Oil and other preventative maintenance for extreme cold road trip, for the 3.4ltr V6?

[Shibby!]

All good advice here.

I live ~1.5 hours from Banff. What's been mentioned will cover you easily.

If its REALLY cold (-20C or colder) you can gain some efficency by putting cardboard in front of your radiator. Super easy on these trucks and the right size will slip right between your radiator and condenser. Remember to pull it out when you get to warmer climates.

Your truck won't have a block heater. It'll start when it's damn cold with a good battery, but it won't be happy. Not the end of the world.

Have fun. It's been a good year for snow so far, hopefully it keeps up with some stellar snow over the holidays.

 

[Mark_BC]

Supposed to get a milder Pacific flow starting next weekend. Means snow tho

 

[JZiggy]

Get a heater! Small electric heater, run the cord in through the window. Makes all the difference. Try to find one with 2 or 3 settings, 600, 900 and 1500 W is ideal. The ones with the temp sensor that kick on and off will drive you nuts. Get one you can set on low or med and leave on all night.

We have done this a lot, you'll love it.

Can you run a heater like this off your standard battery all night? Or do you need to wire in an extra battery, like a deep-cycle one?

 

[I_bRAD]

Can you run a heater like this off your standard battery all night? Or do you need to wire in an extra battery, like a deep-cycle one?

If you run a 1500W heater off a car battery you're going to wind up cold AND stranded!

 

[alumarine]

Can you run a heater like this off your standard battery all night? Or do you need to wire in an extra battery, like a deep-cycle one?

You can't run any kind of heater off your battery and expect the vehicle to start.

He was talking about a 110 volt heater plugged into the grid I think.

 

[JZiggy]

Right, duh! :der:

 

[I_bRAD]

You can't run any kind of heater off your battery and expect the vehicle to start.

He was talking about a 110 volt heater plugged into the grid I think.

A generator would be fine too, but definitely not a battery!

 

[AntleredRuin]

If your windshield is iced up just hit it a few times with the -20 washer fluid you put in there and wait a few minutes to loosen things up, then scrape it off.
Have fun up there!

+1

It's pretty sad that I have to say this, but I've come across a lot of people who apparently never took High School Sophomore Physics:

DO NOT pour hot water on your windshield to clear ice or snow. That's an excellent way to shatter your windshield.

 

[Kanoe]

Can you run a heater like this off your standard battery all night? Or do you need to wire in an extra battery, like a deep-cycle one?

Good catch guys. Yes, I meant plug a heater into AC somewhere. Didn't think to specify. We opt for a more expensive powered camp site if it's gonna be cold. It's worth the few $$ more.

Neither your starter battery or a deep cycle will stand up to an electric heater. Way too power hungry.

 

[MtnT4R]

Awesome, thanks for all the tips everyone. We will be sleeping in the back of the Runner, so hopefully those low temps are with the wind chill!

what sort of insulation are you planning on bringing? Coming from San Diego I would be willing to bet you don't exactly have arctic rated gear, and a pile of blankets is probably not going to be enough. Trust me, being unprepared for cold temps at night is pretty miserable.

 

[SDmtnbkr]

what sort of insulation are you planning on bringing? Coming from San Diego I would be willing to bet you don't exactly have arctic rated gear, and a pile of blankets is probably not going to be enough. Trust me, being unprepared for cold temps at night is pretty miserable.

We'll just because we're from San Diego doesn't mean we aren't prepared for the cold lol, I just haven't had to care for a car in the cold for a long time. I have survived some insanely cold nights in some pretty tough places. We have 20deg Western Mountaineering down bags (which are really like 15deg bags) and full down gear to add to our sleeping system, which should bring us down below 0 F. Hopefully with the 2 of us in the back we'll add some body heat and should be ok. ...oh and plus a few house blankets for good measure haha

Get a heater! Small electric heater, run the cord in through the window. Makes all the difference. Try to find one with 2 or 3 settings, 600, 900 and 1500 W is ideal. The ones with the temp sensor that kick on and off will drive you nuts. Get one you can set on low or med and leave on all night.

We have done this a lot, you'll love it.

Yeah we've been looking for some kind of heater and found a small propane (uses 1lbs bottle) that all the VW Vanagon guys use, but I think the Runner would be a little too small inside to run it. I think those vans have some kind of venting system, idk for sure though.

Fluid film..... .

You're the second or third person to mention Fluid Film... what is it, and can I just lay under the car and spray it or do I need to get it on a lift? I leave inn sat. so it's coming down to the wire here.

 

[ZebRuaj]

Not sure if mentioned yet, but use frameless windshield wipers like Rain X Latitude or Bosch Icons if snow/ice is in the forecast. The cheap metal framed wipers will get jammed up and become useless.

 

[MtnT4R]

We'll just because we're from San Diego doesn't mean we aren't prepared for the cold lol, I just haven't had to care for a car in the cold for a long time. I have survived some insanely cold nights in some pretty tough places. We have 20deg Western Mountaineering down bags (which are really like 15deg bags) and full down gear to add to our sleeping system, which should bring us down below 0 F. Hopefully with the 2 of us in the back we'll add some body heat and should be ok. ...oh and plus a few house blankets for good measure haha

I didn't mean to imply you've never been in cold weather before, just that you probably don't keep -20 gear around for the occasional trip to Canada. I probably wouldn't if I lived down there.

Definitely curious to hear how your setup works out!

 

[frodiesel]

If you dont post pics we will likely ban you for life.

Take it slow and realize how easy the azz end can come around. 5w30 synth all year all continent. Always warm her up before you get going. Have a good time!

 

[StreetCreeper]

I didn't mean to imply you've never been in cold weather before, just that you probably don't keep -20 gear around for the occasional trip to Canada. I probably wouldn't if I lived down there.

Definitely curious to hear how your setup works out!

He's a mature and responsible Californian. You're probably thinking more of someone like me. I don't even own a pair of socks. T-shirt, shorts, flip-flops and a bong is my year-round daily attire. When I hit snow — I stop at Wally World first and grab socks & stuff.

 

[Shibby!]

One thing to mention is in BC the passes require snow tires (rated) or chains in the vehicle.

Likelyhood of getting stopped? Very, very little. Personally I have never been stopped. Many people don't have the requirements.

Good tires are advised though.