On 9/18/2008 7:18 PM Dennis Haynes wrote:

> What do you really call cold weather?

Fellow who grew up in the Bahamas would call SoCal's winters cold. Fellow that grew up in SoCal would likely call Bend's winters cold. Folk here would probably call Siberia's winters cold. It's a safe bet that whenever someone calls their winters cold, someone who lives in a colder climate will snicker and say, "You call that cold? Lemme tell you about the winter of '37 -- /that/ was a cold winter. [Long story follows with graphic descriptions of failed crops, dead livestock, people found dead feet from houses, Londonesque tales of survival.]"

That said, Bend is a arid place, being high desert, so rust should be no more a problem here than SoCal, and probably less than coastal SoCal. Thanks for the tips on the oil grades. I may want to upgrade the starter wiring, though, so it gets plenty of oomph for turning over a cold engine.

-- Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana") 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano Bend, OR KG6RCR

> The freshwater tank and sink need to be protected from anything near > freezing temps. Drain all either blow all lines out with air or use some > RV antifreeze. The pump and faucet are the first parts to break from > freezing. > > For the engine, the proper antifreeze mix is good for anything you will > encounter. Unless you need to operate it during winter, nothing needs to > be done there either. If you need to drive it, 20w-50 is good down to the > mid-twenties just drive it gently until it warms up. Synthetic 15w-50 will > go down to the single digits. If going lower than that consider the 0w-40. > Keep fuel full as practical to avoid condensation and if the brake fluid > is old, change it. > > As for maintenance battery chargers, be careful as many will do noting > more than dry them out. Are you dry docking the van or will it still be > used occasionally? If being stored outside you need to think of > undercoating, rust proofing and regularly airing out the interior. If it > sits all winter consider inspecting the brakes each spring. > > Dennis > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of > Mike Elliott > Sent: Thursday, September 18, 2008 9:28 PM > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM > Subject: Winterizing Newbie Question > > Okay, as some of you know, Mrs Squirrel and I just moved our darn > selves--lock, stock, and barrel--to Bend, Oregon from a place much closer > to the tropics: southern Californian. Coastal SoCal. Where winter > temperatures seldom drop below 45F. > > My son, who came with us, today noticed what looked like the male end of > an extension cord hanging out from the hood of a pickup truck and asked > what it was. > > "Engine block heater," I said. "For when it gets real cold." Which totally > exhausted my knowledge in matters automotive and climes Really Cold. > > NB: I probably got that wrong, but it's important to try to look Really > Smart to our kids. But see Note 1, below. > > Which got me thinking: if Mellow Yellow (MW), a 1984 WBX, will be pretty > much doing nothing during these much colder winters, what should I do to > winterize her? (Or him. Whatever.) > > MW will probably sit in sub-freezing temps for several months with > maintenance chargers hooked up to the starter and house batteries. I could > use a "Dummy's Guide to Winterizing Your Vanagon" here. > > ========================== > > Note 1. As a side note: My son's Jeep Cherokee -- anyone here have any > Handy Tips for dealing with these colder conditions? P-mail me as that is > extremely NVC.) > > -- > Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott > 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana") > 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano > Bend, OR > KG6RCR >