Strike Two

rusty6 · Dec 30, 2017

I'm not out yet but it was -37F here this morning so I'm close. Tried starting the 97 Blazer yesterday to go to town for mail and groceries but the 4 year old battery only gave a couple of turns and died. Needless to say the block heater had been plugged in for hours so I figured it should go. My brother brought a new battery last night and installed. Charger on it all night and of course the block heater. This morning it turns over and fires weakly but no start. Spark or fuel problems?
So I plugged in the block heater on the old 81 and might give that a try this afternoon. Strike three coming up.

Todd D · Dec 30, 2017

You'll be firing up the Buick yet just to get to town😊

Bruce from Can. · Dec 30, 2017

My vote is for the old Merc.

Todd D · Dec 30, 2017

Opps. It's a merc(I knew that). Another friend of mine has the straight 8 Buick.

flying belgian · Dec 30, 2017

Years back my Wifes Great uncle and aunt were going to take the car into town in cold day to get groceries. Car would not start so they were going to pull start it with the pickup.
Wheels just kept sliding around the yard so they had to get out on the County road where he would pour a little gas in carb and fiddle with the choke and pull it a little more. They
ended up pulling it all the way to town trying to get it started. So they bought their groceries and pulled it back home.

rustred · Dec 30, 2017

maybe send the drone to town for groceries,lol. i thought they used them to deliver pizza.

ss55 · Dec 30, 2017

Sometimes warming a battery with a charger is enough to start a vehicle. Make sure the battery acid is not frozen before hooking up the charger.

Andy Martin · Dec 30, 2017

After a -20 night my Honda would not start. We were at my folks. My mom, who professes no mechanical skills, said her dad would put the spark plugs in the oven. She was born in 21 so she was talking about T's and A's. My dad, who was a good mechanic agreed it was worth a try but had never tried it. So I pulled the plugs and cooked them while the charger was working the battery back up. It started like it had been on a block heater. Don't know if that is common practice, and I've only done it the one time but it worked wonders as the engine was cranking slow when it started.

rusty6 · Dec 30, 2017

Well the old reliable 81 fired up without too much protest after 3 hours on the block heater. Made the trip to town and back without a
problem. Daytime high was -22F, best I saw anyway. Got the winter front on the grille and the temp stayed right up on normal and it put out
enough heat to be comfortable. Even got some video of the day's events that might make it to youtube eventually.
Yes, I bet I could have got the old Merc going with a 12 volt battery but I hate to abuse a senior citizen like that. I'll save it for the
good weather.
Took this photo just after sundown of the not quite full "super moon" over the 22-36 McCormick. Pretty cool at -27F.

oldproudvet · Dec 30, 2017

Dad talked about the old alcohol antifreezes and how they would drain them at night and bring it in by
the wood stove for the night and then dump it back in, in the morning. Warm block started every time.
As a kid we had an ol IH enclosed horse and half on a pump jack, and would do that same thing. Warm
water around the cylinder and that thing would start with one spin of the flywheel. Of course, you'd
best be there to drain it when the cistern was up too.............

rusty6 · Dec 30, 2017

(quoted from post at 15:46:36 12/30/17) My mom, who professes no mechanical skills, said her dad would put the spark plugs in the oven.

I remember doing that on hard starting snowmobiles. Only two spark plugs and easy access so we could do it pretty quick.

NIK OWEN · Dec 30, 2017

AEROPLANES, W/FLAT ENG. MAY ICE THE ELECTRODE ON HIGH HUMIDITY/COLD DAY, NEVER START...BE BLESSED, GRATEFUL, PREPARED...

dlbuck · Dec 30, 2017

I like that story.

MT RON · Dec 30, 2017

I'll bet the old Flathead Merc would have started.

GordoSD · Dec 30, 2017

In that country where extreme cold is normal, AN insulated heated garage is not a luxury, it is survival. Make a New Years resolution to build one next spring. Install ceiling mounted Reznor gas heater on back wall. Install cold weather thermostat that you can set at 34 degrees, warmer of course if you want. Insulate walls and ceiling R-20. You will wonder how you ever got along without it.
It's so nice to get into my Tahoe at 40 degrees, start it, hit the remote and back out where it is minus 15, hit the remote and closethe door. No more than 5 miles and I have fully heated vehicle.

rusty6 · Dec 30, 2017

(quoted from post at 20:11:35 12/30/17) In that country where extreme cold is normal, AN insulated heated garage is not a luxury, it is survival. Make a New Years resolution to build one next spring.

I have a "workshop" that is partially insulated with an old oil furnace. I can warm it up pretty good for working on the old cars that currently occupies the space. But you are right, I need more indoor space. Or less vehicles and machinery.

racsan · Dec 30, 2017

years ago my dad couldnt get either the car or the truck started, he ended up getting a old JD A to start, no electric start, just manual turn the flywheel. once it started he could pull start the truck, then got the car running by jumping it. my 42 allis C wouldnt start the other day, took all the battery to try and turn it over, not enough juice left over for the distributor (someone changed the magneto out for a points distributor) well i got it started amazingly enough by crank starting it, i had spun it enough with the electric to inhale some either and with all the battery going to the coil while i crank started it, it fired right up. was 12 degress out that morning.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/154582078@N03/39341170011/in/dateposted/

Don-Wi · Dec 30, 2017

I started Ollie yesterday (Friday) just to clean of the little bit of snow and small drifts from the driveway. She gave me a rar.......rar.......rar...rar..rar and then started up. Was afraid she'd let me down. Think it was close to 0F°.

Dad got me a new battery charger for Christmas, but I'm not that excited to try it out.... No snow in the near future, and unfortunately no letting up on the cold temps either for the next week.

Donovan from Wisconsin

coshoo · Dec 31, 2017

What's that lurking in the other stall? '40 Ford or Merc?

Found a handy trick in starting a cold diesel tractor- take out the air cleaner element (probably won't work on oil bath) and point a heat gun down the hole. Warms up the manifold in short order, and have your assistant start the tractor while you're still blowing the hot air into it. Won't work with gas, because you've got that pesky carburetor in the way.

Davidj · Dec 31, 2017

(quoted from post at 17:53:00 12/30/17)

(quoted from post at 15:46:36 12/30/17) My mom, who professes no mechanical skills, said her dad would put the spark plugs in the oven.

Click to expand...

I remember doing that on hard starting snowmobiles. Only two spark plugs and easy access so we could do it pretty quick.

I've heated the plug up with a torch to get a stubborn small engine (saw, sled) to fire up...

Strike Two

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