well the time has arrived that i should/must get my bronco ready for winter,

i recently moved from southern vancouver island, BC to red deer, Alberta and
the change in temps is VERY noticeable (went from a +7 climate to a -25 climate, FOOKING different for sure!).

i find it time to get prepared for the cold..... have i covered all the steps?
01) 195* thermo and 50/50 coolant mix,
02) 5W30 oil in the engine,
03) block heater or circulation heater (which is the better way to go, opinions please),
04) interior heater that plugs in like a block heater
(have found the ignition switch is stiff to turn sometimes, i'm told frozen grease but that doesn't make sense, maybe cold thick grease???),
05) gas line antifreeze,
06) winter wiper blades and windshield cleaner

i have finally found some seafoam and will be doing the treatment this weekend,
also will be doing a tune up on the bronco (new sparks plugs, filters, etc.) and just what to have an idea of any other items i should double check on.
anyone who is used to the colder climates will understand what i'm trying to get sorted out.

this might seem kind of silly to some, however this is my ONLY vehicle to get around with, i'm sure the bronco can handle the cold,
and hopefully i've covered all the necessary areas to deal with the up comeing -40 that should be arriving shortly (or so i'm told anyways).

inline(circulation) heater for sure. you got it covered. maybe a little tube of dry graphite for the locks if needed. as for your ignition...it may get cold enough to add a little resistance but thats it. try rocking the wheel at the same time.

inline(circulation) heater for sure. you got it covered. maybe a little tube of dry graphite for the locks if needed. as for your ignition...it may get cold enough to add a little resistance but thats it. try rocking the wheel at the same time.

No offence but ciculation heaters suck.. I work at a 4x4 shop in Canada and see more problems with those heaters than they're worth.. Go block heater all the way. Harder to install but well worth the effort. -40 weather I might look inta a Battery heater also. Or a good battery blanket. Check your coolant with a hydrometer (spelling?) to see if your 50/50 mix is sufficient for at least -55 to -60 temperatures. If you have problems heating up look into a good winter front but make sure you open it up on warmer days.

Oh ya make sure the old 4WD works!! If you have put any kind of thick grease in your hubs they might not engage!!

thanks for your replies,:beer

i have a battery warming blanket,
got a coolant heater that gets installed in to the lower rad hose (cut hose in half, insert element) as i don't have the facilities/cash to get a block heater installed,
and circ heaters now seem to be the kind that have to be tapped into the block and cylinder head.

the 4wd drive works perfectly fine,
it was used every weekend when i lived on vancouver island and worked well today in the snow of alberta.
so far so good.:rockon

as for the front end winter guard,
i was going to keep the costs down and use some cardboard,
however, i got some kind of "welcome" mat given to me. it'll work and blend in better when behind the grille.:twotu:

looks like i have the bronco covered for dealing with the cold,
now i just have to get better adjusted to it! :wacko

I say screw the auxilliary cab heater, and buy a command start.

I set my heater and defroster fan to max so I can start mine from the house about 10-15 minutes before I am ready to leave, and it is always toasty with clear windows when I get in.

Dragon

Long time no hear. Man your roids are in for a shock going from the Island to Red Deer !

I'd bet you have an in-block heater and that the cord just isn't there. Any self respecting Canadian Ford dealer wouldn't have sold a truck without one.

Crawl under and look at the center freeze plug locations on both sides of the block, near the motor mounts. You're looking for a kidney shaped collar with three pins inside it. If you have that, and CTC or jobber will sell you a replacement cord for $5.00.

I'm with Nyeste, the internal block heater (or two) is the way to go. That said, when I spent those two years on Baffin Island I had both types.

Good move with the battery blanket. If you can't find a heated battery pad to put under it then slip some SM or wood or some kind of insulation pad under the battery between it and the tray.

I had a battery with regular terminals and GM side terminals. I connected an old $h!ty low powered battery charger to the side terminals and bolted in to the inner wheelwell.

The buy one of those HD $3.00 tri-octopus bars (from Home Depot)and plug in the blanket, charger and block heater. This way you can plug your blue block heater extension cord into it and secure the cord to the truck(under the hood) and just leave the 20 feet wrapped around the bumper.

If you really want to stay warm up there, get one of these;

http://www.supermotors.org/getfile/118157/fullsize/Picture%20114.jpeg (http://www.supermotors.org/vehicles/registry/showmedia.php?id=118157&original=1)

Don't worry I run it year round so it won't overheat on you, but heat comes up real fast and it maintains heat even at -60.

