Cold Weather Question

[marc_scirocco at sympatico.ca (Mtl-Marc)]

I run Castrol Syntech 5W50 all year round. 5W30 is good too.

Test your antifreeze/coolant so it is known to be good at -30 -40. A good
thermostat is important or else you'll freeze driving the car. A cardboard
in front of the rad helps too.

Graphite for the locks is a good idea. Have some lock deicers handy too. Not
fun to be locked out of the car in the morning.

Too much grease in the door mecanism is not fun. Once you open the door, it
is bad to discover that it can't close because it is frozen.

Have -40 degrees windshield washer. New winter wipers are not a bad idea
either.

Excellent battery, I'd say less than three years old. Grounding/electrical
in good working order.

Don't run low on gas. I always like to keep the tank half full ,or half
empty depending on your personality, as it prevents moisture in the tank,
and frozen gas lines. Gas antifreeze is good to have with the car.

The air aux. valve and the 5th injector are your best friends for a good
cold start.

What else?

Sheesh, spring is *just* starting up here, and here I am giving winterize
tips...

Cheers.

Marc
'83 Scirocco
'97 A4 Q
'71 H-D FLH

> 
> I usually run Mobil 1 in my cars and one of the benefits is that it will
> crank over in the dead of winter like it was July.
> Rick.
> 
> 
> 
> So in 2 weeks my Scirocco and I should be in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. Of
> late
> the weather of late has been 0 degrees F (-18C) during the day and -10 F
> (-23) at night. Maybe it will be a little bit warmer by the first week
> of
> may, but maybe not.
> 
> Can anyone on the list share any potential problems I may have? I'll be
> sure
> to have a good battery, plenty of anti-freeze coolant, and some thin
> oil.
> What is the likelihood of my 8v turning over in the morning at such
> temperatures? Are there any other things I should be wary of?
> 
> Oh, when below 40 degrees F and sitting cold for hours my Scirocco
> ALWAYS
> stalls after 3 to 5 seconds of running. I turn it back over and all is
> well.
> This has never been a problem because I know the solution to fix it
> (restart). Anyone know if this is a bigger problem then it seems?
> 
> -Marc
> 
> '83 Volkswagen Scirocco California Edition
> '84 Volkswagen GTI Pickup Truck
> '87 Volkswagen Scirocco 16v
>