Moving to Minnesota for the Winter, what do I need to do to prepare the Explorer?

[97SHOgt]

I'm moving up to St. Paul, Minnesota this winter to work. Just wondering since the temps will be colder than here in Cincinnati if there is anything I should be doing to preprare my Sport for the climate change. Any input would be great. Thanks!

 

[96eb96]

I'm moving up to St. Paul, Minnesota this winter to work. Just wondering since the temps will be colder than here in Cincinnati if there is anything I should be doing to preprare my Sport for the climate change. Any input would be great. Thanks!

flush the coolant and make sure it is ready for the minimum temps there. You have have to go a bit over 50% anti-freeze to drop the freeze point.

 

[RockyMtnHigh]

I'm moving up to St. Paul, Minnesota this winter to work. Just wondering since the temps will be colder than here in Cincinnati if there is anything I should be doing to preprare my Sport for the climate change. Any input would be great. Thanks!

Up here I like to:

- Change the oil, preferably synth. Good oil = good cold starts.
- Test the coolant. If it has been a while do a flush. I like 55/45 for winter.
- Check the battery. If it is at all suspect change it. Tighten/clean the leads and give them a dose of petroleum jelly.
- Good tires are a given. Check pressures more often in cold weather.
- New wiper blades.
- Lots of really good windshield washer fluid. I like RainX -40C ice remover.
- If you have a block heater make sure to have a cord and check the plug. If you don't have a block heater and the vehicle will be outside ovenight you may want to get one. An interior heater is another nice addition. Mine sits in a nice 20C (70F) garage overnight but I still plug it in at work when it's really cold.
- Blanket, jumper cables, candles and snacks in the back.

Anything that you could "get by on" in warm weather will let you down when it gets really cold. If there are any little problems that you have put off you may want to deal with them.

Good luck in St. Paul!

 

[97SHOgt]

Up here I like to:

- Change the oil, preferably synth. Good oil = good cold starts.
- Test the coolant. If it has been a while do a flush. I like 55/45 for winter.
- Check the battery. If it is at all suspect change it. Tighten/clean the leads and give them a dose of petroleum jelly.
- Good tires are a given. Check pressures more often in cold weather.
- New wiper blades.
- Lots of really good windshield washer fluid. I like RainX -40C ice remover.
- If you have a block heater make sure to have a cord and check the plug. If you don't have a block heater and the vehicle will be outside ovenight you may want to get one. An interior heater is another nice addition. Mine sits in a nice 20C (70F) garage overnight but I still plug it in at work when it's really cold.
- Blanket, jumper cables, candles and snacks in the back.

Anything that you could "get by on" in warm weather will let you down when it gets really cold. If there are any little problems that you have put off you may want to deal with them.

Good luck in St. Paul!

Great info. Any recommendation on an engine block heater? Thanks a lot!

 

[RockyMtnHigh]

Great info. Any recommendation on an engine block heater? Thanks a lot!

Check your truck to see if you have one. Alot of vehicles have them but the owner never knows it. A friend of mine moved here from Vancouver and got an estimate on having one installed. It took me about 5 minutes of poking around under the hood to find the plug for the factory one...that would have been the easiest $150 that mechanic would have ever made, and the worst $150 she ever would have spent. Even my Mustang convertible came from the factory with one. Look in the grill area around the radiator. Check the lower rad hose to see if there is an electrical cable strapped to it. The one on my Mustang has a cap on the plug and was very difficult to see. It was tucked under the hood release mechanisim. If you have one, pull the plug through the grill or to a place where you can get at it easily. Then all the people from So. Cal will think you have an electric truck

Otherwise you can pick one up at the auto parts store and install it or get a mechanic to do it for you.

 

[Cobraguy]

Being originally from the high country of Idaho where we could see -40 F temps, RockyMtnHigh has some of the best suggestions I have ever seen. We did a lot of snowmobiling and hunting too, so we were out in the boonies a lot. The only thing I would add to that list off the top of my head is I would toss a complete, high quality, snowmobile suit with boots if you're going to be out in the sticks. It gets damn cold there and if you're out in the middle of nowhere, it could save your life if your car dies on you. Even matches and some lighter fluid to start a fire wouldn't be a bad idea. I lived in Idaho for over 50 years. I needed my stuff exactly once. But it saved my life. I was stranded for 3 days in a storm where we couldn't move and it dumped 10 feet of snow in 48 hours.