Your transfer case ATF will turn to jelly in Red Deer, so I'd strongly recommend going to Walmart and spending the dough for three litres of this;

http://www.supermotors.org/getfile/117439/fullsize/Picture%20036.jpg (http://www.supermotors.org/vehicles/registry/showmedia.php?id=117439&original=1)

It's fully synthetic and it works like it's 70 degrees out, even when it's -60. The shifts get much better too.

Gas line antifreeze is a must if you can't find a station that sells ethanol. That's really the way to go because 1/10th of your tank is alcohol then.

For December to March/April think about the new 0W30 instead of 5W30. It will make the new auto start, Santa gives you, work much better(listen to mcaldwell).

Walmart and CTC both sell fully synthetic axle fluid. If you can afford it I'd definately treat your axles to it. If you don't have the saginaw PS pump conversion and are still using the plastic PS pump I'd recommend you syphon out as much PS fluis as you can reach.

Use clear fish tank tubing and suck it out, if you don't want to drop the hose and flush. Either way, get as much synthetic PS fluid in there as you can before things go under -30. If you don't you'l likely blow a PS hose.

Good advice on the anti-freeze check from Nyeste too. Check the condition of those little 3/8" throttle body coolant hoses. they always fail on the coldest day of the year and they're beach to get to with hands that are freezing.

Lastly go to CTC and spend the extra $2.00 and get the synthetic grease and grease EVERY fitting under your truck. Regular grease will slow down and won't protect as well under -30.

If it's not too cold already re-pack your wheel bearings with it too. It's worth a mpg or two at -30.

http://www.supermotors.org/getfile/143912/fullsize/IMG_0113.JPG (http://www.supermotors.org/vehicles/registry/showmedia.php?id=143912&original=1)

You're on your own on the steering column. Mine felt like it was glued some mornings up there. The cure, I found, was to leave the Arctic.

Good luck, I'll try to think up other stuff for you.

Sixlitre

lots of info to take in,
thanks guys :beer

well, i usually have a long day of work (7am - 11/midnight or sometimes later),
and so sometimes i can't get to the parts store to get all the toys i would like to have vs. need (still haven't had a day of yet, it's only been a month straight so far!).

the command start.... well i have one, just left it back in BC, i plan to go back for new years so i hope to get it installed then. :twak

my bronco (from what i'm told) was originally from northern BC, i did have a lower rad hose element in it and a 195* thermostat before,
however earlier this year i was doing some maintenance and swapped them out (didn't know that i would be going to alberta at that time):doh0715:

i managed to get 2 battery blankets, 1 optima red top battery and misc power cords given to me so far, and same with the interior heater.
i have a "fail-safe" 195* thermostat to replace my lower BC friendly 180* one,
i got a new lower rad hose heater and i'm sure there would be atleast one block heater installed since my bronco was from northern BC.
i'll have to crawl around and look.

so basically i have the following....
01) battery blanket heating pads (X2)
02) lower rad hose heating element
03) case of castrol 5w30 oil
04) seafoam (finally found it!), deep creep and the trans stuff too
05) gas line anti-freeze
06) winter guard for the front end (homemade, but it'll do the job)
07) "failsafe" 195* thermostat
08) interior heater
09) new coolant to be mixed at 50/50
10) new spark plugs, fuel filter, etc, etc.
11) winter windshield washer fliud & winter wiper blades
12) command start (back in BC, will be installed when i get back there)
and i'll crawl around underneath to see about the block heaters.


i have noticed the power steering system acting up from the cold yet the transfer case is still 100% as is the rest of the driveline,
it all works very well.,
so i'll have to see what the bank account lets me do about the synthetic oil change over.

i did find out tonight that when having the hubs locked in, the fuel milage REALLY sucks,
sitting on the side of the highway just south of red deer (out at costco getting a case of castrol 5w30 oil) gets rather cold quickly,
i have never had a vehicle run out of fuel before, what an interesting feeling..... :banghead
and as for cold in red deer, well... when i was in wainwright the other night, it was -35 before the wind chill was added in :shocked
and when hopping out of the truck, i had the "HOLY FOOK! i'm not on vancouver island anymore" type of feeling.
i'm told this is just the start of winter, it'll get colder real soon (OH BOY, can't wait! :histerica ).

if everything works as planned (sure it will, right?) i should have my new tires on this weekend,
and the whole winterizing project done (had to work last weekend, trip to banff),
once done and on the road trip/test, i'll be at princess auto for the rest of the day.:toothless
(and yes, i like the icons!)

