new girl needs winter advice

Well yeah, but I'd imagine your winters are a lot colder than ours Being close to the coast, MA winters aren't horribly cold. Upstate NY, VT, NH and ME can get pretty cold though.

What do you guys go about the freezing issue, do you get a heating core that goes into the reservior?

 

i lived in New Hampshire most of my life, the windshield washer fluid isn't a must but it is a nice thing to have every once in awhile, just use 50/50 for the antifreeze,i wouldn't worry about the battery or black heater there in New England, if you move to Montana or North Dakota on the other hand i would take it into consideration. the biggest thing for the winter is snow tires, also i little advice, wash your car on nice days, they use salt on the roads up there and it eats away at the truck. also heard of people oiling the frames to protect it but that's all up to you.

 

I have no idea. Hahaha last winter was mild, supposedly. Sure didn't seem mild having just moved from Oklahoma. I just lived without wiper fluid until it thawed out, then put the cold weather type in, and after that it was fine. Dad told me to pour some alcohol in it to help it thaw, but I never got around to it.

 

This winter you might want to shop around. RainX de-icer is good to -25F but there are other options that are rated to withstand colder temps. You might be able to get the cheap-o stuff and add some alcohol to it to help prevent freezing (methanol alcohol). There are tables online that tell you how much to add so the fluid will withstand freezing at certain temps.

 

I live in North Eastern Canada, and winters are particularly harsh on our vehicles. As a preventative measure, I spray my undercarriage and inner body panels with oil, in order to keep rust at bay.

Road salt is used here liberally, and I see tons of new model pickups and cars that are just rotted beyond belief. I've been spraying my undercarriage for years, and have a 98 4Runner that is in amazing shape because of my efforts.

I would also consider having it washed and waxed before the snow hits. The wax helps protect the paint a great deal..... I use a product called "NuFinish" and wax my trucks twice a year with it.

Next, as others have said, make sure you have winter rated washer fluid. Up here, I used -30 degree or -40 degree Celcius fluid. (We can get temps down to around -40 with the wind chill up here!)

Also, as others have said, block heaters could be a good thing, all weather or winter floor mats (weather Tech makes a great floor mat).

Our trucks utilize 5W30 motor oil.... this oil is more than light enough for harsh winter weather.... I wouldn't bother changing it up, and just keep to your regular maintenance schedule.

Last but not least.... a remote starting device is nice to have! I start mine 15mins before I'm ready to get in.... and I'm nice and toasty on my drive to work!

 

If you are bringing a fair weather vehicle up north I would change the engine thermostat to at least a 180 degree or you WILL freeze your ass off.

If you want to be really toasty (and hot as hell in the summer, too) switch to a 195 degree thermostat.

 

Where do you figure someone would freeze their butt off with a 180 t-stat? Not gonna happen.

 

i agree with you there, never had to change mine out and i lived in nh and now in montana, its unnecessary

 

Don't they use like a..160 down south?

 

All Tacomas run 182 degrees.

 

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When I was in Canada ... my gasoline froze once (@ about -25F) while I was driving ...

I was from the south and had to learn all this stuff ... (freezing fluids, much lighter lubricants, rust proofing, gas drying additives & etc.) ... the hard way.
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Shoot, mine freezes in the winter as well! And it rarely gets below 30 here in California. The standard blue stuff definitely isn't going to cut it for you folks that actually have a real winter!

 

I can promise you that your gasoline did not freeze at that temp unless you were running a diesel with summer blend fuel. If you ran your tank too low, or got water in your tank, that's what froze. Gasoline does not freeze at that temperature. Also, for the temps most of New England sees during the winter, there is no need to specifically change to a lighter fluid just for the winter season. It's New England, not the arctic.

 

I've had trouble with non-winter washer fluid freezing. I can't recall the exact temps, but probably the teens. It was freezing on the windshield in some cases and sometimes freezing in the lines. With all the crazy weather I would use the winterized stuff just in case. The rainX brand is my favorite.

 

I can confim standard washer fluid will freeze at 25 degrees unless you get the stuff rated to 0. Just read the bottle closely some say 32 others say 0 In the north east you might find some for below 0.

 

your gasoline didnt freeze it is possible the you left a low amount of fuel in the tank and moisture froze but the gasoline didnt, just make sure you dont let the truck sit with under 1/4 of a tank left in it. here in Montana i dont let the truck go under a 1/2 a tank.

 

Freezing on the windshield happened to me more than once, but only one time I have had the lines freeze. Turns out I just bought the car and the moron before me used straight water in the bottle..not the car's fault.

I still remember my old Monte Carlo when I was 18..driving in a bad snowstorm and my blower motor croaked. Even with leaving the wipers on I had to stop every few minutes and scrape ice off the windshield..ugh!

 

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True ... it was moisture in fuel that froze at -25 ... and that winter I tasted -44 in Northern Quebec ... ... (-40 C & F are equal).

When the "fuel line" froze ... I was driving the vehicle one night and I was doing at least 90 KM when it happened.
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Its a "girl" answer her questions quick!

 

... ^^^ ... Ha ha ha .... well taken ... good one ...
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