Hey guys, what do you do differently to your truck in the winter? i had water in the radiator from when i did my motor swap this summer, so i put in new antifreeze, and my valve covers recently started leaking after i put on some new painted valve covers, so i changed those out. what do you guys do to your trucks in the winter? also, when do you plug them in? i heard from 2 radio stations that tonight is going to either be around 38 degrees, or one said 26-31. should i plug it in tonight or am i OK?

 

You should not have to do anything special to prepare a properly running well maintained CTD (or any vehicle, for that matter) for winter. But that there's a mouthful, ain't it?! Never hurts to keep a closer eye on tire pressure during fall and early winter while they go down naturally as the temp drops.

I don't plug in util we're in single digits. And them mostly just for getting heat in the cab sooner, no starting issues ever last winter, plugged in or not (my first CTD winter).

 

1- Fix whatever needs fixing BEFORE it gets cold!

2- Fix whatever needs fixing BEFORE it gets cold!

3- I change my fuel filter in the late fall so that it is clean and will flow better in the cold temps.

4- Fresh/ clean oil will work better in all compartments.

5- Check the condition of your battery.

6- If you have auxillary heaters for Engine oil, trans and/or battery warmers/trickle chargers installed , make sure they are in good working order before you use them.

7- If it's going to be cold for a long time consider partially blocking off part of the radiator from air flow or removing the fan/clutch and keep an eye on the temp gauge.

As for plugging in, if it's on my nickel, I won't plug in untill it goes below +20*F and only for a couple hours before I want to start up (I use an electric timer to switch on the power at about 0230). If I am at work, I'll plug in below freezing.

 

Thanks, marc. That's the bush I was beatin' around.

 

Amen to that. I ended up tearing out my HVAC system during a snow storm because the cable going to the defrost selector rusted stiff. I had noticed it earlier, but never got around to it until winter came and I needed the real bad.

 

Don't be stingy with the anti-gel fuel treatment.

Carry a spare fuel-filter and wrench for when the fuel does gel.

Carry a FULL jug of Power Service, or whatever you choose, to fill the new filter with when it gets screwed on.

Run only clean pure properly treated diesel in the frigid temperatures.

Waste oil, vegetable oil, skunk oil, etc. is fine to experiment with in summer heat, but will soon create difficulties once the temperature drops.

 

This has to do with winter and plugging in the block heater so here's my idea. If you are ever somewhere, where you can't access an outlet, get a cigarette lighter plug type power inverter and a small extension cord and run it in your cab to the power inverter. The heaters don't draw that much juice so it should work just fine. Just be sure that you have a good strong battery though.

 

Go ahead and try that and get back to us with the results.

 

Probly better off to get up and start it every couple hours for a bit if it you think that running a block heater off the battery is a must do.

 

If you are that worried about keeping your vehicle warm during the winter then you may as well get a Webasso heater. Comes on with them and heats the cooling system.

It is a great system, just pricey. If I was constantly in a situation that I didn't have plug in @-10*C then I would definately go that way.[smiley]

 

Those are nice but $$$$$

There are also auto starts availible that will run your truck for you bases on tempeture for less than $500.00.

 

Back to the start of this thread.

A little spray silicone on a rag wiped on the door seals and window gaskets will keep them from freezing together.

 

Thanks for that idea.

It sounds less of a mess than the Vaseline that I have always used; which, by the way, although somewhat messy, is excellent at preventing doors, windows, etc. from getting ice-welded together.

Whenever freezing rain or snow is expected, I always place a decent sized blob of Vaseline over any lock openings, such as the door-key-holes, tool-box latches, etc.

Doing thus, I have never had an inoperably frozen lock.

I will try the silicone and see how it compares.

 

Silicone dosen't attract dirt like petro based lubes. works well in door licks and latches too.

Clean out your door latches and lube them well with silicone lube. Works way better than grease in the real cold.

 

I always swap to 0w-40 over the winter. when its -20c to -40c it really does make a difference. I've try both and cranking speed is WAY faster with 0w-40 synth in the cold cold. Not sure what the guys way up north feel about it. But I'm convinced its easier on everything with 0-40 in the winter.