i want to get either a dipstick type for cold starts in the spring ,or the magnet type that attaches to the oil pan ,one thing i think about with the magnetic kind ,is makeing something magnetic mlike if you put a srew on the end of magnet ,it becomes magnitized,? wich one do you all use ,thanks

 

wich one would you use 150 people that dont reponde ,you all live in Arizona ,now one uses these ,i wish you guys who got nothing to say would ,get a life

 

I realize you live in NH, but IMO you really do not need an oil heater for driving in the spring, like you plan to do. Just use full synthetic oil of the recommended viscosity and you will do fine. Synthetic oil does not thicken up below freezing as much as a petroleum based oil of the same viscosity rating. Just do not rev the engine up too high till it is fully warmed up. But if you do really want extra heat, a block heater that warms up the entire engine is probably a better choice than just warming up the oil.

 

Most people that live far enough north they need a heater garage them in the winter. Newer engines are designed and manufactured better then the older ones and their clearances are maintained at extreme colds.

Rating best to worst

In line coolant heater, This will hook into you coolant lines and it will warm and cycle coolant thought the system. Not only will the car start easy but the defroster will be working in minutes.

Block heater you mentioned. It will warm up the block only. Your car will still need to warm up for a little while after it starts.

Dip stick style will work similar to the block heater but not as well. They can be hard on regular oils and you will notice a carbon built up on the end which means you are getting carbon deposits in your oil. I am not a fan of these. IMO the only time these should be used is if you live in a warmer area and a freak cold front is coming through.

A light bulb (old style) This should be considered emergency use only and NEVER combined with a blanket (which was popular back in the day).

With maintained coolant and a good starter/battery your 3800 should be fine down to 20 below. I would be more worried about you Gen 1 block in your swapped car. Extreme Cold will stress test most of the car. It is very common on the first below zero day to get cars in that need starters or power steering pumps but that is only if you are driving the car in those cold times.

 

thanks for the info my thought was the magnet doing something to the engine ,but sounds like thats the one to go with for the 406 ,last year it started ok ,but to warm up the oil those first few starts 25.00 for 300 watt oil pan type ,yes i allways just unhook the postive terminal after i run seafoam in the tank an oil ,my lt1 i had driven a few times at below 32 short rides took it out for one weekend ,then put it back ,wont be doing that with the 406,i allways let them warm up slow ,one thing that help is the metal garage one warm spring day will warm up the car some what,i allways wait for the salt to clear ,an get up to 50.degrees before i do so meeing in a cold garage the engine could be colder ,probley only use it few times a year yes in the 406 only sysn oil i may go to in the 3800,but the 406 uses high zinc raceing oil with an once of zddp

 

For extreme cold weather starting, battery power is just as, or even more important a concern. At 32 degrees F, the battery can lose about 35% of it's cranking power, and lose up to 60% at 0 degrees. Extreme cold can tax the battery, and cause an earlier death. And, "dead" batteries are one of the bigger causes of winter no-starts. You can get a plug-in battery warmer pad, or better still, a wrap style battery heater to keep the battery nice and toasty.

 

i dont start the car below 40 ,or try not to ,so when i store it ,just seafoam everything ,then put the bettery on slow charge in spring ,last year i did not start it all winter ,the 406 ,its not until the sno clears generraly the salt on the roads ,the mounds we had lastyear were around for weeks after i got the car out ,just no salt on road is what i wait for an heavy sand

 

By winter standards, 40 is warm. You don't need a battery or oil heater.

 

yes i refur to days when it may have been 20 that night then like 45 during day ,meening the engine is probley still very cold ,those few times i think would be good

 

The only damage the cold would do to a stored car is if you have not maintained your antifreeze. Check your anti freeze with a simple tester as long as it does not go below what the anti freeze tester says no harm will come to your engine. As Camaro 69 said the battery is the only at risk part in storage. I drove my 3800 year round and we even had some sub zero temps last year It never saw the inside of my garage or anything special although the power steering pump was not happy below 10 degrees. My 67 is in the garage but if I was storing something outside I would put in some sta bil fuel additive, check the antifreeze and make sure it was good to -40 and pull the battery, store in on wood in my basement with a trickle charger.


I had a friend who did cryogenics process on cut tools to improve tool life. He had his transmission rebuilt on his delivery truck and he decided to do the whole transmission to increase the wear life. He put it in a chamber at -310 degrees for 24 hours. I was amazed it did not damage it. I would think a engine could handle -310 as long as it had no fluids in it and you let it warm back up before trying anything.