Good call on the synthetic oils!! I forgot how good my Bronco works in the winter with them!!:doh0715: I had power steering issues too, so I flushed out my old power steering fluid and replaced it with AMSOIL synthetic ATF. My whole Bronco is AMSOIL Synthetics I love it!!

Good call on the synthetic oils!! I forgot how good my Bronco works in the winter with them!!:doh0715: I had power steering issues too, so I flushed out my old power steering fluid and replaced it with AMSOIL synthetic ATF. My whole Bronco is AMSOIL Synthetics I love it!!

Amsoil was the original synthetic available to the public and it's as good as anybodies.

I just can't afford to do everything sythetic. The trans is back to regular ATF, though I still splurge on the transfer case, as it makes so much difference IMO.

Had troubles with synthetic engine oil. I found it gummed up my 5.0 litre to the point where I go blowby at 5000 miles on the new block !!!!!!! After a few flushes and a switch back to regular oil my blowby disappeared.

In serious Winter temps, like where Dragon is, I use 0W30. If synthetics work for you, so much the better.

The axles and the grease will always be synthetic. IMO you can feel it roll/coast/glide better so there's gotta be less rolling resistance.

Dragon

Geezly ! 18 hour days ! you must be cheaper than me if you're not letting a mechanic do this for you.

Caution for you; If the temps are already down around -35 you need a hotter T-stat in there asap ! Your engine won't reach the temp where it's most efficient and you're mileage will SUCK (gas).

If you let your fingers do the walking and look up a Parts Source or NAPA dealer you can order that 205 degree T-stat in without leaving the shop. Many jobbers will deliver COD right to a place of business. You'd really benefit from that 205 degree T-stat. Just ask them to check for that Stant # 13352, don't tell em' what it's for.

The other major worry you have is your coolant, if you're already dipping to -35. Go to CTC(or Princess Auto) and buy a coolant testing bulb. Stick it in your rad and determine you have the 50/50 mix. At temps that low you could crack a head or block, if you don't.

If it is weak, and it's so cold you're hands are numb, then forget changing the whole thing. Just drain off a half gallon of coolant from the rad pepcock, close it and top it up with pure coolant.

As far as synthetics go, prioritize and do what has to be done first and the rest as time and money permit. If your PS is acting up already, I'd say that's priority one. Get the aquarium tubing out and syphon what you can out and add in some synthetic stuff.

The engine oil can stay dino, if you're starting okay as it is. Maybe you should just take it to a Jiffy Lube and have them do it, if you're that busy. In fact I seem to remember they offer a PS swap to synthetics.

Best of luck this weekend

Sixlitre

the bronco is ready to tackle the cold here in central alberta! ;)

i got the 195 thermo, brand new 50/50 mixed coolant (good for super cold temps, i checked it), lower rad hose 600 watt element,
80 watt battery blanket, winter cold guard, 5W30 castrol oil, winter tires (from CTC, decent warrenty & free alignment!)
installed and gave it a tune up as well.

i went with the 195* thermo since i still have to travel back to BC every couple of months
and i am still a little concerned about overheating on the trip back/forth as well as having the temp too hot for when i'm back on the island,
the 195* seemed to be the best all around choice to go with.

as i was underneath installing the rad hose element, i noticed no block heaters installed????
i guess the engine must have been rebuilt before i got the bronco
and therefore the block heater(s) never got installed (aren't really needed back on the island). :doh0715:
one of the next projects to do will be getting 2 block heaters installed.

i went with the 5W30 oil for the same reason, still have to have everything working when i go back to the island.
haven't installed the interior heater as of yet, not too sure if i will (concerned about having an interior fire if i place the heater in the wrong spot!).

the remote starter will be installed when i go back to the island (very soon!).

as for the synthetic oils, those will be changed when i get a chance (still have long work hours to deal with),
i like the idea of using synthetic oils in everything except the engine (never had any luck with it working like i'm told it will),
yet it always works well in the diffs/axles, etc etc.

so for now, i believe i have just about everything covered for the cold we are having (so far),
and i'll get caught up with the synthetic oil swap shortly!

off-topic.... the other day in princess auto, i got the trailer light plug-in kits for 91 cents :duh
seems they can't get themselves sorted out sometimes,
i went in for some thin wall deep impact sockets,
they had a kit on for half price (something like $55.00) and when i got to the cashier,
the price came up different (higher), so i mentioned it was wrong,
the cashier says "well, give me an amount to enter......"
i said" ok, $1.00" as i was just joking around,
she enters that amount :shocked and i gladly paid it!
and quickly too before they changed their mind!