 

[MNgopher]

RockyMtnHigh pretty much hit the nail on the head. Any nagging issues in normal weather can be a big problem in Cold weather.

55/45 on the Antifreeze is a good recomendation, but truly not required unless you plan on going north of Saint Paul. A standard 50/50 mix will work fine in Saint Paul, though you may get close to testing the limits

Make sure all the hoses in your cooling system are in good shape as well. Amazing how many of them fail in below zero weather.

Make sure you drain out (or just use up) the windshield washer fluid in the reservoir before winter hits. Having lived in a warmer climate then come back for christmas, having a blue ice cube in the reservoir sucks. Get the good stuff rated to at least -25F.

A winter survival kit is a must. Blankets, extra hats gloves, etc... Jumper cables. Candles and something to light it with. Some energy food - energy bars, granola bars, candy bars... whatever. A shovel is generally not a bad idea, and I have used my tow strap and recovery equipement more than once to help others in a jam...

Good luck - most of all, make sure you actaully try to enjoy the outside weather. Its too easy to become a hermit in the winter. Go outside and ski, snowshoe, ice skate on the outdoor frozen rinks, snowmobile, ice fish, whatever. It makes life much more fun!

 

[RockyMtnHigh]

Ah yes, a shovel. I have a plastic mountaineering one with a telescoping handle. You could also get a regular snow shovel on sale (shop early) and cut the handle down. Also get a really good, long snow brush and ice scraper combo.

Another important point I forgot to mention is when it gets cold keep your gas tank full. When it gets really cold here the gas stations are full of people topping up the tank. Don't and you may not start in the morning.

If your doors get frozen shut - it can happen just going to the mall for a few hours - a good hip check will usually do the trick. That's why us canucks make such good hockey players.

When it's cold out let your car warm up completely in the morning. A remote starter is a great tool. Turn your defroster on full blast when you park it, hit the remote from inside your nice cozy house in the morning and then all you have to endure is sweeping off any of the white stuff that blessed you overnight. And sweep all the snow off. Here you get a ticket if you don't and it just looks bad driving down the road in an igloo.

An unwritten rule is to always stop and help someone who is stuck in the cold. Breaking down in -30 can happen to the best prepared vehicle.

 

[martin123]

Gas line anti-freeze. I like to add a bottle depending on the temp. Pick-up a 6 pack for about $2.50. Also can be used you to de-ice your locks.

 

[jmkjr72]

when it gets realy cold you need to run your truck for at least 1/2 hour to make sure you actually charge your battery
short trips are not good as the battery does not have time to warm up and take a charge

also get a bus/train pass we make the trek to the twin cites a few times a year and once we get there we leave the truck parked and use the train or bus

yes keep your tank above 3/4 if it gets below 0 you can use isopropal/heet but if the fuel has ethanol in it you may not need it
last winter i ran e10 thru the truck all winter without isopropal and didnt have any problems

if you dont have a block heater dont sweat it if you realy want to add some thing add an inline heater to the cooling system that way when you start your truck you already have warm water going thru the system and a bit of heat

i like to take some cardboard and block off part of the radiator when it gets realy cold but remember to watch your temp in stop and go

 

[MNgopher]

I wouldn't bother with using a gas line deicer unless you've screwed up an run your tank real low. All gasoline in Minnesota is E10 (10% ethanol) except for pumps clearly labeled as premium non-oxygenated for use in off road equipment and collector cars (not that anyone checks...). I haven't needed to use Heet in many, many years, though it still sells like hot cakes...

A full gas tank is always preferred, but in practice I have never had a problem with filling my tank when I reach a 1/2 a tank.

The telescoping style shovel I carry in my 'ex I actually found at Target. I bet its 10 years old now, but it has done its job many times over! I carry a grain shovel in my F150, but I have a bit of extra space for that.