(11-12-2019 )snailexpress Wrote:  20 years back in Siberia every driver was using blowtorch with J shaped 3 -5 feet long pipe with deflector on short end. Install it under oil pan and oil is warm. Then move it under fuel tank where pick up tube for short time.
Gasoline only will work in extreme low temperature. Propane will freeze itself to the no vapor pressure point.

(11-12-2019 )Hammerhead Wrote:  

(11-11-2019 )Rawze Wrote:  Hammerhead mentioned some guys resorting to draining their oil when shutting down at those arctic temps, keeping oil inside where it is warm .. pouring the warm oil back into engine when needing to crank it up again in that type of cold.

I thought that was interesting as an alternative to a block or oil pan heater of some sort when in a pinch.

I'm pretty sure we were drinking beer when I told you about this...
It's actually an old bush pilot radial engine trick. The engines are air cooled, and they drain the oil while it's warm into a steel pail when they land and keep it warm in the cabin by the fire overnight. Dump it back in warm in the morning so the engine will start.
If I was leaving a big truck outside for an extended period of days in the winter, I would, wait one year while I didn't have a shop, I did this. When it was time to fire up I ran the webasto to heat the coolant, dumped warm oil in, and she fired like nothing!

(11-13-2019 )Hammerhead Wrote:  

(11-12-2019 )snailexpress Wrote:  20 years back in Siberia every driver was using blowtorch with J shaped 3 -5 feet long pipe with deflector on short end. Install it under oil pan and oil is warm. Then move it under fuel tank where pick up tube for short time.
Gasoline only will work in extreme low temperature. Propane will freeze itself to the no vapor pressure point.

Yup, still do to this today. I pack a curved truck stack and a tiger torch with a 20lb propane bottle most of the winter. You never know when shi#t is gonna hit the fan and you're going to have to thaw out a frozen truck...or in my case a frozen Cat D-10T dozer

(11-13-2019 )DVT873 Wrote:  Besides block and pan heater grandpa had a heating pad on his batteries. He said warm batteries helped a lot. 4 sixes in those days. Wired up series parallel. If he had to stay at the wood lot overnight he would bring the batteries in and put them by the fireplace. Hut had no electricity. Had a metal pan he put coals from the fireplace in and put it under the oil pan about an hour or two before staring in the morning. Pull the air filter out, crumple up a bunch of newspaper in the housing and light it. With warm batts, warm oil and warm air his 6-71 usually lit right off. And a bit of gasoline was the antigel treatment of choice for him. Didn't like ether. BTW anybody here remember ether balls? Like paint balls but filled with ether. Went in a thing that looked sort of like an oiler. Had a big sharp needle inside and a spring loaded cap. Put the ball in, let the cap snap shut. Pierced the ball and let the ether run into the intake. Cummins had a compression release option that was slick. Had a rod that ran the length of the block. Intake or exhaust, don't remember which had flanges on them. Haul back on a lever and the valves were held open. Get the engine spinning, release the lever and she would usually fire.