minsbang

what are some of the things that we can do to help our max go through the winter?
any fluids that we can pour in the gas tank?(besides gas)

Torgus

iTrader: (10)

i know!
new oil for the cold, make sure you get stuff that is good for your climate!
you can always pour in fuel injector cleaner and the like(can't hurt)
there are plenty of fuel addatives but how much they help especially for cold winter driving is debatable.
the best thing to do imo for the winter is to let your car WARM UP and make sure it has good oil(that works when its super cold and isn't like gum).

MPMoney$

When it gets real cold- I use drygas-
Its a fuel additive that is often used to keep your gas from freezing.
Which can happen if you have to little gas in the tank.

twiggy144

Substitute 10W30 for 5W30 grade oil before cold weather is expected. Use some gas line anti freeze as a precaution. Cold car start: let run engine for a minute, then drive off slowly, apply light load acceleration on the engine and tranny, untill they both gradually warm up.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Keep your gas tank full!

95GreekMaxSE

it sux, starting my car required the gas pedle in this whether and i tried everything.

nismos14

iTrader: (56)

what really sux is how the clutch and trans feel so sticky, and mushy, the trans feels like i have to force it into gear

Zipp028

iTrader: (3)

i agree with nismo its pretty hard throw to put it in gear and the clutch gets harder too! makes me feel bad for my max.

nismos14

iTrader: (56)

i feel really bad too!!! but after a few shifts its alright, still makes me sad for my max

ManualMaxima

iTrader: (10)

i hate the way the shifter feels, all mushy. my 5-speed it so temprmental to weather. She has her goods days sometimes though but that is like the spring and fall.

SupermaxGxe

That really sucks for you guys and the cold. I live in sunny San Diego ad it's a beautiful day out here today! I just waxed my car, it's maybe 70 degrees not a cloud in the sky and really sunny. Well I guess that's why I pay so much to live out here.

-Chris

formz

For you guys feeling the gummy shifter, switch to synthetic tranny fluid.

ds03

Not sure I agree with you on this. 10W30 is a thicker grade, and the last thing you want to do is make it that much harder for the first bit of oil to reach the cylinders when you crank it up. I'd stick with whatever you normally run, and make sure (as usual) that it's fresh. Baby it a little more than normal, and letting it warm up a tad bit longer is all you really need to do.

maxfanfromohio

iTrader: (7)

Best thing for your Max in the winter is a garage.

ounkny

Like ds03, I think people typically use the higher viscoity oil in the summer and lower viscosity oil in the winter. 10W30 is a higher viscosity (more like a solid) than 5W30, so I'm not sure if twiggy's advice is correct. If anyone has had more experience with this, please jump in.

twiggy144

Your are right guys. and my spelling was wrong. I had meant "remove 10W30 and replace with 5w30 in cold weather".

I`d like to add cold weather is defined as approximately 10 deg F and colder

lilgrebbie

cold?!?! whats that?
We had a HIGH of -2f last week (minnesota)

you couldn't pay me enough to move

Use that HEET (I think thats what its called) to take the water out, or just keep your tank at LEAST 1/4 tank. I just keep her above 1/4 tank and park inside at night.
One of my friends left her explorer outside (with only a little gas in it) and her gas froze up. It wasn't good to say the least.

98SterlingMax

Well if there's one good thing about that it's that there's one less SUV in our way ...

astil

iTrader: (1)

Maybe is a good ideea to use 5w30 all year round... and kep the tank full as much as possible...Is not the gasoline that is frozen..is the watter in the tank ,that forms there due condensation... Condensations forms there due low fuel level...

Max240

Great advice.

maxima98vspec

well i have a question for ya about the oil, what i heard was as oil get hotter it gets thicker is that true, i thought it would be the other way around, it would be thiner sence the molcules move quicker as they get hoter?

bosa1

It gets thinner as it get's hotter. That is why we warm up the engine and keep the rpms low until the engine is at the correct temperature. You want things properly lubed.

maxima98vspec

yea well some smart @$$ ricer down here in utah that has a "turbo civic" thinks he's the shiz and just makes up his own stories, man i would like to pop him in the his mouth a couple of times and take his civic and shi* on it and drive it off the cliff.

maxima98vspec

but anyways thanks for the info, and sorry bout the double post.

mansurxk

iTrader: (14)

agreed, the thicker the oil, the more damage done to the upper engine components because it takes more time for teh heat to make it less viscous, so while the oil is becoming less viscous, your engine is increasing wear. Id stick with the 5w30 for the winter, and switch back to a more viscous grade in the summer months

maxima98vspec

so what about synthetic oils are they that bad or do you have to use them at a certain time, like i heard that u would have to use it atleast after 10k miles on ur car and stop using it when u get to about 80k or so, so what does synthetic do for you, and what good does it do for you sence it would be the left overs from gas and all of the other oils made in the refinery.

formz

Synthetic is the best oil for any motor, period. And anyone that says differently is fooling themselves. Synthetic has a MUCH higher viscosity breakdown temperature than conventional motor oil. There is a reason why high performance cars come with synthetic from the factory.

