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Old 02-11-2014, 12:37 AM   #66
Old Henry
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Orem, Utah
Posts: 5,762
Default Re: How have you kept your engine warm at night outside?

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Funny. The more I read all of the ideas about how to get my engine to start below 20° and why it doesn't the more it reminds me of all of the ideas for dealing with vapor lock. Two totally different problems dealing with extremes of temperature. After considering them all I think the solution for cold starting is, in fact, as simple as the solution for vapor lock.

To respond to all of the suggestions I haven't responded to yet:

I have a new battery and it works fine. Jumping with the tow truck battery cranked it faster but didn't start it.

Coil was rebuilt by Skip last year and works fine.

Distributor was new from Bubba's last year and works fine.

Spark is advanced all the way for my high elevation and works fine.

Ground wires are all new and connect to bare clean metal.

Spark from wire to head bolt above 20° is nice and healthy.

I have a spare 12 volt battery I keep charged up in the trunk to jump with when necessary and kept it in my motel room a year ago until time for the jump. Still wouldn't start.

Don't know much about dew point nor what to do about it. If that's the problem heating the whole engine compartment up should fix that.

Condenser is new from Bubba's and works fine.

After problem getting cranking speed last year because of S.A.E. 40 oil switched to 20W-50 for this winter. Ford recommended S.A.E. 20 between 10° and 30° so that seems about right. Thinner oil might help cranking speed but this engine wouldn't start at correct cranking speed anyway until warmed up.

Haven't tried using higher octane gas but understanding what that is and what it does and doesn't do I don't think that would help.

I jumped past the coil resistor to increase voltage to the coil but didn't help.

No spit ball under the coil wire.

So, having pretty much been through all of that analysis before, I concluded that there is nothing wrong with my system and that it just needs a little heat over night to start in the morning under 20°. That's why I asked what I did.

Thanks for all of the ideas anyway.

Wife and I (not Pepe this time) are doing a road trip to Lava Hot Springs, Idaho and Teton National Park for the upcoming Valentine weekend and am going to keep the entire engine compartment warm all night, oil, block, coil, battery, everything, and see how it starts in the morning. I'll report.

Thanks again for all of your responses. I really do appreciate it.
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Last edited by Old Henry; 02-11-2014 at 12:50 AM.
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