# vehicle maintenance question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vehicle-maintenance-question/261580>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 26, 2004, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vehicle-maintenance-question/261580 "2004-08-26T12:24:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji_Kitakyusho)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vehicle-maintenance-question/261580/1 "2004-08-26T12:24:11Z")

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The vehicle is a 1994 Ford E350 Club Wagon XL, 7.3L diesel. It is equipped with a block heater, however this winter is the first time that its use will be mandatory, since I am wintering in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

The block heater heats only the coolant, correct? I need to know if the block heater alone will be sufficient, or if this should be supplemented with an oil pan heater. Someone recommended the latter, but I know nothing about this.

Anyone?

-FK

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**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vehicle-maintenance-question/261580/2 "2004-08-26T12:54:42Z")

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Check your vehicle specs to see if a low viscosity oil (5-30 weight) is appropriate. I lived in Alaska for seven years, enduring -40º winters with only a block heater, and my engine worked great on LV oil. I might recommend an electric battery blanket as well, as the battery freezing was a problem where I was until I got one.

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**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vehicle-maintenance-question/261580/3 "2004-08-26T23:57:35Z")

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I lived in Duluth, MN, which has a similar climate to Thunder Bay. Everybody got by just fine with just block heaters. Lower viscosity oil helps, too.