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I have a 2001 Honda Civic Automatic, do I need the engine block heater or will it start up in -40 weather?
I live in the Grand Forks area... -40F temp is very very rare..... -30F to -35F is more typical of a coldest low temp of the winter in northern ND. It really all depended on how long it had been parked outside and how long between runs. I know some folks here have auto starters, which are programmed to start you car and run it every so often, if parked outside for long periods. From my experience...if you have a day with a high of -20F and a low of -35F and your 2001 Civic is parked outside for 24 hours in it and no plug in it may have a real hard time starting. The age and type of car battery is key. Most apartments over here in Grand Forks do have plug in poles from which you can plug your car in.
I am not car savy like Elk Hunter is....I do know my 2007 Honda van is fine starting if not plugged in at night at lows of
-20F or -25F provided it has only been idle for the 8 hours I am at work.
Very well put Dan. -40 is a once every few years occurance. Even -35 is not something that hits for days on end, but rather, a low for tonight type thing. I don't care how good you think your fuel is, there is moisture going to get into it. If there is moisture (we're talking molecules here) that collects at a fitting and starts to freeze, it's not a show stopper, however, if it sets there for a long period of time, it collects more, and more, it kind of gathers like a magnet to the point where it can be a restriction. If you start your car periodically, you have discrupted those pockets of trouble.
Since about 2000, the engines have been made with an alloy that is terrific. It doesn't expand and retract with cold like old engines did. Old engines were built very loose when cold, thinking that when it reached operating temp, the parts expanded to be a good fit. So the first while, it runs rough, it chokes out, it pops and sputters. All those parts are trying to work together and it's like a band tuning up. The new enginers are tighter, more efficient and on top of that, we're not worried about a carburetor trying to get all of it's parts in synce with timing, dwell, spark, etc. If you remember, we used to get our cars tuned up, had to set the dwell, set the timing, in order to get spark to hit at the exact time the piston was in the place where the spark would do the best work. From about 2000 (some models earlier, some later) cars were computerized. Everybody cussed computers to begin with because they didn't understand them. But think about this. The computer has over 300 sensors that it monitors and it makes the adjustments. It sets dwell, it sets timing, it sets everything up for the conditions at that exact moment. Remember your dad talking about when he drove up in the mountains the car didn't run for crap? Well, your computer adjusts for altitude, air density, etc.... and because of this, suddenly we find our cars starting a lot easier, even in the cold. I remember I had a car that would start when I hit the button on the key ring. I showed it to my dad and he asked, "Well who's inside pumping the foot feed?"
The bottom line is, the car will start and run. Now we need creature comforts, there's nothing more pleasing that warm air out of your heater when it's -30. If you put a block heater in the car, it is going to keep the engine warm, so when you get ready to leave, you fire it up and the temp is already up and in some cases, you'll get warm air almost immediately.
If you follow the owners manual for oil changes and TYPE of oil, that will also help a great deal. We used to run 30 weight in the summer and 10 weight in the winter because 30 weight was thick, like molasses in the winter and it made the car turn over very slowly. A block heater would keep that oil warm and make it easier starting. But today, we have 10W-30 or 10W-40. These oils are specially designed to be 10 weight for W=Winter. For some reason, when the ambient temperature drops down to "cold" the oil actually gets thinner (kind of backwards to what we were taught) So the proper oil is key.
Finally, exactly what Dan said, "The age and type of car battery is key." If you do nothing else, make sure you have a good battery and make sure you clean the contacts properly, EVERY FALL. Battery terminals can get a clear coating between the battery post and the clamp and you can't even see it, but it makes the post dull. This hampers current flow so the battery doesn't put out the same as if it was clean, it actually acts a lot weaker. It's the same with front mount studs that you screw into the battery. They can also get dirty with this same film. Clean them with a small wire brush and then put some protective gel over everything (can find it in any parts store). It will keep you from being stranded.
Personally, with a 2001, I would install a block heater, simply for creature comforts. But I wouldn't plug it in all night as it's a waste of electricity. It takes a block heater about 40 minutes to get up to temp and then it just kicks on and off all night. Get a cheap timer and put on your cord so that the block heater actually kicks on an hour or two before you are going to head for work. You'll save about 50% of the cost of if you plugged it in and let it run all night. You can get a block heater that is 500watt, 750, 1000, 1250, 1500, 2000, etc. The dealer will tell you that the 500 will do the trick, or they'll say to be safe put in the 750. I'd put in the 1000. Specially if you are going to put the timer on it. The cost difference is only going to be about $6-7. Why not get something that is better than what is needed?
For my diesel tractor, which I blow snow many time daily, I plug it in during winters. However I have the extension cord on a timer to turn on at 6:00AM and off at 6:00PM. It's nice and warm if I go out to blow snow at 7:00AM. If I had to plug in a car all the time I would put that on a timer too.
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