Okay before I get my ***** busted here....

I just moved to MN from GA and changed the coolant to make sure it was good for the winter. Why are some ppl here asking about block heaters and oil pan heaters? I have not lived in the north since being able to drive but my parents never had any of this.

Also I look at it as all the ppl that camp and hunt and farm vehicles are park outside for periods of time and they dont have access to power.

So does it just help heat up quicker and get the oil to be thinner so it coats better?

Might be a novice question but everyone here doesn't have any of that crap unless its a diesel and even then I know its not needed but helps it with cranking and warming up faster due to all the cast iron on the diesels.

 

It all depends on how cold it gets where your at.


For instance when I had towing company's in CO. in the winter I had block heaters on them because the drivers had to respond to all police calls within 15 mins. of receiving a call. That included in the middle of the night 24/7 and you had no time to warm them up or wonder if they would start.


When I lived in Butte, MT. had to do the same many mornings -30 below or more. A battery in good shape is required also.

 

easier starts, quicker heat.

i dont plug in til 5f or colder

if i know when im leaving, timer starts 1.5hrs before leaving, works perfect

i have started the jeep with 5w30 dino unplugged in -22f, was good 5 seconds before i saw oil pressure....but that was 20,000 miles ago

 

Ok thanks for the replies. I park in the garage usually but people had me concerned. I mean what do they do at work they just crank them up and let em warm up.

I do have a new battery in the jeep and 2 in the cummins. Had to make sure I was good to go on both before I moved up.

So another question is oil weight. I think I remember my dad telling me back in the day they would use a lighter weight so it would flow better..??

 

where i'm from people usually plug their car to their house before going to sleep when it's anywhere near -10C and lower, so in the morning you're ready to leave faster and it probably helps the engine running a little

at work you just leave it as is and like you said, let it warm a little longer. if you have a block heater you're not obliged to use it, it just helps

 

i only change my oil once a yr....one jeep gets ~5,000 miles on it, the other gets ~13,000 miles on it

so i use 5w30 yr round....thats winter oil...

i just use dino oil, cheapest i can find...synthetic will flow better cold so will 0w30...at a higher purchase price.

lotsa ppl at workplaces that dont have plug ins would start their car at lunch for awhile so it wasnt dead cold for a long time.

now everybody has remote starts, program to run 20 mins every 4hrs or so, etc...

i put ebay seat heaters under the seat upholstery of my jeeps, that helps too

i want heated steering wheel.