Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2008 23:06:12 -0500
Reply-To: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: Winterizing Newbie Question
In-Reply-To: <48D30021.1010208@gmail.com>
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In all my years driving in Alaska -
1) Switch to snow tire tread for the snowy months.
2) Battery hot plate to keep battery warm for optimum starting on below
zero mornings.
3) Winter grade oil as recommended in owners manual. One grade lighter
is usually sufficient. Reason being, is that the engine will be at
normal operating temps most of the time. It is the cold starts when you
need the lighter weight oil
4) Engine block heater - circulating coolant type - 1500 watts. You will
need this on really cold mornings. Makes engine starting ever so easy.
You only need one grade lighter wt oil if using a good block heater.
5) Park outdoors only. Going in and out of heated garages causes
condensation and results in freezing door locks, stuck doors, etc.
Sometimes the only solution is to wait 'til spring when the doors thaw out.
Good luck,
John Rodgers
88 GL Driver
Chelsea, AL
Mike Elliott wrote:
> 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
>
>
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