Cold Weather Effects

[Snagglefoot]

It is -33 F in Saskatoon this morning.
“ Running back to Saskatoon”

 

[tmorris1]

I think everyone overthinks a little. I don't think your car cares much what you do short of starting and putting it in gear and going full throttle. Even then I wonder if it would matter much. Where it is -20 your car will rot from the salt before you wear out an engine from cold weather damage

 

[tmorris1]

-21 F here. Working from home today so don't need to worry about it and a heated garage helps. Was about -10 when i left work last night and my old Focus with 310k didn't care. The 30 mile per hour wind made it brutal though.

 

[Patman]

I do the same with the fan - off initially, and then on its lowest speed until the coolant temperature comes up.

In my older vehicles, coolant flow to the heater core was regulated by a valve in one of the heater hoses. I can see how closing the valve to restrict flow to the heater core would allow for a faster warm-up.

However, every car I look after now has full-time flow through the heater core, with the heater output regulated by the blend-air door.

Our van has a Scan gauge - I think I'll try turning the temperature right down, to see whether the coolant temperature increases faster. I don't expect it to, but it's worth trying.

In my 2016 Civic it definitely makes the coolant warm up faster with the temperature set to low and I’ve checked it two days in a row driving the same route and starting off at the same outside temperature and making a note of where I was when the gauge hit the first bar. But I can definitely understand how that might not work with other cars with more sophisticated climate control setups.

 

[Lubener]

. When at idle, my oil was dropping in temp (from a high of about 160F) roughly 4 degrees per minute, and the coolant was dropping nearly 10 degrees per minute.

That is interesting and proves the best way to warm up an engine is to drive it , not idling it in the driveway for 20 minutes like so many people like to do.

 

[Ranger83]

It is -33 F in Saskatoon this morning.
“ Running back to Saskatoon”

Caught that!

 

[edyvw]

I think everyone overthinks a little. I don't think your car cares much what you do short of starting and putting it in gear and going full throttle. Even then I wonder if it would matter much. Where it is -20 your car will rot from the salt before you wear out an engine from cold weather damage

No it won’t. Depends what states use. I live 1 1/2hrs from coldest basin in lower 48. It is officially high desert. Super dry air, extreme cold (dropping overnight locally to -50) and county maintenance whose moto is: “it is always sunny, that will do it once it stops snowing.”
And then, it depends on vehicles themselves.

 

[edyvw]

That is interesting and proves the best way to warm up an engine is to drive it , not idling it in the driveway for 20 minutes like so many people like to do.

This morning it is 10 degrees (will drop during the day below 0). Taking kids to school, every other driveway has cars idling.

 

[ClutchDisc]

-23F this morning and -40F wind chills. Didn’t have to go anywhere and if I did, I would take a vehicle in my attached garage which is probably around 32 degrees at the moment.

 

[Number_35]

It is -33 F in Saskatoon this morning.
“ Running back to Saskatoon”

Hey, try to guess who sang it.

 

[crashz]

Gordon Lightfoot?

 

[TacoFergie]

I’ve usually noticed putting heat on at a low speed and recirc on when remote starting tends to heat it up a little quicker. Obviously if you need defrost the recirc will turn off. But just trying to get some heat in everything, recirc works quite well. Much like AC does on hot days.

 

[tbm3fan]

...and to think I complained to my parents about moving from Maryland to the San Fernando Valley in June 1966. Then I saw the beaches, bikinis, hot cars, and always nice weather. I didn't complain anymore.

 

[Hohn]

Yes every time it gets a little on the cold side I think, "It would be worse if I lived in Winnipeg..."

Not much!

And in Winnipeg you have that cool mall downtown with all the skyways. No such thing in Bismarck when I lived there.

 

[Hohn]

Anyone who starts vehicles regularly below 0 and keeps vehicle outside, should invest in block heater.

Or an oil pan heater, or a Webasto/Espar type of heater. Block heater help, but IMO they aren’t ideal.

The Latter are by far the best options because they don’t just warm one part of the block at a freeze plug, they actually warm AND CIRCULATE the coolant.

Which doesn't’ help get the oil in the pan any thinner, nor help you battery crank against the huge workload of pumping very thick oil.

In terms of starting aid, the oil pan heater trumps all others because it’s making life easy for the oil pump, which means less starter load and less battery stress.

But the oil will lose most of its heat quite quickly in a block that’s frozen. So that’s why the oil pan heater PLUS the Espar/Webasto is such a powerful combination. You’re heating the block and heads so that when your oil pan heater does its job, it’s helped.

As a bonus, an espar/webasto setup cuts cold start wear to almost nil while also giving you instant heat in your cab. They aren’t cheap, but they are WELL worth it if you have a vehicle you plan to keep awhile and regularly see long cold winters.

 

[Hermann]

Yesterday the Maverick Hybrid got a once over and a charge for the 12V battery. Actual tire pressure check, the TPMS is only off a touch compared to my Milton pencil gauge. Both coolant levels were perfect. Cold weather, bring it on.

 

[CleanSump]

Hey, try to guess who sang it.

Too subtle for this crowd.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Too subtle for this crowd.

Where were you in '72.

 

[Number_35]

Where were you in '72.

In the summer of '74 I pretty much played "Best Of The Guess Who - Volume 2" to death.

This was an Automatic Radio 8-track player installed under the dash in my '62 Chevy II.

 

[HowAboutThis]

Today's temp here is currently -17F, the high for the day. After parking at work I sat to watch the oil and water temps as I was curious as to the heat dissipation rate at idle. When at idle, my oil was dropping in temp (from a high of about 160F) roughly 4 degrees per minute, and the coolant was dropping nearly 10 degrees per minute. On days like this the thermostat never opens. Mind you, this is on a 2.0L EA888, so small displacement and the coolant is routed through the integrated exhaust manifold for efficient warm-up. Yes, I will start it and let it warm up for 15 minutest today before I leave...anyone that says otherwise and is in the "just get in and drive" camp has never sat on -17 degree leather. The joys of the North!

I used to get in and drive as soon as my clutch wouldn't stick to the floor and SLOWLY come back colder than -20F was 5-10 minutes. And the transmission hated shifting gears. Had to be really slow until it started to warm up a bit. But that little 2.0L in my Civic wouldn't warm much just idling...driving warmed it so much faster.

Don't miss that weather.