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Cold Weather



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 15th 06, 04:42 PM posted to rec.autos.driving,alt.autos.ford
[email protected][_1_]
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Posts: 18
Default Cold Weather

Do the cars in snow country like in such places as Canada, Minnesota,
and the Dakotas. Do the cars wear out prematurely over there because
of the cold? Do such cars need more servicing somehow? Even if some
owners use engine block heaters wont they still have more frequent
transmission problems, chassis issues and all other drivetrain
problems?


East-

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  #2  
Old August 15th 06, 05:24 PM posted to rec.autos.driving,alt.autos.ford
Mike T.
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Posts: 563
Default Cold Weather


> wrote in message
ps.com...
> Do the cars in snow country like in such places as Canada, Minnesota,
> and the Dakotas. Do the cars wear out prematurely over there because
> of the cold? Do such cars need more servicing somehow? Even if some
> owners use engine block heaters wont they still have more frequent
> transmission problems, chassis issues and all other drivetrain
> problems?
>
>
> East-


No, the longevity of a vehicle has nothing to do with the weather. As
always, it boils down to how well the car is maintained. HOWEVER, a poorly
maintained vehicle will rust a lot faster if driven in areas where lots of
salt is used on the highways in the winter. Northern cars that are not
properly maintained tend to be junked earlier than necessary due to the
simple rusting away of body panels. That is, there might be a lot of life
left on the engine, tranny, suspension, etc., but the owner gets rid of the
thing because it is ugly as Hell. -Dave


  #3  
Old August 15th 06, 08:58 PM posted to rec.autos.driving,alt.autos.ford
Ad absurdum per aspera
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 410
Default Cold Weather

>there might be a lot of life left on the engine, tranny, suspension, etc., but the owner
> gets rid of the thing because it is ugly as Hell.


Yeah, there comes a point when looking down makes you feel like Fred
Flintstone... Cars are more corrosion resistant than in days of yore,
and some places are getting away from the use of rock salt due in part
to its environmental impact, but they still get to looking rougher,
sooner, and need more underbody repairs, under those conditions.

Such winters also take their toll on the pavement and thence your tires
and wheels and suspension. There's also a lot more chance of bad luck
coming your way in the form of a skidding driver, a snowplow operator
whose intentions are better than his aim, glare ice under your own
tires, etc.

Some people up there keep a decrepit old car as a "winter beater" and
leave their fine ride in the garage from the first winter storm until
the city throws some tar into the potholes in the spring. The original
poster should rent a Chuck Norris movie called "Code of Silence" for a
slightly exaggerated but basically instructive look at this approach.

--Joe

  #4  
Old August 16th 06, 03:01 AM posted to rec.autos.driving,alt.autos.ford
Jim Warman
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Posts: 630
Default Cold Weather

Wellllll, I'm going to go out on a limb and I'm reasonably sure you have two
replies from those that don't live HERE....

As far as late model Fords are concerned, we are seeing higher reliable
miles than ever in the past.... Old technology motors would suffer (what I
feel is) premature wear due to poor oiling on a cold start.... FWIW, -30C
(-22F) is a normal January day... However, in spite of the new manufacturing
technology and current oil requirements (and qualties), I am sure that those
in more moderate climes are getting superior service life compared to my
experience. OTOH, those in extreme hot areas (comparatively) may also suffer
from advance failures/wear caused by their operating conditions.

As for rust.... around the "Lakehead" (southern Ontario, primarily) and the
eastern seaboard (much more snow, etc. than the west), there is a heavy
reliance on salting the roads.... Salt/sand content is top heavy on salt....
Given the more moderate temps in these areas, the weather rarely gets cold
enough to keep the salt from "working". At -30C, salt approaches an "inert"
condition and can no longer work it's "magic".

An Alberta car that is parked outside all winter will usually take a while
to rust.... Parked in a very warm garage, the salt laden snow will fall from
the chassis farily quickly and it will take a while to rust.... Parked in a
"cool" garage, the snow and ice can remain packed around chassis components
at a temperature warm enough for the salt to "work".

It is not just "snow".... a host of conditions need to be considered that
make up our climate demographic. For my immediate area, it is wise to
consider it a "severe service" area and service the vehicle
appropriately.... FWIW, "Normal" service considerations aren't all that
"normal" and the majority of motorists do fall within the severe service
guidelines - unless they fudge numbers (try that with the tax man).


