Winterizing Truck for 0 to -30 degrees

Recently moved to Vernal UT and apparently it gets 0 to -30 degrees here during the winter months and was wondering what i should do for my truck in the extreme cold. Only have about 5,000 miles on my truck and just changed the oil to Full Syn mobile1 5w30 as well. This is my first post (Long time stalker first time poster)

 

Change your wiper fluids. I just put in some RainX 2in1 -25F wiper fluids.

Whatever the dealership uses always freezes up on me during the winter. Local O Rielly's had a sale for 2/$5

 

Block heater will be nice, put it on a timer for a few hours before you leave in the morning.

 

block heater, battery blanket, and yeah the washer fluid. Otherwise you should be good.

 

Get heated mirrors

oh right , Fuck you Toyota

 

Oh and they make arctic extension cords that stay flexible, they're usually blue. Most places should have em there.

IIRC Vernal is pretty similar to Rock Springs and it doesn't often get that cold there. -30 is like record low kinda stuff. You'll be good!

 

Thanks for the ideas everyone. I was definitely planning on the washer fluid but probably not the block heater since i work nights and the truck doesnt get started till after 1 pm which will be warm enough. I will however look into the battery blanket.

 

Snow tires is another good thing to have because at those temps the rubber on regular tires gets hard and you have no traction

 

Strongly suggest the "factory" block heater, not an after-market. Fairly reasonably priced. Also a couple of bags of sand placed over rear axle. Another idea is to silicone spray all door seals.

 

if its a garage queen, i wouldnt worry about it to much. if it stays outside, just get a factory block heater and plug it in during the night. make sure you get an outlet adapter with a light in it to make sure the outlet actually has power.

wiper fluid, heet (for the gas), ensure anti freeze is 50/50 or 60/40 mix.

run a/c at least once a month during the winter (i do every paycheck as a simple reminder, but use android app to do that now)

during extreme cold you can use zip tie some cardboard to the grille to reduce the cold air hitting the radiator so the truck can actually warm up, but i never had to on the v6 models.

 

lol

 

I bought my truck in AZ and drove it to my home in AK.

The first problem I had was the wiper fluid. It had water in it and if froze and caused me all sorts of problems. The coolant should be fine so long as it is the factory coolant still. That was the second thing I checked.

Otherwise, my "Alaskanizing" of my truck included adding an engine block heater (really easy to do yourself) and getting an Autostarter. That is the set up most people use in Anchorage. The coldest we usually get is -30 or so. However, it stays below freezing for 5 or 6 months straight.

And oil pan heater and battery heater won't hurt anything but I really don't think it will be necessary. I know very few people who have them here. I have never had one on any of my rigs. I have owned two toyota trucks up here that have had 200,000+ miles on them and only had the block heater.

I plug my truck in when it gets under 20 F and then auto start it 5 to 15 minutes before I leave in the morning (depending on how cold it is). Looking at my scan gauge, I have noticed a significant difference between the operating temperature when plugged in. It warms up much faster.

Personally, I never use Heet. I just try to keep the tank above half a tank. Never had any problems.

As to covering the grill, you probably won't need to worry about that. If you are going on a long road trip and expecting -30 the whole way, maybe a good idea. Running around town and such, it should be ok.

 

What people are suggesting are great ideas.

Block heater(OEM not aftermarket), colder tempature anti freeze and washer fluid. Carry a spare blanket in the back for emergencies. Shovel, ice scraper. A tire gauge to check your tire pressure regularly. You'll lose more air in the colder temps then in the warmer. Keep your gas tank at least above a quarter. Carrying road salt or kitty litter is a good thing to have.

 

Haha definitely not a garage queen i wish though. What temps would a block heater be recommended for? 2 years ago the temps were down to -20 to -30 but last year barely got under 0. Also how much does toyota charge for install of a block heater?

 

This. Is going to be my next investment. We'll see how this winter goes, living on the east coast.

 

If we have a winter this year like we did last, you won't need a block heater. I only plugged my truck in twice. OP, get one anyways just to be safe.

 

Did you see what Jerez did to his with the heated 2010 4Runner mirrors ?

I like that a lot

 

Yup, been following that. I won't have the time or funds until after this winter anyways.

 

prior to being a garage queen, i would only plug it in if it was below 0F. since i drive 20 miles one way to work each day highway, not that much of an issue since everything gets warmed up, recharged and condensation is dried out of the exhaust system. if it sits for days between start/errands/long drives i would plug it in. batteries can freeze up if they sit to long between starts.

we can go weeks at times here where it wont get up above 0 or 10F.

big killer of exhaust systems up here is the 5-10 min drive that doesnt get the moisture out.

 

I won't have time or the skill