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Old 12-01-2009, 07:42 AM
 
Location: Orlando, FL
317 posts, read 1,090,159 times
Reputation: 154

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Quote:
Originally Posted by AirForceSFwife View Post

My husband and I (moving to Great Falls) will be sharing my 01 Toyota Camry, which has about 135,000 miles on it (not sure if any of that info is relevant lol but I figure it can't hurt!) -- should we invest in a block heater?

I'll pretty much reiterate what Elkhunter said. I'm a Montana native and we always used engine block heaters. They keep the engine warm so there is far less wear and tear on it because it warms up faster. The problem with cold starts in Montana winters is the oil is very thick and can't lubricate well, so the moving parts in the engine don't get very good lubrication until the car warms up. It also requires more battery power to start your car cold. So I am a big fan of block heaters and recommend them.

However, I had friends from California that moved to Montana and had no interest in getting a block heater. They kept their car in the garage and at school and it started everytime. So I guess it wasn't required.

As yes, we did put ours on timers so save on electric cost. I think they went on about an hour or two before we needed the car.
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Old 12-01-2009, 10:05 AM
 
Location: Brendansport, Sagitta IV
8,087 posts, read 15,153,325 times
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My '63 Olds F-85 would start in ANY weather, coldest I ever drove it was -45 and it would just crank a couple times then start right up. My '78 Ford pickup thinks anything below 10 degrees is obscene and starts reluctantly at best. But the big things are that super-cold oil is too thick to lubricate, which ultimately adds to engine wear-and-tear, and the fact that the more thermal stress (extreme cycles of heating and cooling) you put on anything mechanical or electronic, the shorter its lifespan. There's a lot less thermal stress in warming up from lukewarm (block heater applied) than from dead cold (no block heater and -40 degrees).

Which is why I just ate the electricity and kept my vehicle plugged in any time it got below about 20 degrees.
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Old 12-01-2009, 04:30 PM
 
Location: NW Montana
6,259 posts, read 14,670,675 times
Reputation: 3460
More food for thought.
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Old 12-01-2009, 06:14 PM
 
475 posts, read 1,498,033 times
Reputation: 192
'78 Ford pickup thinks anything below 10 degrees is obscene and starts reluctantly at best

Love your sense of humor
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