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not to brag but....


bushnut
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I've switched both diffs to full synthetic, Mobil 1 synth in the engine and fresh fluid in the T-case. it helps, but Ya this type of cold just sucks.

I run full syn in both diffs and the block as well, but yes, cold is cold no matter what way you cut it.

 

My last attempt at budging the drain plug in my tranny resulted in a broken "persuader".. My mechanic even gave up on it, which to be honest probably says more about the mechanic than the drain plug.. I've got 6q of redline waiting to refill it in the garage in a box. afaik it's got what they filled it with at the factory when they rolled it off the line.. :|

 

Honestly though, in this cold, it's the rubber/plastic stuff.. It breaks. It's a PITA. I can't tell you how much of this 20 year old plastic has broken or begun leaking, squeaking, etc. because it's so cold..

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Damn! I have experienced some of that with my M/T pathy, but certainly not to that degree! I have a couple of recommendations though...

Consider Redline MT-90 synthetic tranny fluid and over filling with 5.1 liters (there is a TSP for it), that should help with the tranny/shifter.

Put a small clamp on the fluid line.

Zip tie a piece of cardboard behind the grill, covering 1/4 to 1/2 of the radiator. Watch the temp gauge to see what it wants...

 

Other than some little stuff, it sounds like the typical trooper of a Pathfinder. :aok:

And just for the record, no thank you, you can keep that kind of weather!

 

I worked for a division of 3M out here and had visitors often. We always heard about how beautiful the fall was in Minnesota... I'd ask them what they did the other 9 months. :D

 

B

I keep a box in the back to shove between the rad and the a/c unit.. Cover as much as possible since the truck generally runs quite cool anyways (1/4 gauge, never more until high heat/elevation driving).. A box in front brings her up to just under half the gauge, and the heat kicks well at that point which is very necessary as the windows freeze over from the inside due to your breath in the air, evaporation from you, your clothes, etc. from your warm humid house, and your wet snowy boots..

 

Tranny fluid is another issue, can't get the plug out.. Plus, cold. :(

 

TSP printout and 6L Redline in a box waiting to go in! Been following your posts for a while.. :)

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Best solution for cold stiff shifting MT is to throw your transfer case in neutral, put your tranny in 1st gear. Let the transmission oil warm up with the engine temp (20 min if that's how long you let the engine warm up). I learned this off another forum, never had to struggle shifting a cold tranny since. You could certainly do it with auto as well if your auto tranny doesn't like shifting in the cold.

 

The biggest PITA for me when cold is when the fuel door won't open cause it's frozen shut. You shouldn't let your truck get close to empty when it's cold anyway, but this is another reason to always keep your tank 1/2 full. Nothing like running on fumes and not being able to get your fuel door open at the pump.

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Nice trick!

 

Yep, things get stuck. My dad and I had to pee on a door lock once, just so we could get in the damn car... :lol:

 

I keep a box in the back to shove between the rad and the a/c unit.. Cover as much as possible since the truck generally runs quite cool anyways (1/4 gauge, never more until high heat/elevation driving).. A box in front brings her up to just under half the gauge, and the heat kicks well at that point which is very necessary as the windows freeze over from the inside due to your breath in the air, evaporation from you, your clothes, etc. from your warm humid house, and your wet snowy boots..

Tranny fluid is another issue, can't get the plug out.. Plus, cold. :(

TSP printout and 6L Redline in a box waiting to go in! Been following your posts for a while.. :)

I never seen things that cold, but it does make sense. MOVE! :lol:

 

I just read that. Tip: Always remove the fill plug before the drain plug, it might be the bigger problem...

Have you tried heating things with a torch or any penetrating oil? You can buy the proper 13mm tool and use a breaker bar...

http://ultimatetoolco.com/13mm

 

Ahh, cool, good to know it helps people and it sounds like you are set up and ready to go. $30 might be a lot for a specific tool, but if that is what makes the difference of getting the plug loose... :shrug:

 

B

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Best solution for cold stiff shifting MT is to throw your transfer case in neutral, put your tranny in 1st gear. Let the transmission oil warm up with the engine temp (20 min if that's how long you let the engine warm up). I learned this off another forum, never had to struggle shifting a cold tranny since. You could certainly do it with auto as well if your auto tranny doesn't like shifting in the cold.

