The Mechanic: winter easy

February 14th, 2012 -

The most important part in dealing with the winter season is to take time to prep your vehicle properly.

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Making winter easier

We finally got snow in our town. Got any hints on making winter driving easier? Oh, never mind; the snow just started to melt …

The most important part in dealing with the winter season is to take time to prep your vehicle properly. When you stop for fuel, take the time to top up the washer fluid reservoir, and make sure to use top quality fluid – the one that won’t freeze unless it’s colder than 40 below. It may not be that cold outside, but the wind chill factor will quickly freeze a lesser mixture.

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Inspect the wipers. They should not squeak, chatter or miss any spots as they sweep across the glass. Just a hint, make sure you turn the wipers off when you park. Blades tend to freeze to the glass (especially if they’re moist) as the vehicle cools down. If you leave the wipers on, they’ll start to wipe on start-up potentially resulting in damage to the wiper’s rubber material.

Take a moment to check your lights. The lighting system is critical to operating your vehicle during our long winter nights. Think about it – the lighting system is your way of communicating your presence with other drivers. On sloppy days, you may notice the lights getting dim, because the dirty spray kicked up from the road literally bakes on the lens covers due to the heat from the bulbs.

Drive on the top half of the fuel tank. Fuel consumption is up in the cold because tires are stiffer, greased bearings drag, the engine runs less efficiently and all that traffic and conditions means (or should mean) you’re driving more slowly. Operation on the top half of the tank reduces the amount of air in the tank and reduces the amount of moisture created as the fuel warms and cools in normal operation conditions. Add a fuel conditioner once a month to help absorb moisture and avoid the fuel line freezing up.

Last one – if your car has a recycle switch on the heater shut it off. Have you ever driven by a small car and seen all the windows fogged over? It’s because the HVAC system is not drawing fresh air into the vehicle. Every time we exhale we expel moisture, which adheres to the glass.

Ok, one more … Take heart, spring is only a few weeks away.

 

Q: The check engine light on my 1999 VW Eurovan comes on and stays on for a couple of days without blinking and then disappears just as mysteriously. A mechanic checked it out with his diagnostic instrument, found no indication of trouble and said not to worry. However, whenever it rains, the light is sure to come on. The ignition wires were replaced recently. Any ideas?

A: Because the light is not staying on (we call that a “soft code”), we can assume your problem is temporary.

It sounds as if the computer is picking up a misfire when the engine is damp. This should be a problem in the ignition but due to the complexity of today’s cars, it could be something else entirely. Have your mechanic set his scan tool on snap-shot mode, the unit will record any codes the instant they appear. This might entail driving with the equipment attached during your regular day. Once the problem is identified, follow accepted repair procedure.

 

Dave Redinger has more than 40 years’ experience as a mechanic and has run his shop, Doctor H Honda Specialists, in Toronto for the past 26 years. He’s also a radio talk show host and produces several television shows.

6 comments

  1. Mike Apoc says:

    “but the wind chill factor will quickly freeze a lesser mixture”

    Since the wind chill factor only affects exposed skin, I’m wondering what the mechanic really means.

  2. Biff says:

    You’re wrong about engines running less efficiently in the winter. Once up to temp, gasoline engines sing like happy birds in oxygen-rich, cold, dense air.

  3. Shawn says:

    Do you really think any shop is going to let a customer walk out the door with a scanner? Even the cheap ones cost a few thousand dollars.

  4. Guy Tremblay says:

    The wind chill is a measure of the apparent temperature that your skin feels as air blows over it and cools your skin temperature. Wind can help reduce the temperature of water by taking energy away from it (by evaporation or by removal of heat) but it cannot cool the water to much below the air temperature. If the outside temperaure is – 20 the wind chill -45 Your windshield washer fluid will only reach – 20 it may get there quicker but it will not reach -45 unless the air temperaure is at – 45..

  5. Steve says:

    Seriously? Does the person who wrote this know anything at all about cars, engines & fuel?

    Fuel consumption goes up because the tires are stiffer? You’d think there would be less rolling resistance.

    Also, staying on the top half of the tank in winter is not necessary as it was 20-30 years ago for several reasons:

    1 – Older cars’ fuel pumps were in the engine, up near the carburator & they had to “suck” the fuel out of the tank. When these cars sat in the cold, the fuel in the line would recede back to the tank & ice crystals would form inside the lines the “sucking” pressure could not overcome the crystals. Newer cars’s fuel pumps are generally inside the gas tank & “push” the fuel up into the injectors. Even when the car is off, positive pressure is maintained to the injector & fuel does not draw back into the tank.

    2- Most North American jurisdictions have mandated the blending of ethanol into gasoline of 5-15%, making the addition of gas line antifreeze to the tank in winter redundant (although service stations are more than happy to continue to sell it to anyone who asks)

    3- How exactly does the fuel in the gas tank warm & cool during the operation of the car, creating condensation? Unless you park in a heated garage, but even then – see points 1 & 2.

  6. Jim says:

    I don’t know what kind of car you drive, but all the cars i’ve been in, the Front defrost and combo defrost/foot vent cannot be run unless it’s on recycled air.

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