Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2002 18:49:51 -0800
Reply-To: Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Tough to start on cold mornings
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
John,
So you were there in Fairbanks! The coldest place on earth. I kind of miss
the place in some ways.
The coldest it was when I was there was 55 below zero, no wind.
I remember the vapor trails to. The first time I saw them- you see theses
white trails hanging in the air long after the car went past- and busses ,
trucks have their exhaust pipes up above the roof to keep the "trail" which
becomes "ice smog" and something not even seen in Anchorage , because
Fairbanks is in the interior of Alaska and sits with far from marine
influence
. The air gets dryer than in Arizona at times.
All the employee parking lots have electrical outlets to plug your car into.
Down at 20 below or more, I don't recall it being much warmer than about 40
degrees inside. But , after you have been all bundled up foor the weather,
you can't handle much warmer than 60 degrees.
Yes, flat sided tires! And transmissions full of glue.
This is where you need a gas heater!
You can't drive a air-cooled VW without one-Ok, you can only if you have a
passenger who can stick their head out the window and tell you when to turn!
Unfortunaely, my Dad's 64 beetle did'nt have a gas heater.
Robert
1982 Westfalia
>From: John Rodgers <j_rodgers@charter.net>
>To: Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@HOTMAIL.COM>
>CC: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Re: Tough to start on cold mornings
>Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2002 16:25:48 -0600
>
>I just have to tack a big "AMEN" to what Robert says here.
>
>I lived in Fairbanks also at one time. Battery hot plates and block heaters
>were the order of the day, and sometimes that was not enough. A blanket
>over the hood on conventional cars helped some.
>
>Another thing, not engine related was the flat-sided tires you rode on for
>the first trip out for the day. At times it would get so cold the tires
>were very slow to flex out so for the first little bit, you would go down
>the road "bumpyty, bumpyty, bumpyty" as the flat side went round and round
>until internal friction in the tire would produce enough heat to give some
>flexibility. Of course at those kinds of temperatures you couldn't feel the
>heat, it was just there.
>
>Interesting times. In winter valleys were colder, hillsides warm. After
>all, the colder the air, the more dense the air, the more dense, the
>heavier, the heavier air would settle to the bottom and literally flow
>downhill int to the low spots. Druing really cold days, smoke would not
>rise from a chimney, just go up about six inches then bend over and flow to
>the ground, the heat loss was so great and so rapid. Water vapor from the
>cars would hang and gound level and form "Ice Fog" where the traffic was
>heavy. Vapor from the jets landing and taking off at the airport would
>cause the airport to "Fog In" and after a time nobody could take off or
>land.
>
>Interesting times, hey Robert!
>
>BTW, I never tried to operate a Volkswagen around Fairbanks back then. They
>were still all air-cooled. Only south of the Alaska Range for me in a VW -
>down in the banana belt!!
>
>John Rodgers
>88 GL Driver
>
>Robert Keezer wrote:
>>Once the temperatures are in the twenties and lower, the ice can form in
>>the
>>lines. A bottle of heet or similar should be used.
>>
>>Also use lower weight oil. 20 -50 almost becomes tar when it gets below 0
>>out. Your starter may be using all the available current just trying to
>>overcome the cranking resistance of the engine, lowering the voltage below
>>9.6 minumum voltage.
>>
>>For the FI system to function properly, voltage must be above this. If you
>>hook up a voltmeter(preferably digital), if the voltage drops to 8 volts
>>or
>>even lower, you aren't going to get it started .
>>
>>The battery also can have 50% less capacity at very cold temperatures.
>>Two things, a crankcase heater and battery charger are needed to be on all
>>night( automatic charger is best)when the really cold weather hits.
>>
>>I lived in Alaska five years including Fairbanks . Often the only way we
>>could get an engine started was to aim a keroosene forced air space heater
>>at it.There were long weeks of twenty below, and once the engine is
>>running,
>>you never turn it off.(unless you plug it in)
>>
>>Robert
>>1982 Westfalia
>>
>>
>>
>>>From: Dan Erlandson <danoer1@ECLIPSE.NET>
>>>Reply-To: Dan Erlandson <danoer1@ECLIPSE.NET>
>>>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>>Subject: Tough to start on cold mornings
>>>Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2002 13:26:38 -0500
>>>
>>>So it was about 16 o F this morning in NJ and this was the second time
>>>where
>>>my wife had trouble starting the Van when it was down into the teens.
>>>Don't
>>>think we have had many mornings as cold as this one. The other time it
>>>had
>>>trouble was about 2 weeks ago. The van has been starting and running fine
>>>otherwise.
>>>My wife tells me that it cranks, starts for a moment and then dies. I've
>>>come out both times and gotten it started by cranking it and keeping the
>>>gas
>>>pedal down. It has taken a few attempts but I have gotten it started
>>>both
>>>times... runs fine after that. Before she finally starts it sounds as if
>>>the engine is stuttering.. trying to start, but doesn't quite catch.
>>>Turn
>>>the key and it cranks normally and then skip, skip skip as it tries to
>>>start.
>>>I ran some fuel injector cleaner through last time this happened... and
>>>just
>>>last night the gas tank was down very low... into the reserve.
>>>My battery is good (I think) and is about 2 years old (VW brand), the
>>>coil
>>>was replaced a few years ago using a FLAPS brand, and there is a Bosch
>>>starter on it that we had put in about 3 years ago.
>>>She has been running great otherwise.
>>>
>>>Anybody have some thoughts??? Thanks
>>>--
>>>Dan Erlandson
>>>Flemington, NJ
>>>danoer1@eclipse.net
>>>91 VW Vanagon GL
>>>99 VW Passat
>>
>>
>>
>>Robert
>>1982 Westfalia 1987 Wolfsburg
>>
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>>
Robert
1982 Westfalia 1987 Wolfsburg
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