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ok, cold car question

4K views 39 replies 13 participants last post by  joe c 
#1 ·
last year at jay peak the saturn wouldnt start one morning. something about it being -20 i guess. anyway, im going to do an oil change, but was wondering if anyone has any good ideas for preventing the oil from turning into jello over night. how about a dipstick heater? just plug it in for a few minutes before starting?? im not going to pull the motor apart to install anything extravagant. i want something simple, and inexpensive. i also noticed it had issues with the gas. like i had to keep the pedal mashed to the floor to get it to go. and of course it didnt want to run so good until it really warmed up. or should i just say screw it and just get up and start it for an hour at 3am. im asking cuz im going up again in a week or so.

thanks

jc
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
too much work. im not going to fuck around with pulling freeze plugs out for one week a year. i think most of the problem is just that the oil gets too thick. the starter just did not want to crank the engine over. then, when it gets started, its gagging and caughing and weezing and making pump and belt noises like you read aout. the power steering wont even work usually. so it takes along time to warm up. so im going to go with a lighter oil and was thinking about a dipstick heater. last year i tried the hairdryer trick and that didnt work. it was just way too cold. i dont want anything hanging off the bottom of the car. and this thing is about 6" from the ground. its a big enough pain in the ass just to change the oil. if i cant get any good advice anyplace, ill just get up at 3 or 4 and run it for an hour, then shut it down. it worked last time. its just a pain in the ass. and hopefully it wont be that cold again this year.

jc
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
youre a fucker.

ill freeze plug your ass. next time i get my hands on that mb5, its going down. you better put mirrors on that cb350 race bike, cuz you'll wanna know when im comming next time.

seriously, it was a pain in the ass last time. i killed the battery trying to start it last year. i just put a new battery in, and am hoping the thinner oil will help it a bit. im also taking my car starter with me this time.

me
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
dude, youre on. i'll bring some money. im not blazing fast, but i can definitely get down the hill no problem. my girlfriend and i will be there from the 15th to the 19th. im pretty sure there will be no cell reception. but i cant remember for sure. i'll drop ya a note before hand though to make some arrangements.

jc
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
it only happens up there. never have a problem down here. at bretton weve had problems with it running bad on warm up and no power steering initially. lite weight oil, and i'll just keep an eye on it. i know my bonneville in boston used to be a bitch to start on really cold mornings. alot of pushing up and down the hill in the paring lot to get it going. and i know turnbull has told me stories of warming his beemer with a blanket and hairdryer.


thanks anyway.

me
 
Discussion starter · #15 ·
its not like im cheap. i just dont want to spend a day flushing out coolant to install a block heater. i typically run 20-50 in my truck. i'll swap the saturn to synth or synth blend. the saturn gets everything it needs when it needs it. ie, everything is up to date. probably more than most people here. and i mean everything. hey, somethng around here has to be reliable!


jc
 
Discussion starter · #40 ·
monday sounds good. we get in on sunday after the banquet. ill drop you a note before friday and we'll make a place.

joe
 
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