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Mechanics in the Deep Freeze area.....

E

Eli

Super Moderator | Elite Member
I am curious.

I was thinking about it, and I imagine that a great deal of people in the area that is experiencing the very cold weather.. don't have any heating devices for their car's engines in the morning.

Conventional oils become pretty damn solid when temps get down that low....

I don't know, maybe it's like common knowledge there.. that you have to use a block heater when it gets that cold, just like the ways of preventing your pipes from freezing. But I imagine that quite a few people don't even think about it. They just notice that it's a bit harder to start their cars in the morning.

They probably don't realize that the engine is recieving little to no lubrication for the first 5-10 minutes of operation...

I realize this is the coldest winter in some 100 years, but do you guys traditionally see more repairs when the temps drop down below 0 for extended periods of time?

Sheesh, good luck trying to start the snow blower.
 
Mostly what I've seen in the past is batteries, thermostats, coolant system leaks, noise in front/rear and vibrations. We also saw a lot of poor mileage complaints, but a little talk usually helps the customer understand why.
 
I see at least double the amount of people coming in for repairs during a cold snap, frozen cooling systems, dead batteries and frozen door locks top the list.
As I have stated before, synthetic oils flow more readily in very cold temperatures providing better lubrication during cold start ups, quicker warm ups and less engine wear.
I have yet to see a blown conrod or crank bearing from conventional motor oils on a cold winter morning start up, but I have seen collapsed lifters and extremely worn rocker arms/camshaft lobes.
(This is due to the distance the cylinder head is from the oil pump, the head sees pressurized oil last)
 
Originally posted by: Roger
I see at least double the amount of people coming in for repairs during a cold snap, frozen cooling systems, dead batteries and frozen door locks top the list.
As I have stated before, synthetic oils flow more readily in very cold temperatures providing better lubrication during cold start ups, quicker warm ups and less engine wear.
I have yet to see a blown conrod or crank bearing from conventional motor oils on a cold winter morning start up, but I have seen collapsed lifters and extremely worn rocker arms/camshaft lobes.
(This is due to the distance the cylinder head is from the oil pump, the head sees pressurized oil last)
Click to expand...

Yeah, I realize that... Good synthetics are liquid until around -50F ....

The majority of people don't use synthetics though. I honestly am not sure about the pour point of conventional oils, but I know it's a lot higher than -50. 😛

Makes sense, about the lifters and cams...
 
Who sees -50 tempertures?

The lowest I have ever seen is like 5 below. Normal is a few days in the teens during the winter.
 
6 degrees here this morning at 6:30 when i left my house for baseball practice

i was running late.... cranked it up... put the pedal to the floor

hasn't failed me yet
*120k miles* zoom zoom
 
Originally posted by: Eli
Originally posted by: Roger
I see at least double the amount of people coming in for repairs during a cold snap, frozen cooling systems, dead batteries and frozen door locks top the list.
As I have stated before, synthetic oils flow more readily in very cold temperatures providing better lubrication during cold start ups, quicker warm ups and less engine wear.
I have yet to see a blown conrod or crank bearing from conventional motor oils on a cold winter morning start up, but I have seen collapsed lifters and extremely worn rocker arms/camshaft lobes.
(This is due to the distance the cylinder head is from the oil pump, the head sees pressurized oil last)
Click to expand...

Yeah, I realize that... Good synthetics are liquid until around -50F ....

The majority of people don't use synthetics though. I honestly am not sure about the pour point of conventional oils, but I know it's a lot higher than -50. 😛

Makes sense, about the lifters and cams...
Click to expand...


I did a test on conventional oils once, and every brand of 5W-30 that I tested was still a liquid at -40F. Some of them would become solid at -50F though.
 
Originally posted by: etech
Who sees -50 tempertures?

The lowest I have ever seen is like 5 below. Normal is a few days in the teens during the winter.
Click to expand...

Not many people see -50F.....

My point was that most people don't use synthetic oil, which happens to have extreme cold weather capabilities.

Conventional oils are considerably worse, some have pour points as low as -10F.

Pour point is about 5F above the point at which the oil shows no movement for 5 seconds when inclined.
 