Cliffnotes: Synthetic can handle sustained higher temperatures, lower temperatures, and still maintain it's (superior to conventional oil) lubrication.

soulrupture

I never heard of that

Torgus

iTrader: (10)

i use 5w30 now i live near boston....i let my car warm up...what i mean by that is it start it with no light on,heated seats,or heater on. i let is go untill the revs fall within a 100th of where they usually are and then i baby it...luckily work is 5 minutes away so for now i'm putting very few miles on my max! oh and keep a 1/4 tank or more as said above...

mansurxk

iTrader: (14)

synthetic comes in 5w30 and 10w30, no one mentioned synthetic, if something is thicker, then its not going to get where it wants when the car starts, thats the bottom line, you can handle higher temps and lower temps, but your not immune to very high viscosity in cold weather. tahts why you use 10w30 in the summertime, cuz its thicker, its got better heat properties cuz it takes longer to break down due to the hotter weather. viscosity plays a big role when you start your car(most wear occurs when you first start the car) thats why you need to warm up the car when its cold, so 5w30 is better when its cold out, synthetic or not

any oil is reprocessed, its all alcohol and acids, when oil breaks down, these are the 2 major by products, these are extracted and then used to make new oil, whether it be conventional or synthetic, (i had a friend who was a Chem Eng at Hatco Fuels)

hotmax97

MAN! just wake up earlier and give your car time to warm up !
neaddle above the (C)IN COLD WHEATHER IT TAKES ABOUT 10MIN
oh and make sure all the fluids are at perfect level

Nismo3112

iTrader: (12)

battery blanket

formz

um.. the post right above mine asked about synthetic oils, so I answered them. And synthetic comes in many more flavors than just 5w30 and 10w30. And synthetic protects MUCH better in cold weather than convential motor oil. I ran 10w30 in my 400hp 140k mile DSM every year I owned it in every temperature extreme with no problems whatsoever.

maxima98vspec

ok so what's the down side of synthetics????????

matty

iTrader: (54)

If you care about spending alittle extra money every time you do your oil....I see it as people spend thousands on body kits and VI's and ECU's and all that stuff and they complain about an extra 15$ or so every 3 months...

-matt

formz

The two downsides to synthetics:
1) Cost. It's usually a couple bucks more per quart.
2) It's thinner. If you have a leak that conventional oil may not be able to get into, synthetic might. I just switched my 124k mile motor from conventional to synthetic without a drop spilling anywhere. So don't think just because of higher mileage you will have a leak.

maxima98vspec

ok got ya thanx, i keep my car in the garage during the winter so i don't have to worry about 5w crap or what ever it is, 10w 30 does it for me, but im gonna try synthetic one day, and one more thing if it possible to take all that junk out of the gas tank that has pilled up over the years with out taking it off, im preaty sure u can just open it up from the top and get something to clean it with and get all the water and dirt out???

formz

I have no idea about the gas tank. But honestly you don't really have to worry about it. As long as you run a bottle of dry gas every once in a while and change your fuel filter every 30k miles you don't have to worry about a thing.

Sorgasm

Yeah dude, it sucks *****. I hate the way my trans feels now. It's rediculously hard to get in gear, especially second. I mean second's always been just a little tricky but I've never experienced shifts anywhere near this tough.

izzydig

Winterize the max?

5-30W, Castrol GTX for cheap motor oil. Mobil-1 Synthetic if you don't mind the extra money. Our factory manual calls for 5-30W anyway.

Use OEM oil filters for a better anti-drain back valve. Most damage does occur when the engine starts, thus get the best anti-drain back valve you can.

Anyone mention window washer fluid? Get the stuff that has anti-freeze in it, like Rain-x, which works good for me.

Heet is what I used for removing water from my gas. Basically it's isopropyl alcohol...which mixes with water. Alcohol also has a lower freezing temp than water.