Can you even imagine doing this in the winter?

[ecotourist]

It’s mostly hyperbole. People that live in these regions always use block heaters and even oil pan heaters. It’s not uncommon for parking lots at work and malls to have power outlets for this very reason.

Hyperbole, eh. Where in Canada did you live?

Block heaters yes. Interior car warmers - not usually. You generally can't run an interior car warmer at the same time as a block heater because if the breaker blows you won't even have a block heater. Oil pan heaters - never seen one.

 

[Kestas]

Automakers test their product down to -40°C. Below that and you're on your own.

 

[wavinwayne]

Feels like Yakutia in North AL today compared to our usual weather. It was 29°F and snow flurries at noon. BRRRRRRR

 

[MCompact]

I ran the ALCAN 5000 once and until the last couple of days the temperature remained below 5F. A lot of teams left their vehicles running all night but we survived with 5W-30 synthetic in the sump. When it hit -27F I was ready to head to warmer destinations.

 

[KrisZ]

Hyperbole, eh. Where in Canada did you live?

Block heaters yes. Interior car warmers - not usually. You generally can't run an interior car warmer at the same time as a block heater because if the breaker blows you won't even have a block heater. Oil pan heaters - never seen one.

I never said anything about interior warmers.
I lived in southern Ontario and it doesn't get too cold over there. Them may see -25C once in a while, and that's about it. I never saw anybody using block heaters and I never used one.

But from my wife's side family who live in Calgary, they use block heaters regularly over there. Last year they had -40C for something like a week. A small portion of people uses the oil pan heaters, most people don't even know they exists.

 

[fantastic]

7F this morning in MO. Volvo started good considering but still Cold enough!

 

[thastinger]

If only vehicles came with plug in block heaters.

 

[burbguy82]

What vehicle is that?

UAZ-3151, or some relative to it. They are the longest produced 4x4 on earth.

https://overlandkitted.com/blogs/news/the-uaz-hunter-worlds-longest-produced-4wd-vehicle

 

[edyvw]

UAZ-3151, or some relative to it. They are the longest produced 4x4 on earth.

https://overlandkitted.com/blogs/news/the-uaz-hunter-worlds-longest-produced-4wd-vehicle

I know that.
I waa asking about his VW.

 

[ecotourist]

I lived in southern Ontario and it doesn't get too cold over there. Them may see -25C once in a while, and that's about it. I never saw anybody using block heaters and I never used one.

But from my wife's side family who live in Calgary, they use block heaters regularly over there. Last year they had -40C for something like a week. A small portion of people uses the oil pan heaters, most people don't even know they exists.

Southern Ontario and Calgary are not cold places. In fact people from elsewhere on the prairies move to Calgary because of its mild winters. It does snow in Calgary but then the snow melts, often within a few days.

You might try spending a winter in Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton or Fort McMurray before commenting on how cold it gets in Canada. It does get very cold in those and many other places too. And those places are not even in the far north.

You're right about block heater plug-ins. They're found at every parking place, on the prairies at least. A block heater is pretty much a mandatory "option" for every new vehicle anywhere on the prairies. That's how people get their cars started after sitting overnight or even for a few hours in very cold weather.

 

[KrisZ]

Southern Ontario and Calgary are not cold places. In fact people from elsewhere on the prairies move to Calgary because of its mild winters. It does snow in Calgary but then the snow melts, often within a few days.

You might try spending a winter in Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton or Fort McMurray before commenting on how cold it gets in Canada. It does get very cold in those and many other places too. And those places are not even in the far north.

You're right about block heater plug-ins. They're found at every parking place, on the prairies at least. A block heater is pretty much a mandatory "option" for every new vehicle anywhere on the prairies. That's how people get their cars started after sitting overnight or even for a few hours in very cold weather.

Sounds like we pretty much agree, not sure why you had an issue with me saying the video in the OP is mostly hyperbole

 

[KYMISTWALKER]

What some dirty and nasty contaminated oil on the dipstick, I would keep clean oil in there with some kind of oil stabilizer

 

[tcp71]

Started my rental f150 at -43C (indicated on the dash temperature readout and camp thermometer) without block heater. At camp north of FT Mckay with all the trucks parked outside in the camp parking lot. It complained but started. Every night is mid to low -30s and those trucks get started every morning. Anything diesel never gets turned off.

 

[JimPghPA]

I doubt many do there? I would think -50C would be about the limit to run a new car easily? With a battery, block, and oil pan heater, and all synthetic and low viscosity driveline oils, I think you could set the timer to turn on the heaters 30-60 min before you go, and do a few minutes idle, and drive off.
Running old equipment with conventional oils in cold weather does take a lot more preparation like shown in the clip.

I think the pre-warm would have to be extremely long. Way too much heat loss at very cold temperatures for anything plugged in to add enough heat in only 30 to 60 minutes. Electric heating maximum power draw would probably be about 14 amps on a 125 Vac rms circuit. That's 1750 watts. I haven't priced it and haven't looked at the specks. But reality is if it has both a battery and a block heater, than maybe something like a 500 Watt battery heater and a 1000 Watt block heater. In extreme cold, it's going to take many hours to get an engine significantly warm with only 1000 watts going into it.

