[AJD] Physics 101

[Terry L. Hrdlicka]

Nick,

If you read my previous post about old iron/temp/weather, you know I 
have some experience, none of it good, with cold weather.  On the 
serious side:

Super cold weather requires that you keep the engine warm.  Not just the 
oil, but the whole block, which will also hopefully warm the fuel intake 
system as well.  With electric start, you also have to keep the battery 
as charged as you can.  When it gets down to about 0* the battery looses 
something like 60% of it's poop, so a lot of folks will hook up a 
trickle charger AND the block heater at night.  IF you do get things 
started, let the engine run for a long time, to make sure everything is 
thoroughly warmed up.  If you don't, weird things, like frost across the 
spark plug gap happen, and you'll NEVER get it started.

My least favorite starting aid is ether (starting fluid), but sometimes 
a shot is what it takes to get things rolling, but I've seen it so cold 
that it won't even spray out of the can.

Another alternative is once you get things started, let them run for 
about 20 minutes, then start them again every two hours or so.  Or like 
some folks used to do in my youth in Canada, just let 'em run all 
winter.  (Never wanted to buy a used car, 30,000 miles, but 50,000 hours 
on the engine!)

I'm sure some of the other folks on the list will have more and better 
advice.

Think Spring,

Terry

nick_solomon at infostations.com wrote:
> My gal put her car in a ditch a few weeks back at 10 at night and was
> going to have to be back to work at 8 in the morning, so I went to crank
> up my '47 model b, and I don't think I could have started it for all the
> money in the world. it was -23f actual air temp. to be honest, my other
> car wouldent even start the next morning and it had been plugged in to all
> night as well... I guess that once it gets past a certain point some
> engines won't run? I don't know.... being from Ca this Minnesota weather
> is really eye opening.....
> 
> can any body give me any tips for extreme cold (-20F or colder) operation
> of engines? aside from the obvious of using a nice thin oil?
> Nick Solomon
> 
> 
>>What is the physics behind our old treasures being harder to start in cold
>>weather?
>>
>>Is the ignition system affected by the cold?
>>Is the fuel mixture somehow different?
>>Is it harder to burn the fuel mixture enclosed by cold iron?
>>The physical effects of the thickened oils are obvious, but are there
>>other
>>issues with oils as well?
>>What about air intake?  Any changes there?  Am I more likely to suck a
>>glob
>>of oil from the breather into the carb during cold weather?
>>Aside from the obvious effects from freezing, does the coolant system
>>behave
>>differently during cold weather?
>>
>>My old John Deere tends to wake up pretty well on a cold morning, about as
>>well as I do, but the definition of cold here in Texas is different than
>>it
>>is elsewhere.
>>
>>Thanks!
>>
>>Cal B.
>>Nacogdoches, Texas
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>Antique-johndeere mailing list
>>http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/antique-johndeere
>>
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Antique-johndeere mailing list
> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/antique-johndeere
> 
> 




-- 
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.8.4 - Release Date: 2/1/2005