Date:         Wed, 12 Oct 94 19:14:02 EDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         dcarment@ccs.carleton.ca (David Carment)
Subject:      Re: cyl head temp gauge and sub-zero driving

> 
> BTW, since this seems to be my night for posting, I am intrigued by one 
> of your earlier posts on cold weather.  I took one trip thru SD in 
> January and experienced many strange automotive effects from the -30's 
> temps.  Living as I do in a relatively warm climate, may I ask you (and 
> all others reading this, of course), what adjustments do you make this 
> time of year for:
> 
>   Steering (10W gear oil?)
> 
>   Shifting (same?)
> 
>   Frozen accelerator/parking brake cables?
> 
>   Where do shock absorbers go for the winter?
> 
>   Flat spotted tires? (especially 2 blocks later when the flats get out of 
>   synch)
> 
I remember  when my friends VOLVO froze to the ground and basically his
tires became square. The real bugger is working in those temps with bare
hands.

No but seriously... there are others on this line who regularly sleep in
their Van during cold weather (at ski lodges) who could tell you a bit
about prep.

As far as what i do there isn't much except changing to a decent oil,
starting with clutch in and plugging in the car over night.  Yes shifting
might be a little different (to keep revs up initially). We are now
conditioned to the idea that the first few miles of driving will involve
frosted windows etc.

The big change is in the attitude on the road and at work. Drivers or more
cautious (watching SF drivers during fog is to laugh). But at work in
really cold areas mosts places have a plug for each car. DC


-- 

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David Carment
School of International Affairs
Carleton University
Ottawa, Ontario
K1S 5B6
voice - (613) 788-2600-6662
fax - (613) 788-2889
Email address: dcarment@ccs.carleton.ca
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