 

[spasm3]

What some dirty and nasty contaminated oil on the dipstick, I would keep clean oil in there with some kind of oil stabilizer

Please explain what oil stabilizer, and how it works.

 

[IndyIan]

I think the pre-warm would have to be extremely long. Way too much heat loss at very cold temperatures for anything plugged in to add enough heat in only 30 to 60 minutes. Electric heating maximum power draw would probably be about 14 amps on a 125 Vac rms circuit. That's 1750 watts. I haven't priced it and haven't looked at the specks. But reality is if it has both a battery and a block heater, than maybe something like a 500 Watt battery heater and a 1000 Watt block heater. In extreme cold, it's going to take many hours to get an engine significantly warm with only 1000 watts going into it.

Usually with extreme cold, there isn't much wind. The heaters just have to get things to -35C or so, then fluids are fluid and the battery can do its thing to start the car. A couple minutes of running and the engine is above freezing and the trans is ~-10C and off you go.
Any kind of shelter to keep the wind from whistling under the car should help, and if its very cold and windy, you might want to think about how badly you need to go somewhere. In that climate you have to carry clothes/blankets for an extended stay in an non-running car.
I've started my 03 Tracker in -38C un-aided, with whatever cheap 5W30 iffy lube used at the time... Did not sound good for about 20 seconds of howling and chattering oil pump noises, but it went... I didn't need to use the brakes much for the first couple blocks as the driveline had a bit rolling of resistance!

 

[ecotourist]

In really cold weather some cars simply will not start. As a last resort they're dragged into a garage (the commercial kind) to thaw out overnight. They're ready for a new start in the morning. I've seen that done many times.

For diesel engines, the solution to cold starts is simple. People just let them run all night.

A problem in past years was ice in gas lines. People carried methyl hydrate ("gas line antifreeze") which quickly solved the problem. I still have a couple of single shot containers. This hasn't been a problem for the past couple of decades. Either there isn't water in gasoline anymore, or the 5 or 10% added alcohol is eliminating any water.

 

[ecotourist]

I think the pre-warm would have to be extremely long. Way too much heat loss at very cold temperatures for anything plugged in to add enough heat in only 30 to 60 minutes. Electric heating maximum power draw would probably be about 14 amps on a 125 Vac rms circuit. That's 1750 watts. I haven't priced it and haven't looked at the specks. But reality is if it has both a battery and a block heater, than maybe something like a 500 Watt battery heater and a 1000 Watt block heater. In extreme cold, it's going to take many hours to get an engine significantly warm with only 1000 watts going into it.

Most people just leave their block heater plugged in all night. You could use a timer to start the block heater about 3 hours before you expect to start but I never did that. I could have been called out without warning at any time so I had an excuse.

I mostly used only a block heater. I had a battery warmer (a blanket or a pad that sat under the battery) for my 350 cu in Buick Regal, but that was the only time I had one.

 

[f355spider]

Most people just leave their block heater plugged in all night. You could use a timer to start the block heater about 3 hours before you expect to start but I never did that. I could have been called out without warning at any time so I had an excuse.

I mostly used only a block heater. I had a battery warmer (a blanket or a pad that sat under the battery) for my 350 cu in Buick Regal, but that was the only time I had one.

I think things are changing a bit with modern cars. I travel to Fairbanks, AK most winters and while many hotels, hospitals and business have utility poles in front of parking spots to plug in your car for the engine block heater, I see fewer cars using them. Most rental cars don't even have them installed anymore...I was used to seeing a long extension cord on the passenger seat (along with a big snow brush) in my rental, but the last four years just see the snow brush/scraper.

Granted, I am only seeing around -20C or so overnight...but I suspect with most regular cars running 0w-20 or 5w-20, they crank just fine. I have never had an issue.

 

[ecotourist]

I think things are changing a bit with modern cars. I travel to Fairbanks, AK most winters and while many hotels, hospitals and business have utility poles in front of parking spots to plug in your car for the engine block heater, I see fewer cars using them. Most rental cars don't even have them installed anymore...I was used to seeing a long extension cord on the passenger seat (along with a big snow brush) in my rental, but the last four years just see the snow brush/scraper.

Granted, I am only seeing around -20C or so overnight...but I suspect with most regular cars running 0w-20 or 5w-20, they crank just fine. I have never had an issue.

-20C isn't very cold. None-the-less you're right. Modern oils (0W- and 5W-) have made cold weather starts less of an issue. In the old days most people used 5W-20 oil in winter but I think modern oils are even better. Engines aren't as big as they used to be so that may be a factor too.

I'm getting out of touch with cold starts. For the last 9 years we've lived near Victoria where we hardly ever see -10C. And for the 16 years prior to that when we lived in Edmonton we had an unheated (but attached) garage that hardly ever got below freezing and I had an underground parking space at work that wasn't heated but never got too cold either. It got very cold outside but my vehicles weren't starting in those conditions.