 

The biggest PITA for me when cold is when the fuel door won't open cause it's frozen shut. You shouldn't let your truck get close to empty when it's cold anyway, but this is another reason to always keep your tank 1/2 full. Nothing like running on fumes and not being able to get your fuel door open at the pump.

Neutral diff trick - brilliant! Temps are falling to -20's in Minneapolis again on sun/mon/tues and will need it.

 

Mine's tank cover is currently frozen shut and the release isn't working. I keep a long flathead pry tool in the glove box (nylon w/ steel core) but a flathead screwdriver will suffice. Bend the locking tab in towards the hinge, she'll open right up. Don't pry else you'll chip your paint. I painted mine with truck bed liner so I don't worry much about it.

 

Yeah, window freezing can be a serious problem, you don't want to be without defrost around here. I have considered higher temp thermostats but haven't put one in yet.. Waiting until I do the water pump.

 

Fill plug opens ok, but the bottom drain plug is a no go. I don't have a hot enough torch to get it anywhere close to red hot, and I've only been using a 1/2" breaker bar and a 4ft steel bar. I used my floor jack to hold the end in place and gave it everything I had. Picking up a 13mm and will give it another go after a hotter torch is applied, and some pb blaster.

 

Has anyone else ever experienced their fuel lines leaking at the pump from the tank in the cold? Is access easy to the pump/hoses from the bed in back fairly easy to get into? If it's a quick hose replacement I don't mind getting in there but I don't want to spend any more time than I have to outside to fix it..

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Other thing to do with a fuel door frozen shut is just find a heated garage and park there for two or three hours to thaw it out.

Think of it as a day spa for our 20-year-old cars when it's so freaking cold.

Gives all the fluids and lubricated parts a chance to thaw. Worth the $15 out of pocket.

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What the hell, are Winnepeg and St Paul having a competition?

 

 

Governor Mark Dayton ordered all K-12 public schools closed Monday to protect Minnesota school children from forecasted dangerously cold weather. The National Weather Service is predicting that most of the state will experience the coldest temperatures in a decade with lows reaching -30 degrees and wind chills predicted to reach as low as -50 degrees. High temperatures from International Falls to Rochester are forecast to reach only -15 degrees.

http://www.kare11.com/story/news/local/2014/01/03/governor-orders-schools-closed-monday-due-to-cold/4304293/

 

Apparently New York is calling for a state of emergency because it is 10 degrees. Amateurs! :lol:

 

B

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No, Winnipeg is the king of the cold.

Been there once in winter and it was a regular thing to get down to -25 every night. All the full-timers had block heaters.

That said, some wise guy just noted that the -42 in northern Minnesota just now is colder than the surface of Mars at the equator.

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What the hell, are Winnepeg and St Paul having a competition?

 

http://www.kare11.com/story/news/local/2014/01/03/governor-orders-schools-closed-monday-due-to-cold/4304293/

 

Apparently New York is calling for a state of emergency because it is 10 degrees. Amateurs! :lol:

 

B

As far as continental US goes, MN tops the list. Maybe Alaska can compare state by state but that would have to go to the numbers.. Once you get into the deep north, core heaters are the norm, as are these.. http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200592746_200592746

 

MN is a fairly tall state, the twin cities pretty far south compared to say Tower or International Falls where you typically see weather matching whatever Winnepeg has which is only about maybe 60 miles further north.. Mostly dry arctic air though so while it's very cold, we don't get the snow fall that some of the eastern and mountain states receive..

 

Upper Peninsula MI seems to be the snow king though.. I'm heading to Mount Bohemia on the 17th and we'll really get to test the 4wd and deep snow (and perhaps chains). :)

 

 

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Car heat guns! :doh:

 

We had a really hard frost here 2 weeks ago, it must have been 20 degrees. Frozen water droplets on the Pathfinder and everything!

