still be plenty of cold air seeping in, and the engine bay heat will prevent your radiator from freezing once you start moving.
Electric motors like the starter motor and alternator will actually run stronger in the cold, since the resistance in the coils will drop. Your starter battery however will lose effectiveness in the cold.
If you can't plug in, you might consider getting one of those portable jumpstart batteries, and a 12 volt block/oil pan heater (or a mini inverter from the the auto parts store). Run the heater off the jumpstart battery at night, and put it inside to charge during the day, or charge it with the cigarette lighter when you run the car. Just don't leave it plugged in to the car, or you might run the car battery down.
Also, switching to a 0W-30 oil is a good idea (possibly even 0W-20 if it gets even colder)
Lastly, tape or block up your radiator grille, at least partially if not entirely - there will still be plenty of cold air seeping in, and the engine bay heat will prevent your radiator from freezing once you start moving.
Electric motors like the starter motor and alternator will actually run stronger in the cold, since the resistance in the coils will drop. Your starter battery however will lose effectiveness in the cold.
If you can't plug in, you might consider getting one of those portable jumpstart batteries, and a 12 volt block/oil pan heater (or a mini inverter from the the auto parts store). Run the heater off the jumpstart battery at night, and put it inside to charge during the day, or charge it with the cigarette lighter when you run the car. Just don't leave it plugged in to the car, or you might run the car battery down.
324vr4
Well-known member
^^^^Nice call Dialcaliper...I'd say the best mentioned ideas were the cardboard in front of the radiator and the batt charger at night beneficial...also, warm up your car for 15 min prior to leaving...BOOM
Dialcaliper
Well-known member
Hrm - before you go out and buy a jumpstart battery...
I just did a sanity check, and a 250W block/oil pan heater requires a constant 21 amps. That will drain most jumpstart batteries in just over an hour! You'd need a much bigger deep cycle battery (at least 160 Ah) which would be a pain in the ass to lug around (about 100 pound marine battery- the big optima blue tops are only 75 Ah). It doesn't look like that's very feasible, and your alternator would take almost 3 hours at full load to charge it)
The other option you might consider is a very low power battery heater (max about 10-20 watts). A small deep cycle battery should be able to handle that - don't forget that it will also get cold
) Put the battery in a closed box, and the heater will keep it warm (which will prevent it from going weak in the cold). Combined with thin oil and 60/40 or 75/25 coolant/water, plus blocking off the radiator flow a bit you should be fine.
Or just get a bigger starter battery with an insulated box so you have plenty of margin for cranking in the cold.
I just did a sanity check, and a 250W block/oil pan heater requires a constant 21 amps. That will drain most jumpstart batteries in just over an hour! You'd need a much bigger deep cycle battery (at least 160 Ah) which would be a pain in the ass to lug around (about 100 pound marine battery- the big optima blue tops are only 75 Ah). It doesn't look like that's very feasible, and your alternator would take almost 3 hours at full load to charge it)
The other option you might consider is a very low power battery heater (max about 10-20 watts). A small deep cycle battery should be able to handle that - don't forget that it will also get cold
) Put the battery in a closed box, and the heater will keep it warm (which will prevent it from going weak in the cold). Combined with thin oil and 60/40 or 75/25 coolant/water, plus blocking off the radiator flow a bit you should be fine.Or just get a bigger starter battery with an insulated box so you have plenty of margin for cranking in the cold.
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It's been -5 overnight here in northern CO for the last week or so, so I have an inkling of what you're feeling.
I just got an Odyssey PC680, but I haven't put it in yet cuz I either need to do my intake and I/C and exhaust mani replacement now (not happening) OR build some wood shims for now to fill up the battery slot so it doesn't jumble around. Batt in there now is definitely old, and doesn't like the cold at all. If the label is too corroded and worn to read, you probably need a new battery. It's a lot less work than a new starter /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif. And load testing, as others have said, sounds to me like the best way to determine which one it is w/o a ton of work.
However, I can tell you there is a HUGE difference if you store it in the garage vs outside. My roommate ganked my usual spot in mine one night and behold, my car did not start w/o some time on the 10A charger the next day. Clutch was also extremely sluggish...but it was fine after it warmed up (and didn't seem so sluggish if it spent the night in the garage). Floor mats were frozen solid as well, which was annoying.
I think keeping it in the garage will solve most of your problems w/o buying stuff (besides adjusting your oil/coolant), but if it does need to stay outside, then I think everyone's covered that pretty well already.
