Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 exptools 1/6/84; site ihu1m.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!ihu1m!heneghan
From: heneghan@ihu1m.UUCP (Joe Heneghan)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: Cars in Very Cold Weather
Message-ID: <248@ihu1m.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 22-Jan-85 13:19:24 EST
Article-I.D.: ihu1m.248
Posted: Tue Jan 22 13:19:24 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 23-Jan-85 07:15:20 EST
References: <1604@pur-phy.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 40

I have some experience with bitter cold and cars and
why they don't start:
1. The battery gets too cold.
   Prevention: Bring your battery indoors.
               Put a 1 or 2 amp trickle charge on it.
               Leave a ~60 watt bulb lit on top of it.
   After the fact: Bring your battery inside and charge it.
                   Never charge a cold battery with a high
                   amp charge. Trickle charge first.
2. The gas line freezes.
   Prevention: Use "HEET" or equivalent and let the car run 15
               minutes before shutting off.
   After the fact: Warm the carburator with a ~60 watt light bulb
                   or Hair Dryer. Also try starting fluid but only
                   use a little to avoid engine damage.
3. Flooded Engine.
   After the fact: Push the accelerator down all the way and hold.
                   Hold the carburator valve open with a pen or
                   preferably a metal object because sometimes
                   a quick burst of smoke or fire comes up. Usually
                   smoke comes up once or twice and then the car starts.
4. Cracked Block.
   Prevention: Make sure you have antifreeze tested to -40 in your
               system.
5. No heat: Sometimes a thermostat will break in the open position.
            This allows your coolant to circulate through the 
            radiator and as a result never gets hot. If it worked
            it would remain shut in extreme cold and the coolant would
            heat up. 
   After the fact: Put cardboard in front of the radiator until you
                   can get a new thermostat. Remember to take the 
                   cardboard out as soon as it gets warm.

Disclaimer: I am not an authority on the subject. These are merely
            observations of what usually happens.


For the people in warm climates: It's really not that bad once you
				 get used to it.