Artic weather advice

[fastwhite99gt]

Any of you guys ever lived up north and had to deal with extremely cold temps? I just took a job at Ft. Greely, Alaska and will be headed up there August 9th. I'm wanting to change the fluids before I leave to make sure I don't have any surprises on the way and it'll be way cheaper to do here in Texas.

[Sleeper]

have a block heater installed. Make sure antifreeze is up to the task. Make sure the heater works. Rain x for the windows/helps with ice. Tires do make a huge difference.

Edit. Make sure you have an emergency kit for the chance you will ever get stranded.

[Strychnine]

Mike K is in charge of keeping equipment running in Antarctica in the winter. If he can't give you 100% advice then no one can.

[fastwhite99gt]

I remember that thread now, I'll have to hit him up. Thanks

[Strychnine]

I'm not sure what ambients you'll have to deal with up there, but I'm sure that if we were specing equipment for that region it would be -40 capable. That means at a minimum: coolant heater (in block), oil heater (immersion heater in oil pan), and fuel heater (heated filter head in the off-engine first stage filtration).

[fastwhite99gt]

The Duramax has the block heater from the factory, I found an aftermarket one for the wife's Passat. From what I've been searching, a lot of that stuff will have to wait till we get up there, just no one has it below Canada lol. They told me in my interview that temps will get down to -50 or so at times. I dealt with military equipment at -25 in Afghanistan, but half the time, they refused to start.

[Whiteboy]

no way

[svauto-erotic855]

When I worked for Orbital I was on a team that did cold start calibration research for FOMOCO. Air filters can get so clogged with snow and ice that the engine will die while driving; I would just pull them out and keep going. Once it gets in the -20 range or lower it is best to not shut the engine off, ever.

If you have a gas engine making sure that it is in tune will help BIG time with cold starts. A new battery and an extra heavy ground cable helps too.

[GrayStangGT]

Air filters can get so clogged with snow and ice that the engine will die while driving; I would just pull them out and keep going.

I'm no mechanic, but this sounds like terrible advice lol.

[svauto-erotic855]

I'm no mechanic, but this sounds like terrible advice lol.

Yes it is but it is better then freezing to death. I was also working on test cars that I did not own so I did not give a fuck.

[svauto-erotic855]

I nearly forgot. We had a HUGE problem with power steering pumps failing shortly after a cold start. They would lock up and throw the belt. Putting the thinnest synthetic oil you can find into the PS pump or never shutting off the engine was the cure for that.

[ceyko]

Get some tire chains.

[garycrist]

Get a ham radio too! All come with AK emergency frequency built in!