[naz]

2001 ZTS,Dec 20 2004, 02:02 AM Wrote:The owners manual (not that anyone (other than me) reads it) says anytime the temperature at starting is <minus 5*C.

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i never once used the block heater in my focus.. the old loyale and my beater VW don't have heaters.. and all three of those vehicles lived through temps colder than -20C.. so that's quite a large safety margin built into the owner's manual recommendation?

when i read NOS comment about his tempo and the engine failure that the cold start caused.. i'm wondering.. at what point should a person not even bother trying to start a car if it hasn't been block heated.. also.. i thought 5W30 is rated to flow up to -40C or something like that, so why is the heater needed?

i'm just curious, i don't doubt using a block heater is 'good' for the motor somehow.. but does anyone have any more tech on this?