I have 2 Chevy Cavliers, one a 1998 and the other a 2000, and they have been running perfectly the last 3 months I’ve owned them. Their mileage is higher, 83,000 and 92,000, and I’m concerned about them making it through winter.
I don’t have a garage, so they will be outside all night. Anyone have any good advice on preventative things I could put in the gas tank, or something I should do for the cars. I’m worried my wife will have trouble starting the car in the morning when she goes to work. Anything that can prevent locking up?
Thanks!
Oh, if this is an opinion questions, can the mods move it?
Check your user’s manual, if you have one. Some cars use a different viscosity oil when the temperature is really cold. Around here (PA) it doesn’t get cold enough to make a difference for most cars, but Michigan might.
Also, all weather tires are a compromise, so they tend to suck in all kinds of weather. Dedicated snow tires would probably be good for your area.
Make sure your batteries are good, and not undersized. Sometimes people will replace batteries with ones that have slightly less cold cranking amps, just to save a few bucks, then they wonder why their cars have a hard time starting in winter. Since you’ve only had these cars 3 months it’s a good idea to double check that the previous owner didn’t do that.
Fill up the windshield wiper fluid resevoir. Put a spare bottle of fluid in the trunk.
You don’t need to really worry about additives or anything like that. I’ve never put any additives or anything in my cars and I’ve never had a problem. Make sure you start the car every couple of days or maybe even every day if it gets really bitter cold.
You might want to get one of those little portable jump starters and keep it in your house where it’s warm, just in case. You might also want to keep a can of de-icer in the house in case ice forms over the locks and you can’t get into the car.
Neither is so old that it’s likely to have any special trouble making it through the winter.
Some things to consider:
Check antifreeze to be sure it will protect down to the lowest temperature possible in your area.
Make sure batteries are performing well. If they are getting a bit weak, bear in mind that it’s usually a lot cheaper to buy a new one before there’s trouble.
Don’t try to get by with a marginal set of tires.
Old & tired wiper blades can be a serious nuisance when it’s snowing.
Synthetic oil has trouble justifying its high cost. The area where it shines brightest is its viscosity at very low temperatures. For starts at -15F and below, Mobil1 is great stuff.
If you’re going to deal with a lot of sub-zero starting, an engine block heater may be worth the trouble.
I live in the Metro Detroit area, too. The essentials:
[ul]
[li]Extra washer fluid in the car so that you can fill the resevoir constantly.[/li][li]Make sure your battery’s in good shape. How do you do this? That’s up to you. When I can’t start my car two days in a row, I replace the battery.[/li][li]Jumper cables, just in case. Real ones, not those things that plug in between two cigarette lighters.[/li][/ul]
Other than that, I’ve never, ever done anything special for Detroit winters. If your tires are crappy, you may have some problems, but in general, all season tires (the ones the factory installs) work perfectly well all seasons. You know that you may have just a couple of days where you’re expected to drive in snow, but for the most part Detroit area highways are only snowy while it’s falling. MDOT and the counties are quick to clear the roads. Just be patient the few times you have to drive in snow, and watch for ice if you beat the snow cleaners.
If you live in the Detroit city limits where they’re notorius for not cleaning roads, or out in the rural suburbs, you may consider snow tires, but in our area they’re generally a waste of money – there’s just not much snow on the roads.
If you think it is suffuciently cold to warrant it, an engine block heater (water jacket heater) could be advantageous. These are very common in Scandinavia, most properties havinh “hitching posts” to supply electricity to them. They prevent the water jacket from freezing but also maintain the engine, and particularly the oil and water at a reasonable temperature to ensure quick and easy (and certain) starting.
There is also a petrol fueled version (Eberspecher) that operates on a timer, set to kick in an hour before you need the car, some models will also heat the passenger compartment of the car, giving a nice warm and frost free windows start to the day. As it travels with your car, it can be used anywhere, sometimes a drawback with the electrical block heaters.
A good, fully charged heavy duty battery is an absolute requirement, as is a full fuel tank if your car is to be left unused for any length of time.
I would also recommend a block heater in addition to proper antifreeze levels and 5W-20 oil. They’re relatively cheap and easy for a mechanic to install. Plug it in at night, your car has no worries in the morning. Just remember to unplug it before driving off.
If, as ChefGuy suggested, you use an engine block heater. Drape the extension cord over your driver side mirror so that you see it every morning before you drive off.
Jumper Cables - get a heavy gaguge; I’ve had experience with failing to jump someone’s car because their bargain basement cables couldn’t send enough current through them. Also , get them long enough to allow for the fact the donor and reciever batteries will be on opposite sides; there is no standardized battery location!
Battery - if changing the battery, get one with REAL terminals, not those little dinky side terminals cuz those lil bastards are a mutha to keep the jumper cables clipped to. :rolleyes:
It’s cheaper and safer than jumper cables. The OP is concerned about the car starting in winter. A block heater is a simple solution. AND it reduces pollution, since a warm engine pollutes less than a cold engine.
No, I understand what’s it’s for. I eeked because of the thought of someone driving off without unplugging their car. That’s the real reason for not having plug-in, rechargeable, electric cars yet these days.
How hot does an engine block heater heat? Not enough to reduce emissions to an appreciable degree, right, otherwise in summer you’d also have reduced emissions? I’d always thought hotter engines were cleaner because the catalyst had to be heated to work efficiently in the catalytic converter.
Other than that, how is an engine block heater cheaper than jumper cables?
I’ll still stand by the other 5,120,000 southeastern Michiganders and say that the engine block heaters are unheard of in our area and unneccessary for a properly maintained car, which is what the OP is asking for.
And I’m only saying that because I’ve lived there virtually all my life. Let me ask you this, though – I’m going to be driving through Montana/Wyoming/Minnesota in November in a properly maintained car, and stopping for several nights. I have no idea what temperatures are there, and I’m perfectly willing to add an engine block heater if it’s necessary or advised – they’re not expensive. Are these parts of the country where a heater is typically employed in November?
