Crap. External garage, not heated, no electricity for engine block warmer

[Deja Q]

that I don't have.

Gonna be below 0 for the next few days. x(

I used to walk to work but thanks to being relocated, having a car these days is essential.

Can't really afford a major car repair either or a new car. (well, I can make a decent payment of $150/month, but I'd rather keep my good car held together until I get in better financial shape...)

Should I not bother to start the car and take comp time?

Thx!

[Kolesar]

1. How about a long extension cord and a 100Watt light bulb?

Put the light bulb under your hood, close the hood and put a blanket on it. Desperation tactics to keep your block and your battery warm.

[Ernesto]

5. What's so desperate about that?

I used the extension cord trick for 2 winters while in school in Minnesota. Just don't ignite the blanket!

[Blue-Jay]

2. Call your electric company.

They'll be happy to wire your garage up for power. That's what I did recently. Granted, they garage was already wired on the inside, but Ohio Edison still came out within a few days to do the rest. They didn't even charge anything.

[Deja Q]

4. Apartment building

:-(

I should talk to the landlady, but given the budget situation (80 unit apartment building, 25 units currently empty. She also has a 2nd job these days. I doubt she's got the money to do some renovating on that scale... :-( )

[neebob]

3. Do you know for a fact your car won't start?

I live where it sometimes gets below 0 for a few days - in the mornings, anyway, and only a few degrees below zero - and I've never had a problem with an '88 Mazda MX6 or a '97 Saab 900. I do notice my neighbor always has his 80-something Ford F150 plugged in.

On edit: I don't have a garage, and neither do most of my neighbors, and they don't seem to have problems either. The F150 guy is the only one with an engine block heater. He also has a 90-something Acura that he doesn't plug in.

[Deja Q]

6. WOW!

Thanks. It is reassuring...

I have a 95 Corolla that just passed the 80,000 mark. I've been utterly paranoid since hearing about the leaky oil gasket and the mysterious disappearance of transmission fluid (no leak was found though so hopefully, when they drained the fluid 1.5 years ago, they just underfilled it by 1/2 pint...) that I'm going to have a big car problem soon.

Why I didn't just trade it in a year ago when I was in better shape to do so is beyond me... oh well. Applesauce happens. :-)

[neebob]

7. I wouldn't worry about a '95 Toyota

unless you have an old battery. My 7-year-old miracle battery did finally die a couple weeks ago when it was somewhere between 0 and 10.

I hear ya about car problems. Mine (the Saab) has been demanding attention lately. As it happens, it's in the shop until tomorrow or Tuesday because the idler and tensioner seized up and it threw the serpentine belt on the way to work Friday morning, and there were no parts in town. I have to hitch a ride to work tomorrow.

I believe cars have a kind of soul, and you have to send them good vibes and pat them on the dashboard and stuff. Toyotas are good. Don't expect it to break.

[asteroid2003QQ47]

8. Crap. External garage, not heated, no electricity for engine block warmer

Here on the Canadian border 20 degrees below zero is not uncommon. On such a day last winter, in attempting to start my 3.0 liter minivan, the timing belt lost a few teeth and the valves in 5 cylinders collided with the pistons. The engine had lasted longer than I expected it to but it was most inconvenient have it let go in the dead of winter.
This fall my mechanic suggested I switch to synthetic oil as it does not congeal in the extreme cold. I had him put in Mobil 1, 0-30 Weight and mornings when the temp has been around zero it has started like it does in July. The battery (old) shows no sign of being overtaxed and I couldn’t be more pleased.
If you decide to give it a try, I would advise fixing any oil leaks you might have first as the synthetics are not cheap unless you hit a sale as I did.

[Robb]

9. You have a garage?

Dang! Well, someday, I suppose. Hope springs eternal. Up here, if Mrs. Robb stays home for more than two days in the winter, we have to look for the truck with avalanche poles.

[TrogL]

10. You don't really need the block heater until -20 C.

It still won't hurt it too much to start in -35. It will just growl and complain.

Make sure you've got good oil and the right oil.

[Kolesar]

11. Keep an extra battery in the house where it is warm and jump start it

Batteries only have about 25% of their charge at 0 degrees (from what I recall). So keep one in the house at 60-70 degrees.

[BiggJawn]

12. Cars DO start at below Zero.....

I live in Northern Indiana, used to live in Indianapolis. I had an old VW bus then that would light-off in below-0 weather no problem.

Unless your car is a real POS and you have a half-way decent battery you should be OK.

DON'T "flood" it!

[neebob]

13. Feel better now, Toad?

I'm sending nice-Corolla-keep-starting-and-don't-break vibes in your direction. And if anyone feels like sending retroactive anti-screw-up vibes to the clowns at the giant conglomo dealership who were supposed to order my parts on Friday so the good mechanics who don't work at the giant conglomo dealership can fix my car today, I would be ever so grateful.

And some parts-keep-working-despite-having-been-handled-by-clown vibes for good measure.

[HereSince1628]

14. I kept my car outside all winter in Burr-midji it always started

Even on a couple of those -35F mornings.

My advise to winter starting is
...make sure you have a "winter weight" oil in the engine
...keep an eye on the battery, if its weak, change it


There are some who swear the turning on the lights will cause a current in the battery which will warm it.

I am not sure about that but I did it. I also turned in circle counter clockwise) three times before entering and did a Vulcan mind meld with the dash board (bare hands on the dash even in the cold)

Oh and don't leave any cans of pop in the car at night...they explode.
I returned from a Christmas visit with my daughter in the sunny south (Chicago) and unknown to me, she left a can on the floor in the back seat...I had cola colored icicles on the head liner the next morning.

[JM]

15. Here's a trick we've used in the past

If you have a fireplace or a cheap barbecue grill on the porch, do the following:

1) Light a few logs on fire
2) After they are reduced to nearly all ash, empty the contents into a metal roasting pan.
3) Cover the pan with aluminum foil
4) Place this under the engine block for the night.

JM

[Love Bug]

16. I used to have a portable block heater

Years ago when I had an old beater I used this big (about the size of a small brick) magnetic thing that I would stick on the oil pan then ran an extension cord into the house. It would warm up and keep the oil free-flowing. I found mine at Target, I think.

My current car is a Saturm which I keep in an unheated, detached garage and haven't had any problems starting it for the past 3 years. It was -4 this morning and it started right up. I let it warm up for a couple of minutes and it drove just fine. I know they say the wind doesn't matter, but I notice a difference if my car has been in a garage all night or not.