The trick here is to put towel on the windshield overnight so you can have it clear when you remove it in the morning. :D

 

No, Winnipeg is the king of the cold.
Been there once in winter and it was a regular thing to get down to -25 every night. All the full-timers had block heaters.
That said, some wise guy just noted that the -42 in northern Minnesota just now is colder than the surface of Mars at the equator.

Yeah, I've seen that. Explains a lot... :D

 

B

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today it warmed up to -13*C and it's been snowing since last night about 15cm or 6". that on top of all the polished hard packed snow of the last storm that the city hasn't cleaned up yet is making for some interesting driving! I've haven't taken the truck out of 4x4 since Saturday.

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I feel for you...

 

In other places...

 

 

Don't laugh, but St. Petersburg's First Friday block party has been canceled because of the cold.

By midday, with the temperature gauge clocking in at 50 degrees and expected to slide further to 45, the city posted on its Facebook page that, "Because of the cold weather, tonight's First Friday St. Pete event has been canceled."

http://www.tampabay.com/news/weather/bitter-cold-of-50-degrees-cancels-st-petes-first-friday/2159511

 

B

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how does it start now? if it turns over you should be alright.

this morning.....-36*C with a wind chill of -50*C.....I like winter and all but I'm getting tired of this. when you take your hands out of your glove it actually hurts.

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I knew something bad would come of all this cold. went to start the truck this morning and noticed an oil slick on the snow under the drivers side. The T-case output seal has been weeping for awhile but I guess the cold did it in. looks like the ATF fluid got thick enough in the cold to push out the seal. must have happened yesterday morning. It's too cold to do the work on the street myself so I'm having a shop do it tomorrow. unfortunately it'll cost me about $200.00 for a $20.00 part. hopefully I haven't ruined the T-case.

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in the heavy truck industry they have "glue on" heater pads for transmissions,diff and the like. Looks like I'll be investing in those for next winter.

Good news is that tomorrow it's supposed to warm up to -15 and single digit highs on the weekend so I'm going camping. I'll post pics when I get back.

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Was in Minneapolis a few years back and asked what all the tall poles were on the fire hydrants. It was so they could be found in the snow. The poles were over 6 feet tall :blink: .Glad I was there early in the fall. We've been getting down to the teens here and that's too cold for me.

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good news, shop down the road replaced my t-case output shaft seal for only $135.00, parts, labour and tax! though it did take them 7h to do it. apparently it took them 3 tries to order the correct seal from the parts depot across town.

I can't believe they only charge $80.00/h

the bike (bicycle) shop I work at charges $60

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  • 3 weeks later...

that strange all you breaking because of the cold.

 

I am in Quebec and we had -25 celsius for more than a week, even -54 with windchill on one day and no cars broke.

 

Maybe a call to boost the battery but that's it.

 

At -30 You start your car and 10-15 minutes later you can drive no problem.

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Best solution for cold stiff shifting MT is to throw your transfer case in neutral, put your tranny in 1st gear. Let the transmission oil warm up with the engine temp (20 min if that's how long you let the engine warm up). I learned this off another forum, never had to struggle shifting a cold tranny since. You could certainly do it with auto as well if your auto tranny doesn't like shifting in the cold.

 

The biggest PITA for me when cold is when the fuel door won't open cause it's frozen shut. You shouldn't let your truck get close to empty when it's cold anyway, but this is another reason to always keep your tank 1/2 full. Nothing like running on fumes and not being able to get your fuel door open at the pump.

I have had that happen so many times. But I find that shot of fluid film or something on the little plastic thing that moves to open the door works great.

 

I have never had a problem starting here, and we've had -35 a few times this winter.

 

One problem I did have was that oil started pissing out of where the oil filter is, because the seal had shrunk in the cold, after a couple minutes it stopped! Must have lost at least half a litre!

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