Help!!! Vehicle question!! (Fairbanks: to buy, live, prices)

[snowangelnot]

I can't for the life of me find a place to buy a block heater or engine heater or whatever the heck it's called for my '93 Ford Ranger!!! Am I even calling it by the right name for the part???!?!? And what else should I do to "winterize" my vehicle. I'm moving up there the end of Oct/beginning of Nov, but my truck won't be there till probably the beginning of Dec. So I defiently need to get it "winterized" before I leave! PLEASE HELP!!!

[Barkingowl]

ZeroStart Magnet-mount Engine Block Heater : JC Whitney: Auto Parts & Accessories

[warptman]

Bring it to your dealer and ask to put one in or your favorite mechanic. When I bought my 2003 Ranger in Seattle, they had no clue what a block heater was. They brought it to a outside shop to put it in.

[Marty Van Diest]

Most lower 48 mechanics have never dealt with one. I bet they know about them up in International Falls Minn.

If you are going to south central Alaska I wouldn't worry about it. Even if you are going to Fairbanks, you can likely get it done right after it arrives.

Make sure the antifreeze is good to -60.

You really want an inline circulating heater. If you just buy on online, and competent mechanic can install it...I have installed them myself...and I'm no mechanic.

[Arcticthaw]

Well we don't know much about your engine, but check out the following link and then hit up your parts supplier, this is just one possibility. Good luck.


NAPAONLINE®

[usafracer]

That is funny I grew up just outside of Bemidji MN. When I moved to Boise Idaho I constantly got asked if my truck was electric.

Originally Posted by Marty Van Diest

Most lower 48 mechanics have never dealt with one. I bet they know about them up in International Falls Minn.

If you are going to south central Alaska I wouldn't worry about it. Even if you are going to Fairbanks, you can likely get it done right after it arrives.

Make sure the antifreeze is good to -60.

You really want an inline circulating heater. If you just buy on online, and competent mechanic can install it...I have installed them myself...and I'm no mechanic.

[starlite9]

A few years ago we traveled to Ohio to bring a minivan back to Alaska, I didn't even figure on finding a block heater there, so I just bought one in Fairbanks and took it with me and installed it at my In-Laws house.

Got Alaska license plates to put on it too before we made the drive back up.

And yeah, with a florescent orange extension cord sticking out of the grill, everyone was asking if we had and electric car. After a while I just gave up and said, "Yeah, it is a hybrid electric minivan built for Alaska's cold weather", they just nodded in agreement and then had a funny look when I started it and drove off....

[icarian]

Originally Posted by Marty Van Diest

If you are going to south central Alaska I wouldn't worry about it. Even if you are going to Fairbanks, you can likely get it done right after it arrives.

Make sure the antifreeze is good to -60.

Marty, I understand your thoughts, but unless they will deliver said vehicle right to a garage/mechanic, it will be "cold soaked" by the time it gets dropped off in Fairbanks (or wherever they deliver vehicles going to Greely??). Unless we have a warm snap above 0 in December, vehicle will most likely have to be towed to wherever...not the end of the world. It will be in "civilization" after all...short tow.

If you don't want to go with the above course of action, best info I can give you is to call/email Seekin's Ford here in Fairbanks and ask them. They should be able to give you the Ford part # or ship the part if needed.

New and Pre-owned Ford Lincoln Mercury Dealer in Fairbanks AK, Seekins Ford Lincoln Mercury

(I know the above link is ghetto...I put in "http://www.seekins.com/index.htm" and the above advert/whatever that is shows up in its place.)

DO NOT stress too much on this. Either of the courses above will work. One, you pay the in town tow rate from the drop off point to the garage (some change, but should be below $200-I know...Alaska prices). Two, car is pulled off, plugged in at the delivery point...and within a couple days, you still need to get it to the garage for the rest of the winterization. Third course, anyone?

[mwachel]

If your truck is in good running condition then I would: make sure the oil is correct for the temps you expect, the coolant is good for the temps, the battery is heavy duty and new and put some additive in the tank that will keep any water in your gas from freezing up. If all that is done before you even ship it then I bet it will start without a problem. If it still won't start then just get it towed like stated above.

Even if you do get the heater put in before you ship then you should still do all of the other stuff as well.

[Marty Van Diest]

Unless it's below -20 or so it should still start if the battery is good. It's not a good practice to do this on a regular basis. If it doesn't start, yeah you will have to tow it.

Now after saying this...full disclosure. I have ruined at least two cars over the last 30 years by starting them in extremely cold temps. I had an old station wagon in Fairbanks that I started at -40...it siezed up and never ran again. And then I did it again just a couple years ago, starting my old pickup with the 458 at -20. I would just hit the throttle once to shut the choke and it always started. It did this time too, but the throttle stuck wide open in the cold and that 458 screamed in the ice cold until it threw a rod.

Sooooo...there you go.

Maybe you better get a circulating heater shipped down. :-)