I just got an Odyssey PC680, but I haven't put it in yet cuz I either need to do my intake and I/C and exhaust mani replacement now (not happening) OR build some wood shims for now to fill up the battery slot so it doesn't jumble around. Batt in there now is definitely old, and doesn't like the cold at all. If the label is too corroded and worn to read, you probably need a new battery. It's a lot less work than a new starter /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif. And load testing, as others have said, sounds to me like the best way to determine which one it is w/o a ton of work.
However, I can tell you there is a HUGE difference if you store it in the garage vs outside. My roommate ganked my usual spot in mine one night and behold, my car did not start w/o some time on the 10A charger the next day. Clutch was also extremely sluggish...but it was fine after it warmed up (and didn't seem so sluggish if it spent the night in the garage). Floor mats were frozen solid as well, which was annoying.
I think keeping it in the garage will solve most of your problems w/o buying stuff (besides adjusting your oil/coolant), but if it does need to stay outside, then I think everyone's covered that pretty well already.
belize1334
Well-known member
Quoting Dialcaliper:
Hrm - before you go out and buy a jumpstart battery...
I just did a sanity check, and a 250W block/oil pan heater requires a constant 21 amps. That will drain most jumpstart batteries in just over an hour! You'd need a much bigger deep cycle battery (at least 160 Ah) which would be a pain in the ass to lug around (about 100 pound marine battery- the big optima blue tops are only 75 Ah). It doesn't look like that's very feasible, and your alternator would take almost 3 hours at full load to charge it)
The other option you might consider is a very low power battery heater (max about 10-20 watts). A small deep cycle battery should be able to handle that - don't forget that it will also get cold) Put the battery in a closed box, and the heater will keep it warm (which will prevent it from going weak in the cold). Combined with thin oil and 60/40 or 75/25 coolant/water, plus blocking off the radiator flow a bit you should be fine.
Or just get a bigger starter battery with an insulated box so you have plenty of margin for cranking in the cold.
I'd been considering this kind of option but came to the same conclusion that you did. It's just not feasible to have a mobile power supply for even a 125W heater. I just switched to M1 0W30. I was hoping for Castrol Syntec 0W30 but no luck. I priced out some 120V oil pan heaters and if I can get a neighbor from across the street to let me plug in sometimes I'll get one. That seems like the best plan because most places you go you can get 120V if you need it. I'm running Peak Long Life antifreeze now at about 70% Glycol in both the radiator and my Air/Water IC. I haven't put the cardboard over the radiator cause even with wind-chill you can't ever actually cool anything to below ambient temperature. Still, it's probably not a bad idea as it'll help keep the engine bay temps up which will help it warm up initially. A new battery isn't in my budget at this point but I really don't think that's the issue. Trying to start it this morning my TT was saying 11.0V which isn't really that low. I had trouble getting it going but I think that was the thickness of the oil mainly. If I continue to have issues I'll look into a bigger battery.
Thanks for the offer of help Ryan. About the only thing that I don't have available is a floor jack so if you have one I may borrow it at some point. If I have any other issues that I could use a hand with I'll let you know.
Hrm - before you go out and buy a jumpstart battery...
I just did a sanity check, and a 250W block/oil pan heater requires a constant 21 amps. That will drain most jumpstart batteries in just over an hour! You'd need a much bigger deep cycle battery (at least 160 Ah) which would be a pain in the ass to lug around (about 100 pound marine battery- the big optima blue tops are only 75 Ah). It doesn't look like that's very feasible, and your alternator would take almost 3 hours at full load to charge it)
The other option you might consider is a very low power battery heater (max about 10-20 watts). A small deep cycle battery should be able to handle that - don't forget that it will also get cold
) Put the battery in a closed box, and the heater will keep it warm (which will prevent it from going weak in the cold). Combined with thin oil and 60/40 or 75/25 coolant/water, plus blocking off the radiator flow a bit you should be fine.Or just get a bigger starter battery with an insulated box so you have plenty of margin for cranking in the cold.