> wrote in message
ps.com...
> Do the cars in snow country like in such places as Canada, Minnesota,
> and the Dakotas. Do the cars wear out prematurely over there because
> of the cold? Do such cars need more servicing somehow? Even if some
> owners use engine block heaters wont they still have more frequent
> transmission problems, chassis issues and all other drivetrain
> problems?
>
>
> East-
>



  #5  
Old August 16th 06, 06:29 PM posted to rec.autos.driving,alt.autos.ford
petebert
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Posts: 4
Default Cold Weather

"The original
> poster should rent a Chuck Norris movie called "Code of Silence" for a
> slightly exaggerated but basically instructive look at this approach."


wow a chuck norris referance in an automotive post, how great is that


  #6  
Old August 16th 06, 08:54 PM posted to rec.autos.driving,alt.autos.ford
Motorhead Lawyer
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 344
Default Cold Weather

Jim Warman wrote:

> Given the more moderate temps in these areas, the weather rarely gets cold
> enough to keep the salt from "working". At -30C, salt approaches an "inert"
> condition and can no longer work it's "magic".


Actually, getting below the freezing point of water with NaCl (salt) in
it is what happens. This is around 15º F or about -10º C. Maybe
you're thinking of CaCl2 'salt' that has a much lower freezing point in
water solution. It's what's used inside tractor tires for this reason.

> An Alberta car that is parked outside all winter will usually take a while
> to rust.... Parked in a very warm garage, the salt laden snow will fall from
> the chassis farily quickly and it will take a while to rust.... Parked in a
> "cool" garage, the snow and ice can remain packed around chassis components
> at a temperature warm enough for the salt to "work".


Well, the main factors here are salt and *liquid* water together on a
ferrous surface. Solid water (ice) will not cause rusting nor will dry
salt. Remember, though, that dry salt is hygroscopic. It will combine
with water vapor in the air. If there is essentially none available
because of the cold, it stays dry and harmless. In the first case, you
may be accelerating rusting because you're getting the car warm enough
to produce liquid water where it might remain dry outside. Sitting
outside depends mostly on the ambient temperature and humidity. The
last scenario is probably the worst of the three.
--
C.R. Krieger
(BMW driving enthusiast)

  #7  
Old August 17th 06, 05:41 AM posted to rec.autos.driving,alt.autos.ford
Jim Warman
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 630
Default Cold Weather

To be honest, I wouldn't know salt from calcium chloride if it removed my
wienie... what is applied to our roads comes from salt "wells".... In
addition to petroleum products, our area is rich in underground salt
deposits.... Wells are drilled (often delivering unwanted natural gas - they
are drilling for salt and natural gas isn't in the licence agreement), water
is pumped in and saline is pumped out.... Sifto is big in Saskatchewan and
Canadian Salt company has a facility at Lindberg, Alberta (interestingly,
these are described as "solution mines").

Both of these facilities supply both iodized "food" salt, cattle licks, road
salt and boiler salt (for water softener)....

After that, I turn back into a mechanic that has seen what happens to a car
in Alberta....


"Motorhead Lawyer" > wrote in message
oups.com...
Jim Warman wrote:

> Given the more moderate temps in these areas, the weather rarely gets cold
> enough to keep the salt from "working". At -30C, salt approaches an
> "inert"
> condition and can no longer work it's "magic".


Actually, getting below the freezing point of water with NaCl (salt) in
it is what happens. This is around 15º F or about -10º C. Maybe
you're thinking of CaCl2 'salt' that has a much lower freezing point in
water solution. It's what's used inside tractor tires for this reason.

> An Alberta car that is parked outside all winter will usually take a while
> to rust.... Parked in a very warm garage, the salt laden snow will fall
> from
> the chassis farily quickly and it will take a while to rust.... Parked in
> a
> "cool" garage, the snow and ice can remain packed around chassis
> components
> at a temperature warm enough for the salt to "work".


Well, the main factors here are salt and *liquid* water together on a
ferrous surface. Solid water (ice) will not cause rusting nor will dry
salt. Remember, though, that dry salt is hygroscopic. It will combine
with water vapor in the air. If there is essentially none available
because of the cold, it stays dry and harmless. In the first case, you
may be accelerating rusting because you're getting the car warm enough
to produce liquid water where it might remain dry outside. Sitting
outside depends mostly on the ambient temperature and humidity. The
last scenario is probably the worst of the three.
--
C.R. Krieger
(BMW driving enthusiast)


 




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