TUCKING IT IN Another trick old-timers use in Fairbanks to help keep their car engines warm is to throw a blanket or old sleeping bag across the hood. Unless they have a source like electricity blankets don’t provide heat. When you snuggle in your bed at night the blanket does not warm you up. The blanket retains the heat your body emits. It works the same way with a vehicle. The main difference is your body keeps producing heat. A car engine doesn’t. But a blanket over the hood helps keep the heat coming off the engine in the engine compartment longer. When you have to park for a few hours at a place where you can’t plug in, such as the movies, a blanket can mean the difference between starting and not starting. The other option is to run out during the show and let your car run for a few minutes. In the old days when the engine blocks were cast iron the heat took longer to dissipate. Your engine could sit at forty below for up to four hours and still start up. Today’s aluminum blocks lose heat quite rapidly and have to be started about every two and a half hours if they aren’t plugged in. The blanket extends that time. If you have a large enough blanket it can be pulled up to cover the windshield. That keeps the frost from building up on the glass. I recently had a remote starting device installed in my van. I can push a button from inside my apartment and the van will start. I went high dollar and got the unit that also has a thermometer in the cabin and when it gets down to a certain temperature the engine will start and run for a preset period of time. I still use a blanket because it helps cut down on the fuel consumption. I will hook my blanket in the upper corners in the door jambs to keep it from blowing off or getting stolen. So, for those of you who experience colder weather on occasion and have to park outdoors, try using a blanket. It has to be draped over the engine while it is still warm, but it might surprise you at how much difference it will make.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 14:30:56 +0000
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