I'd been considering this kind of option but came to the same conclusion that you did. It's just not feasible to have a mobile power supply for even a 125W heater. I just switched to M1 0W30. I was hoping for Castrol Syntec 0W30 but no luck. I priced out some 120V oil pan heaters and if I can get a neighbor from across the street to let me plug in sometimes I'll get one. That seems like the best plan because most places you go you can get 120V if you need it. I'm running Peak Long Life antifreeze now at about 70% Glycol in both the radiator and my Air/Water IC. I haven't put the cardboard over the radiator cause even with wind-chill you can't ever actually cool anything to below ambient temperature. Still, it's probably not a bad idea as it'll help keep the engine bay temps up which will help it warm up initially. A new battery isn't in my budget at this point but I really don't think that's the issue. Trying to start it this morning my TT was saying 11.0V which isn't really that low. I had trouble getting it going but I think that was the thickness of the oil mainly. If I continue to have issues I'll look into a bigger battery.
Thanks for the offer of help Ryan. About the only thing that I don't have available is a floor jack so if you have one I may borrow it at some point. If I have any other issues that I could use a hand with I'll let you know.
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324vr4
Well-known member
do it...
CarRacer
Well-known member
The cardboard isn't used to cool anything. It's used to limit the cooling ability of the radiator as it's not needed in cold weather. I cover 90% of my VW radiator (don't believe it's a stuck thermostat) otherwise it only got warm after 30 mins of driving. It's mostly for your comfort, but low temps can hurt engine performance.
Buy a universal radiator heater from your local parts store that inserts into the radiator hose. Toss a neighbor $20 bucks or offer to shovel their driveway for a plug in.
I start my car as soon as I'm dressed on the morning, then eat breakfast and whatnot. It gives my car a chance to warm up before driving it. I do park outside as well in below zero temps.
Buy a universal radiator heater from your local parts store that inserts into the radiator hose. Toss a neighbor $20 bucks or offer to shovel their driveway for a plug in.
I start my car as soon as I'm dressed on the morning, then eat breakfast and whatnot. It gives my car a chance to warm up before driving it. I do park outside as well in below zero temps.
belize1334
Well-known member
Quoting G:
I've got an oe engine heater from mits specifically for the galant fs nib if you want it.
Thanks for the offer, but I'm not in a position to start pulling freeze plugs. I'm just gonna get an oil pan magnet.
I've got an oe engine heater from mits specifically for the galant fs nib if you want it.
Thanks for the offer, but I'm not in a position to start pulling freeze plugs. I'm just gonna get an oil pan magnet.
I haven't had to do this for years since I left Wisconsin, but I had a car that had to sit outside. I used a dipstick heater on those occasions of reluctance to turn over. Just 5 minutes in the pan, and it would be ready to go usually. I did park near the garage so it was easy to plug in. You don't leave these in for long though. Wonder what ever happened to that heater...
Hertz
Staff member
It should be easy to find in your garage. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devil.gif /snipe
You're just jealous of my garage and the fact I have stuffed 10 lbs of potatoes into a 5 lb bag.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
Quoting belize1334:
Quoting G:
I've got an oe engine heater from mits specifically for the galant fs nib if you want it.
Thanks for the offer, but I'm not in a position to start pulling freeze plugs. I'm just gonna get an oil pan magnet.
Huh? It's not that type. It's an inline type that you splice in to your radiator hose. Pretty nice.
Quoting G:
I've got an oe engine heater from mits specifically for the galant fs nib if you want it.
Thanks for the offer, but I'm not in a position to start pulling freeze plugs. I'm just gonna get an oil pan magnet.
Huh? It's not that type. It's an inline type that you splice in to your radiator hose. Pretty nice.
belize1334
Well-known member
^^ Oh. Is it a circulating unit? If so then I might be interested.
belize1334
Well-known member
That's pretty kick-ass. The only circulating coolant heaters that I've been able to find are big bulky units that cost $80.00. Otherwise you can get non-circulating coolant heaters that cost like $50 but they don't work nearly as well since they rely on convection and thermal conductivity instead of straight out circulation. Is your unit sized for the heater hose or the radiator hose (the former is preferred as it bypasses the thermostat). If you're looking to sell, how much do you want for it? A picture would also be nice so that we know we're on the same page.
^^^ Pics or ban. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Roger, instead of those mobile charging units, I'd recommend a second battery and a battery isolator. The isolator lets the secondary battery be charged by the alternator, but the car can draw no current from it. You can then run the engine heater off of that battery, through a switched relay or something. Maybe activate it with an extra alarm control or clock or something.
Roger, instead of those mobile charging units, I'd recommend a second battery and a battery isolator. The isolator lets the secondary battery be charged by the alternator, but the car can draw no current from it. You can then run the engine heater off of that battery, through a switched relay or something. Maybe activate it with an extra alarm control or clock or something.
