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Mr. Luddite[_4_]

On 12/30/2017 12:41 PM, wrote:
On Sat, 30 Dec 2017 06:22:09 -0800 (PST), True North
wrote:

I wouldn't bother with block heaters unless I had a diesel.

My purpose is to lessen engine wear due to cold starting and the problem with thicker oil trying to coat and apply lubrication to frozen internal parts. I believe the block heater helps with this. I'm more interested in the long engine life of my vehicles than my own comfort.
On the other hand I do try to dress properly when going out in temperatures lower than -8 C. That is..undershirt, flannel shirt, fleece layer and winter coat. Even wear mitts if walking the dog.

Block heaters do make sense up in the frozen north. Where we vacation
in the western mountains, it is not unusual to see NEMA 5-15 plugs
sticking out of the grilles of cars. I assume that is for the heater.
I agree with Don. At anything below 0 F motor oil is going to be
molasses and not doing a lot of flowing/lubricating, even if it is
5wsumpin. I also wonder how well the oil in the rear axle and
transmission is working.

If you read stories about the Russian campaign in WWII, they even had
problems with lubrication in their small arms.

Even at 30-40 degrees the oil in a car isn't going to flow normally
until it warms up. Operating temp is what, about 195-205 degrees?

My wife's former car ... a 2008 Mercury Mountaineer ... had close to
200,000 miles on it when she traded it in. It had a remote start that
she used pretty much every day during the winter months, even if the
temperature was above freezing. I used to warn her that it wasn't good
for the catalytic converter (as I had been told). The engine was
perfectly fine when she traded it as was the catalytic converter (still
had the original and still passed emission tests).

The only reason she got rid of it was because she was forced to by
family members who occasionally had to ride with her. The damn thing
smelled like a hay wagon.