In my dad's day he once did the same with a hibachi under the motor. A Ford, I believe. When it's -40, you do what you gotta do. Up until I stopped running my van during the winter about 4 years ago, I got by with an oilpan heater, and a trickle charger on the battery. I could always get the van to turn over but often it wouldn't catch. Gas with ethanol was helpful. Jeff On 15-Jan-09, at 7:34 PM, joel walker wrote: >> Here south of the Mason Dixon line (okay DC isn't very far south, >> but >> it is technically..) we don't often get these frigid temps and >> certainly the last couple of winters have been warm enough to not >> have >> to worry about draining the water tank on the Westy. > > actual vanagon content ... for those of us down south where it is > gonna get really really cold tonight, and for those of you who live > elsewhere that it is already really really cold, > > i remind you of the engine heater you can make out of a cardboard box, > a roll of aluminum foil, and a 60-watt light bulb. and a cord to make > the light stay on all night, of course. ;) > > line the box with foil. a couple of layers just to make sure the heat > doesn't get through to the cardboard. put the light fixture in the > middle and leave the light on all night long. keeps the engine block > warmer than it would be otherwise. > > the trick is to get a box that is very nearly the same height as your > ground clearance under the bus at the engine. so the wind doesn't blow > in and cool the bulb too much. > > and if you have an automatic transmission, it might not be a bad idea > to put another box/bulb under the transmission pan. > > a worklight works great, but not the flourescent kind ... they don't > put out enough heat to do any good. :( > and don't put a huge 100 watt bulb in the light ... you don't want to > catch the engine on fire. :( > even a 40-watt bulb would work. > and make sure you do not have any oil leaks or gasoline leaks!!! a > cleaner engine is better. > > i thought there was a web site that had directions and photos, but i > can't find it. :( > > this also works for other-than-vanagon cars. :) > > good luck! > unca joel |
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