buickanddeere
Super Member
Silicon grease on the door seals will keep the doors or trunk from freezing shut.
Prepping Car for Cold Weather (Northern Ontario) - Comments/Suggestions
- Thread starter Chef Pa
- Start date
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buickanddeere
Super Member
MOOSE. Don't hit one and don't veer of the road into the ditch or another vehicle. The ditches tend to be harsh rough walls blasted out of rock. It's not a soft glide into a cow pasture.
Danno1
Veteran Member
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I squirt inside my door locks w motorcycle chain lube every fall. It's a very sticky spray grease. Never had a frozen lock.
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I squirt inside my door locks w motorcycle chain lube every fall. It's a very sticky spray grease. Never had a frozen lock.
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dmccarty
Super Star Member
I am going to try this suggestion. My truck doors will freeze shut sometimes in the winter.
To the OP, I would get a timer to use with the engine block heater. My truck's heater pulls 1500 watts and the truck needed three hours to heat the block. Power used to cost me 10 cent a KWH, so it was almost 50 cents a night to warm up the truck, which does not sound like much, but if you did this 30 days a month that is 15 dollars which at the time was about 13% of my power bill. If you did not use the timer, well, it is a heck of a lot more money. Now, I only plugged in the truck when I knew I would be driving in the morning.
I don't use the block heater now that I use a 0wx40 oil. I do miss the block heater on cold mornings because the engine would have enough heat to start warming up the cab right after engine start instead of 5-10 minutes/miles down the road.
The suggestion to have a survival kit in the car is a great idea and don't forget to include matches and candles along with blankets, extra clothes and food. I always travel with food and WATER, especially water. I assume up in the Great White Nawth there would be snow on the ground and thus water but if not, carry some.
Later,
Dan
2x on the silicone, going to do this in Ohio too and see how it works, and a timer is good idea too. Maybe try 4 hours prior, for starters and see how it goes. Along with the lock lube and a good emergency kit I'm putting together, should be good to go. Oh, and some moose repellent
buickanddeere
Super Member
$15 is a mere pittance and about two gallons of fuel. How many gallons of fuel of burned by vehicles idling to warm up?
forgeblast
Elite Member
Anyone mention kitty litter? for traction if you get stuck? I normally just keep a bag of pea gravel in the back of the car as we don't have indoor cats and I can always use the gravel.
I normally have the gravel, first aid kit, hand warmers, flare, extra hat gloves and coat for me and the kiddo, wool blanket, a few breakfast bars, two bottles of water, oil, etc.
also harbor fright has a breaker bar that is compact. I have used it to change tires when I get a flat and it works great. I don't see it listed on the website anymore.
I normally have the gravel, first aid kit, hand warmers, flare, extra hat gloves and coat for me and the kiddo, wool blanket, a few breakfast bars, two bottles of water, oil, etc.
also harbor fright has a breaker bar that is compact. I have used it to change tires when I get a flat and it works great. I don't see it listed on the website anymore.
LD1
Epic Contributor
Where do you live that fuel is $7.50 a gallon??
And I think he was refering to not wasting un-needed energy keeping the vehichle warm all night. Rather put it on a timer so it comes on ~3 hours before it is needed. As far as idling to warm up, maybe a pint of gas to let his honda run 20 minutes to warm up. Certainly no gallons.
Kitty liter is good, but wood ashes out of a fireplace or woodburner is better than anything I have ever tried. It dont roll around like sand or litter does on the ice. I would say it is easily 2x's better than sand or kitty litter.
But hauling around a bucket of ashes is less than ideal and messy.
dmccarty
Super Star Member
2x on the silicone, going to do this in Ohio too and see how it works, and a timer is good idea too. Maybe try 4 hours prior, for starters and see how it goes. Along with the lock lube and a good emergency kit I'm putting together, should be good to go. Oh, and some moose repellent
My truck has has a massive 7.3 Liter diesel with 15 quarts of oil and it takes 3 hours to warm up. I would think wattage would help determine the time to warm up the Honda but I would be surprised if a little gas engine, little compared to my truck, would take 4 hours to warm up. Does your manual make a recommendation on how long to warm up?
Later,
Dan
dmccarty
Super Star Member
Wow, I do remember people carrying kitty litter for traction but I forgot all about that trick.
Later,
Dan
