EV's Must Be Preconditioned To Take A Charge In Winter Temps

[Rustyt1953]

 

[Rustyt1953]

And it ruined my Easy Bake Oven too.

My sister had one and the bulb raised an angry blister on the back of her hand. Dad threw it away and told her to use the real oven in the kitchen as she couldn't do any worse than her mother.

 

[mtgianni]

Having run diesel engines in some really really cold conditions, I found (OK, my employer found, I went with what works) what's now CRC Fuel Therapy to be the best diesel treatment. Takes care of gelling, condensation in the fuel and injector cleaning.

During a near Arctic condition, I took the battery inside to keep it warm. Dropped it in place in the AM and the car started right up. In a related item, military vehicle specs for the European far north/mountain regions had (once upon a time) the batteries not only in what amounts to the interior of the vehicle but they had heating pads. I guess the draw for the heaters was less than the drop in efficiency from cold. A hundred watt light bulb in the engine compartment and/or a block heater helps. Not sure if a LED bulb puts out the same heat.

Local stores sell a 50/50 blend of #2 and #1 diesel fuel for about $0.30 more a gallon. Since #2 gels at around -20 it's cheap insurance. I am guessing you also don't have plug in electric heaters for the engine block.

 

[woodsltc]

Stolen from the meme thread courtesy of member woodsltc

Mike....I now see that you posted this meme before I posted the same one in the "meme" thread. Stuff happens. Don

 

[Old 44 Guy]

I guess it's back to the drawing board on the EV problems. Maybe keep the politics out of it for a change.

 

[LVSteve]

Due to the cold snap this week, some are having difficulty in starting ICEs due to a weak battery. Today I saw some weird advice in TV I never heard of before. It was that if your battery has a little charge but is too weak to turn your engine over, turn on your headlights then go back and forth from dim to bright several times.That somehow re-energizes your battery and you can then start the engine. Has anyone ever tried that trick and does it work?

I did it once in the UK when we had a snap of -25°C in 1982. My car lived outside, so we checked the radiator to make sure the antifreeze was working, put on the headlights for 30 seconds, turned them off, applied choke and turned the key. Car started no problem. Left it on a fast idle for 10 minutes to get the heater core moving and found that I could still get my hand within a foot of the block on the exhaust pipe. Not much heat from a sub 1200 cc motor.

 

[WR Moore]

Local stores sell a 50/50 blend of #2 and #1 diesel fuel for about $0.30 more a gallon. Since #2 gels at around -20 it's cheap insurance. I am guessing you also don't have plug in electric heaters for the engine block.

I do have block heaters in all my personally owned diesels. The one with @#$%& glow plugs rarely needs it, but in really, really cold weather will plug it in about 2 hours before I plan to use it. One thing I do miss from heavy equipment is a compression release. You get the engine spinning pretty good and then restore compression. Helps to have a block heater, but can make all the difference in the world if the battery's weak.

I have a farm tractor with a really primitive starting aid. If you turn the key to a specific position, diesel fuel drips onto a heating element and warms the air in the intake system. Essentially, you're starting a small fire in the intake. It works-usually but helps if the battery's healthy. It also came with a block heater which is little help without a 300 yard long extension cord. That tractors in a building with electricity now.

CRC Fuel Therapy (or equivalent) is your friend. Certainly cheaper than $0.30/gallon on fuel and much easier on the injector pump. Do the diesels in MT come with the Arctic package standard or do you have to order it? IH did have a special package for Arctic conditions or operations that used jet fuel instead of diesel. Big part was a special injector pump.

A few years ago I heard a couple of weather persons claim that wind chill only affects flesh & blood entities. January of my sophomore year in college the average temp was 19 below. I learned real quick to always park with the rear of the car facing the wind. Still do it. OK, maybe side to the wind but definitely not the engine compartment.

BTW, the car I pulled the battery on was gas powered AND, I'd parked tail into the wind. Don't recall the temperature then, but the car had failed to start even with ether before I pulled the battery. Getting it toasty warm overnight did the trick. The battery lived on well past that.