DIY: Winterizing Your Car

05/21/12

Every year I look out of my window and see the snow piled up on the lawn. I see the icicles hanging down from the eaves and the wind blowing. I look at the thermometer hanging out there and it says it's 18° below zero. As I sit and look at this winter wonderland I can't help but think.... should I check my car for winter today. Then I say to myself, "Nah, it's too cold out."

This year it's going to be different. It's 65° out, the sun is shining and I'm going to winterize my car today. I know a lot of you live in climates where winter is not much different from summer. To you winterizing is not all that important. But here in Minnesota where the temperature can go down to 40°, 50° or even 60° below zero, winterizing a car is an important consideration.

Okay, where do we start? The first thing to check is the anti-freeze.

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Most anti-freezes are an ethylene glycol based fluid that has a low freezing point when mixed with water and a high boiling point. For this reason it makes an excellent coolant for our vehicles. Most times it is a nice bright green color, but it can be either black or red. The red should not be confused with Dex-Cool anti-freeze used in General Motor's products. Dex-Cool is a special anti-freeze that GM uses and is rated to last 10 years or 100,000 miles before requiring a change. It is NOT compatible with other anti-freezes and should never be mixed with them.

Does it need to be changed? Well, if you didn't change it last winter, you need to change it this winter. Anti-freeze should be changed every two years or 30,000 miles whichever comes first. In addition to ethylene glycol, anti-freeze has other chemicals that lubricate the water pump and inhibits corrosion in the engine. These chemicals wear out and need to be replaced.

Next is the motor oil. Most manufacturers have a summer and winter grade oil recommendations. Check your vehicle owners' manual for the recommended winter grade oil and change the oil to that grade. Winter grade oil is a lighter weight to help make cold weather starts easier. Naturally, you need to change the oil filter as well.

Now we need to look at the wipers and washers. If you have ever driven on a highway that has had a lot of salt and sand dumped on it you will know that a good set of wiper blades and a working windshield washer is essential. It takes about 10 seconds for the spray from the car in front of you to totally cover your windshield. Make sure your washers are in good working order and filled with washer solvent. Most washer solvents are good to about 10 below zero. For most parts of the country this is good enough. For those of us who live in the real cold, we need something that goes a little lower.

Have the battery and charging system tested. A weak battery or alternator may get you by in the summer, but they will not handle cold weather when you need extra amps to start a cold engine. Clean the top of the battery with a solution of baking soda and water. Dirt and "blue snow" will slowly drain the battery and the colder it gets, the faster it will drain. When it is nice and clean, spray a nice coat of terminal protector or put a layer of white lithium grease on the terminals to keep them clean and air away from them.

Chances are you haven't changed your wiper blades in a while. I have two sets of blades, one for summer and one for winter. The winter blades are covered with a rubber boot to keep ice, snow and water from freezing on the pivot points. This insures that the blade can flex and make good contact with the windshield to keep it clean. You can replace the rubber inserts in either set, so use the winter blades and put in a fresh set of refills for the winter.

Now for the engine itself. The lower the temperature, the harder it is for the fuel to ignite when starting. If you haven't had a tune-up in a while, now is the time to get one. With a fresh set of spark plugs and new distributor cap, rotor and ignition wires as needed, your chances of your car starting without flooding greatly improve. Look at the belts and hoses as well. Winter driving puts an extra-added strain on the engine. It's one thing to be stuck with a broken belt when it's sunny and 80 degrees out, but a different thing all together when it's -10 degrees and snowing.

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