Older vehicles and this cold weather...

[RockHopper]

Despite being here in OK for awhile now, I've not had to deal with starting my car much at sub-freezing temps. I've had a heated garage most of that time, and just now dealing with these conditions. I drive a 20+ yr old 6-cylinder Chrysler. I know gentle driving is the best way to warm up the engine, but damn...I can be at work in less time than it takes to defrost the windshield. Seriously, with no precipitation, just normal jack frost, it hardly seems worth it to warm up my van for more time than to get the oil pan dispersed and the idle smooth (Especially at 0400) That's def gonna change momentarily when the ice starts falling out of the sky though.

If I wanna warm up my car to be ready to drive, what is appropriate and safe? Assuming that my fluid levels are all correct, and I'm not parked on grass...

 

[KOPBET]

30 seconds to a minute and I'm in reverse and headed out.


/however, I'm retired and I don't go to work so...

 

[xseler]

I just start and go. I try to keep the revs below 2000 until the heater starts to blow a little warm air.

 

[RockHopper]

I just start and go. I try to keep the revs below 2000 until the heater starts to blow a little warm air.

I've got 1/2 mile of level surface street, than a 2700 rpm hill climb, followed by a highway entrance and a 5 min drive before I've arrived. None of that is gonna melt any amount of ice off my windshield enough to actually see the road.

 

[Catt57]

1994 Chevy K2500. Start it up and let it idle for about a minute to get the fluids moving then I'm off. It warms up faster when moving and in about 10 minutes I have good heat blowing.

 

[xseler]

I've got 1/2 mile of level surface street, than a 2700 rpm hill climb, followed by a highway entrance and a 5 min drive before I've arrived. None of that is gonna melt any amount of ice off my windshield enough to actually see the road.

I scrape after I start the car and before I leave the driveway. I always lower a window before I shut the door on a running vehicle. Only took me one time to learn this............

 

[Rez Exelon]

I am spoiled, but my truck has remote start and I will sacrifice a dinosaur to the oil industry and double click that bad boy 10 minutes before I want to leave the house. It starts, warms up and by the time I get in the windows are clear, the butt warmer and wheel are toasty and the air coming out of the vents is a pleasing temperature. The only downside is that Dodge won't let me turn on boo boo's butt warmer in the back automatically...it only does that for the driver seat, so she gets jelly bears at me.

 

[T. MIKE SMITH]

Go to Harbor Freight or somewhere like that and get one of those, plug in the lighter heat blowers- I caught on clearance at Walmart- they work pretty good to clear the windows and speed up you on the road time.

 

[swampratt]

 

[rickm]

Back in my working days i would keep a small elec heater in the floorboard of my truck and plug it in when i got home, i added a inline timer so it would come on in the morning just early enough to warm and de-ice the windows that way i had a warm cab and clear windows when i went out and got in it.