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how cold is too cold?


98obster
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go get one of those little magnetic heaters - about 3x5 inches with a handle - slap it on the bottom of the oil pan, plug it in, & say nite-nite to the car. Next morning the oil will be plenty warm. :grin: the DO work fine - have used them here in North Central Wisconsin many times in -30F temps with wind chills around -50F

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what if you forgot? or confused with hot coffee. it makes more sense to bring the battery in at night.

 

cold weather shouldnt be an issue until the temp nears 0 and below.

 

people in warm climates freak out when the temp gets to freezing while the next guy is sitting in 10 degree weather all day with no problems

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go get one of those little magnetic heaters - about 3x5 inches with a handle - slap it on the bottom of the oil pan, plug it in, & say nite-nite to the car. Next morning the oil will be plenty warm. :grin: the DO work fine - have used them here in North Central Wisconsin many times in -30F temps with wind chills around -50F

 

ditto!!

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I'd also go with the block heater.

 

The drain the oil and set it next to the stove overnight thing used to be done by Alaskan bush pilots way back in the day.

 

But a cheap block heater and extension cord will be much easier and such.

And you can just drape the cord over the driver side mirror if you think there may be a chance of forgetting to unplug it.

(I've seen vehicles still pugged in, backing up. Makes a nice loud noise once they run out of cord and the plug catches the edge of the hood..... :lol: )

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I used to park transit buses outside in the winter. One of my jobs was to assign buses to routes and when I put them to bed at night I'd plug the block heaters in. It only affected 8 buses, the rest were indoors overnight.

 

Anyway, the drivers would get in a hurry when it got cold and take off with the 50 - 75 foot cords still plugged in. I'd find them laser straight and caught under the duals of the bus next to it.

 

Well, once in a while it'd come out of the outdoor outlet and they'd be dragging a 50 - 75 foot cord behind them on their route.

 

That made the best dispatch radio calls ever. :eek:

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Haven't owned my Subaru long enough to tell, but my old truck would start in -40° without being plugged in. Not a good idea, mind you, but it worked... If anything the Subaru should be a lot easier to start as it has half the cylinders to crank. Definitely let it warm up a bit before you drive though.

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Greetings from Alaska

Our #2 98 OBW has been used in Prudhoe Bay ( North Slope) for many years

as a car for my helicopter pilots to us.

It gets down to 60 below or colder all winter.

Our EJ25 DOHC motor will start as long as it has CLEAN OIL (10W)

A Sears Diehard GOLD battery ( the biggest

one that will fit in the car ) and you MUST take it inside at nite to keep it warm. Starter only last a couple of months but we get the NAPA starter with the lifetime warranty and carry a spare with us. And their easy to change.

At 60 below the brake drag something terible after you apply them and the antilock brake system will become VERY slow at pulsing.

 

At 60 below, if you turn on the wipers on,(front or rear) the wiper gearbox will tear itself apart.

Just try to roll a window down and it bends the up and down arms in the door.

We leave this subaru running all day long. DON'T leave the heater on high cause it will cold soak the motor. the motor can't/won't get warm. (the temp

gauge won't even move.) This will cause the exhaust system to freeze solid.

 

also your gas mileage goes down to about 12 mpg.

 

P.S. at 60 below, DON'T SLAM THE DOORS.

And the door lock and unlock system horn will just make a scratchy noise.

 

other then that, their great cars !!!

Edited by alaskan 2
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