When my dad first came to Canada in 1970 from Australia, he knew that keeping an engine warm was the key to getting it to start in cold weather.
He had a block heater on his 1967 Mustang that was always plugged in in the winter; and he kept a large, orange extension cord attached to it and wound around the grill, so he could use it wherever he went. In the dead of winter, he also brought his battery into the house almost every night to keep warm.
His next two vehicles - a 1978 Malibu wagon and a 1991 Toyota Tercel got the same treatment, except the battery stayed in the vehicle. When I started getting interested in cars and 'helping' with them, I would often plug in the car at night, or unplug it in the morning in the winter. I will admit there were a few instances of someone forgetting to unplug, and backing out with the cord dragging behind.
My father always stressed how important the block heater was - he'd get REALLY worried if for some reason the car wasn't plugged in on a cold night. He'd cringe if he had to start it like that, and it cranked slowly. He always went on about how hard that was on an engine, and how you need to keep the engine warm to protect it and have it last in the winter.
He never mentioned synthetic oil, or 'winter oil' at all. As far as I know, he just used basic dino in all his cars. I have no idea what grade or brand he used, as he had it changed at a garage/dealership. I'm assuming his cars got basic 10w30 or 10w40 conventional most of their life.
When I started driving, either my first cars didn't have block heaters, or I was too worried about backing out with it still plugged in, but I never got in the habit of plugging in my cars, even in the coldest of weather. I always used a conventional 5w30 oil; and my cars always started up, with one or two exceptions. My dad would have been SO disappointed!
I've never used synthetics or 'winter' oils in my cars. I always thought that syns were for special, high-performance or newer cars, and you just didn't spend the money to use them in older 'beater' cars.
What made me think of this is that I've reversed course, and have started plugging in my 2002 Cavalier in weather below -10C, just to ensure the car starts. It always did before, but now that it is older, I want some extra guarantee. I still don't use synthetics in it yet, but I've found a dino that has the same properties as syn (PC 5w30), so I still haven't spent the money on them.
So, if you live in a cold climate, what was you 'lesson' or 'example' on how best to get cars to start cold? Were you taught about synthetics, heating devices, or both? Have you followed this pattern the whole time, or have you changed you game plan?
He had a block heater on his 1967 Mustang that was always plugged in in the winter; and he kept a large, orange extension cord attached to it and wound around the grill, so he could use it wherever he went. In the dead of winter, he also brought his battery into the house almost every night to keep warm.
His next two vehicles - a 1978 Malibu wagon and a 1991 Toyota Tercel got the same treatment, except the battery stayed in the vehicle. When I started getting interested in cars and 'helping' with them, I would often plug in the car at night, or unplug it in the morning in the winter. I will admit there were a few instances of someone forgetting to unplug, and backing out with the cord dragging behind.
My father always stressed how important the block heater was - he'd get REALLY worried if for some reason the car wasn't plugged in on a cold night. He'd cringe if he had to start it like that, and it cranked slowly. He always went on about how hard that was on an engine, and how you need to keep the engine warm to protect it and have it last in the winter.
He never mentioned synthetic oil, or 'winter oil' at all. As far as I know, he just used basic dino in all his cars. I have no idea what grade or brand he used, as he had it changed at a garage/dealership. I'm assuming his cars got basic 10w30 or 10w40 conventional most of their life.
When I started driving, either my first cars didn't have block heaters, or I was too worried about backing out with it still plugged in, but I never got in the habit of plugging in my cars, even in the coldest of weather. I always used a conventional 5w30 oil; and my cars always started up, with one or two exceptions. My dad would have been SO disappointed!
I've never used synthetics or 'winter' oils in my cars. I always thought that syns were for special, high-performance or newer cars, and you just didn't spend the money to use them in older 'beater' cars.
What made me think of this is that I've reversed course, and have started plugging in my 2002 Cavalier in weather below -10C, just to ensure the car starts. It always did before, but now that it is older, I want some extra guarantee. I still don't use synthetics in it yet, but I've found a dino that has the same properties as syn (PC 5w30), so I still haven't spent the money on them.
So, if you live in a cold climate, what was you 'lesson' or 'example' on how best to get cars to start cold? Were you taught about synthetics, heating devices, or both? Have you followed this pattern the whole time, or have you changed you game plan?