Originally posted by: radioouman
Originally posted by: Eli
Originally posted by: Roger
I see at least double the amount of people coming in for repairs during a cold snap, frozen cooling systems, dead batteries and frozen door locks top the list.
As I have stated before, synthetic oils flow more readily in very cold temperatures providing better lubrication during cold start ups, quicker warm ups and less engine wear.
I have yet to see a blown conrod or crank bearing from conventional motor oils on a cold winter morning start up, but I have seen collapsed lifters and extremely worn rocker arms/camshaft lobes.
(This is due to the distance the cylinder head is from the oil pump, the head sees pressurized oil last)
Click to expand...

Yeah, I realize that... Good synthetics are liquid until around -50F ....

The majority of people don't use synthetics though. I honestly am not sure about the pour point of conventional oils, but I know it's a lot higher than -50. 😛

Makes sense, about the lifters and cams...
Click to expand...


I did a test on conventional oils once, and every brand of 5W-30 that I tested was still a liquid at -40F. Some of them would become solid at -50F though.
Click to expand...


Yes, 5W-30 has a generally low pour point by nature.

Even 10W-30 is pretty good, the worst being around -25 to -26F. That's pretty damn good, I suppose it isn't as big of a problem as I had thought.
 
I would tend to think that a large part of people DO use synthetic oils. When shopping for mobil1 at walmart, its usually more empty than mainstream dino oils, and its not because of a lack of product. They simply cannot keep it on the shelves.

 
Originally posted by: Ladies Man
6 degrees here this morning at 6:30 when i left my house for baseball practice

i was running late.... cranked it up... put the pedal to the floor

hasn't failed me yet
*120k miles* zoom zoom
Click to expand...

Please, please... don't do that to your car's engine. At least let it warm up for 30 seconds.. Your piston rings and lifters will thank you

You can thank me later when you don't have expensive repair bills. 😛

Just because it runs fine right when it starts doesen't mean there aren't advantages to letting it warm up. First and foremost, it lets your oil warm up a little...
 
Originally posted by: slag
I would tend to think that a large part of people DO use synthetic oils. When shopping for mobil1 at walmart, its usually more empty than mainstream dino oils, and its not because of a lack of product. They simply cannot keep it on the shelves.
Click to expand...

It's a good question.. I have no idea on numbers, but I'm pretty sure there are still more people using conventional oil than synthetics, even counting synthetic blends...

I wouldn't doubt that I'm wrong though..
 
A little story for ya' -

I was stationed in military in the warm state of North Dakota. My '70 Impala had a frost-plug heater on the engine block and the electrical plug was fed through the grill. When I left the military and moved to the East coast, I was in New Jersey - where the pump the gas for you. The gas station attendant who was pumping the gas offered to check my my oil, so I said "sure." He noticed the plug and asked me if my car was electric? 😀
 
Originally posted by: wje
A little story for ya' -

I was stationed in military in the warm state of North Dakota. My '70 Impala had a frost-plug heater on the engine block and the electrical plug was fed through the grill. When I left the military and moved to the East coast, I was in New Jersey - where the pump the gas for you. The gas station attendant who was pumping the gas offered to check my my oil, so I said "sure." He noticed the plug and asked me if my car was electric? 😀
Click to expand...

LOL

 
You just get a oil change in late fall with a thinner oil, then another one in spring with a thicker one. It's not too hard to remember.
 
Despite it being extremely cold here today, my car started perfectly fine. However my windshield washer fluid in the resivoir was fairly solid. -20F my ass. Had to break out the extension cord and heating pad to liquify it again. Ah the joys of winter.
 
Originally posted by: etech
Who sees -50 tempertures?

The lowest I have ever seen is like 5 below. Normal is a few days in the teens during the winter.
Click to expand...

ahem... it was a balmy -32C here a couple of days ago (not including windchill). I'm sure it was about -50F in the more northern parts of the country.

<-- Canadian
 
Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle
Originally posted by: etech
Who sees -50 tempertures?

The lowest I have ever seen is like 5 below. Normal is a few days in the teens during the winter.
Click to expand...

ahem... it was a balmy -32C here a couple of days ago (not including windchill). I'm sure it was about -50F in the more northern parts of the country.

<-- Canadian
Click to expand...

It's interesting how in the pluses, the difference between C and F is great, but once you get into the negatives... the difference becomes smaller.. to a certain point, and then it starts again..

70F is 21C

55F is 12C

32F is 0C

0F is -17C

-20F is -28C

-40F is -40C

-50F is -45C

-80F is -62C
 
i swear it is that global warming doin this to us! causin car problems and all

edited to explain what i ment to elli

since global warming is occuring, it seems that much of the US is in a deep freeze so tell me what the hell is goin on!
 
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