January 23, 20224 yr Not used to these temps. Alternator whining at startup for a few minutes. Stiff belt issue? Also anyone living with these temps long term, any tips for keeping the battery in top shape? Start the car daily? Idle for how long?
January 23, 20224 yr Subaru sells 120V AC battery blankets. This as well as a block heater. Plug all that in when it's parked. GD
January 23, 20224 yr Jim , good luck if you try the ski jump. The Subaru might be a little wide for the luge run. But I’m plenty sure the ice is fit to challenge the speed skaters. See you around.
January 23, 20224 yr Author Thanks for the suggestions G.D. but parked outside a motel with no extension cord. Old timers talk about lighting a pan of oil beneath the engine! YIKES! Hey Paul, stopped by the Olympic Village ski jumps. They are truly for the insane.
January 23, 20224 yr extension cords are cheap, as are the magnetic oil pan heaters. we do get extended periods of extreme cold here in WI, altho not too terrible the last couple of winters.
January 23, 20224 yr 4 hours ago, brus brother said: Thanks for the suggestions G.D. but parked outside a motel with no extension cord. Old timers talk about lighting a pan of oil beneath the engine! YIKES! That might work on an old diesel that has some serious mass to it and no real electrical like a D8 Cat... Don't do this on anything modern. GD
January 23, 20224 yr Just starting a car and idling doesn't help a battery stay charged very much. The amount of energy used for a cold start will take a pretty long time to recover by idling at low RPMs to get any benefit. Assuming the battery is in good shape, it would need a good 15-20 minutes of highway driving to keep the alternator amps up for charging, to keep it in top shape. As batteries age they lose the Cold Cranking Amps on their own. The colder weather just stresses them that much more
January 24, 20224 yr I'm not unfamiliar with those temperatures, I am further north than the majority of Canadians, and while I try to put our daily driver in the garage (unheated, uninsulated), we own 19 cars, and only one garage space. I do not use block heaters or battery blankets on any of our cars. As has been mentioned, an alternator doesn't really generate much power at idle. To recuperate from a cold start, it's best to drive it for 30 minutes or so. My Forester doesn't get driven more than once a week. It's started up just fine every time (I really only move it when I'm clearing snow, so it's usually cold), but it has the best battery. When it's cold, the power steering pump will whine like crazy. Generally it's air being drawn in between the reservoir and pump, a screw clamp on the hose and a new oring on that fitting will help, but it's still going to do it.
January 24, 20224 yr Author Thanks Numbchux. I left Lake Placid behind and am back in the garage. Last month I replaced the o-ring and the leaking I had presumed would require a new pump was fixed for $1.70. Those hoses are stiff with age so not unlikely that a clamp should be tighter but... Will see how it behaves out of the cold but I was almost certain that listening pointed to the alternator. The guys at Advanced Auto suggested the belts were just plain cold and the noise would stop once warm but your PS hose/clamp leak will bear some listening next time around.
January 25, 20224 yr Had the same on the 06 Forester after a radiator change. Clamp on the PS pump fixed the fault.
January 25, 20224 yr 23 hours ago, brus brother said: Those hoses are stiff with age so not unlikely that a clamp should be tighter but... Yep, spring clamp no longer does it. Screw clamp puts more force on it, and might just be enough to help. It's not the correct fix, for sure. But a new hose is surprisingly expensive for low pressure hose, so a clamp usually does it.
January 25, 20224 yr I can’t fathom that temp when we’re experiencing daily temps in the mid to high 30’s (°C) and overnight lows anywhere between 10 and the mid 20’s. Yesterday we peaked just over 40°C and we were still at 29°C at midnight. Overnight low dropped to 25°C. So well below zero temps with engine blocks etc freezing is difficult to comprehend, it’s very rare for that to happen over here, even in our snow country (that we’re lucky to even have in the first place!). I didn’t know about block heaters until this forum, and I’ve just learnt about battery warming blankets... Cheers Bennie
January 26, 20224 yr Author 2 hours ago, el_freddo said: I can’t fathom that temp when we’re experiencing daily temps in the mid to high 30’s (°C) and overnight lows anywhere between 10 and the mid 20’s. Yesterday we peaked just over 40°C and we were still at 29°C at midnight. Overnight low dropped to 25°C. So well below zero temps with engine blocks etc freezing is difficult to comprehend, it’s very rare for that to happen over here, even in our snow country (that we’re lucky to even have in the first place!). I didn’t know about block heaters until this forum, and I’ve just learnt about battery warming blankets... Cheers Bennie Yup. Unusually cold in that area. Was visiting daughter and her in-laws who were arriving from South Africa. A very cold welcome! Friend said when he had a home in Vermont, he would take the battery indoors under these conditions. Battery warmer, block heater... easier to just move?
January 29, 20224 yr I would not idle to long. When in the polar areas of Europe we had no issues at -25c. Jus start car, put kids in and drive away slowly. Don't leave it idling for long time at cold, the oil lubrication is simply sub optimal. A block heater and oil pan heater are most ideal. I had a block heater that at least made the interior warm up quickly. Driving on ice and snowed roads, nice clunking sounds from the frozen suspension needing time to warm up too.
January 29, 20224 yr On 1/25/2022 at 11:26 PM, el_freddo said: I can’t fathom that temp when we’re experiencing daily temps in the mid to high 30’s (°C) and overnight lows anywhere between 10 and the mid 20’s. Yesterday we peaked just over 40°C and we were still at 29°C at midnight. Overnight low dropped to 25°C. So well below zero temps with engine blocks etc freezing is difficult to comprehend, it’s very rare for that to happen over here, even in our snow country (that we’re lucky to even have in the first place!). I didn’t know about block heaters until this forum, and I’ve just learnt about battery warming blankets... Cheers Bennie Generally in Europe A/C only became standard around the 2000s to 2010s on most cars!!!! We have wiper heaters :D
February 1, 20224 yr Are all Subarus equipped with block heaters? I've seen the female end of power cords on many of those I have owned, don't think I've ever used one. Was up in VT near the Canadian border once with 20-30 below, I think it started up ok.
February 1, 20224 yr 1 hour ago, ThosL said: Are all Subarus equipped with block heaters? I've seen the female end of power cords on many of those I have owned, don't think I've ever used one. Was up in VT near the Canadian border once with 20-30 below, I think it started up ok. No. Dealer installed accessory
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