those thingys used for keeping your extension cord for your block heater above the sidewalk so bylaw doesnt come shoot you? I've seen one or two of em...that they're basically big upside down L things so that pedestrians dont trip over your cord while you have your car plugged in.

Anyone see them anywhere? cause, yeah. the car's offended enough as is that she doesn't have a garage this winter...having her without getting plugged in on these cold days....really isn't helping matters.

I don't even know what they'd be called! which makes internet searching difficult...boo

What oil are you running? Your car should start with no problems if you're running 5W30 synthetic. Should really be no need to plug in. If it's minus 40, I doubt the bylaw guys will be around to give you a ticket anyways and that might be the only time you should need to plug it in...

think they actually gave me 5w30 last time....synthetic.

she starts...she just takes a hair longer...we're getting into fights as of late. lol

We don't have a block heater for either car. 5w30 Mobil in both, neither of them have trouble starting at -40. They grumble and whine and clatter a little bit, but much of that is in all the other fluids (power steering), the frozen solid engine mounts, etc.

Block heaters don't do anything for the oil in the pan, by the way, and as such doesn't get you oil pressure any sooner. They heat up the coolant, which makes the oil on the cylinder walls easier to move, which make it easier for the car to start. It's really no easier on the engine, in my opinion. Putting in the proper oil that still flows at -40 is the best protection.

just have a good battery.

This winter it looks like I am making a trip back to MT and then Minnesota. I never had any trouble getting the white car to start with 0-30 amsoil in it and an optima. Cranks a little slower due mostly to the battery, but the oil flows pretty quick to the head and it doesn't tick and the pistons don't clatter. The hydraulic mounts do freeze up though...that was funny. The AW-71 also doesn't like extreme cold that much.

Never has had a block heater installed even as a mid west brick. If I lived somewhere cold full time, I'd put one of the coolant<---->oil "oil coolers" (more like "oil warmer") on an N/A car to help warm the oil if anything since the coolant gets hot so much faster than the oil, and in an N/A RWD, there is a HUGE engine bay with lots of cold air around the sump, so it might be forever before the oil gets hot enough to boil the condensation and gas shyte off so the oil doesn't turn to latte/chocolate milk.


The 940 coolant drain is also bent down and very easy to dump the coolant out of a car with compared to the usual one way up high...uses the same port, just on one of the cooling lines for the "oil cooler."

yeah yeah andy, I'm thinking thats gonna be my lunchtime project.