Hitchcocks Forum

With temp set to plummet[-18 shock Horror:News Paper etc] I was thinking At what temperature do we Need to think carefully about engine running Etc (Anti freeze in ya oil?) ....
I Use My 350 std (Iron Engine 4speed) daily for work, and it lives Out side in a sheltered Spot under canvas:SO...On A Normal Cold Day ..Few Kicks to Release Clutch..Extra Tickle and 30 sec warm up then Off...
But Can OIL Frezze!....Can ya Clutch Freeze solid.....Kills a Battery..(In Russia Petrol frezzes).....
Just wondering as I Leave Bessie Out side till Monday :0( (She should Live inside In the Kitchen ofcourse).......So A "Just Wondering Thread"...Take care Out there..Cheers Craig

Nothing to worry about an Enfield being to cold here, just keep cables well oiled, dont want them not to work.

In Canada they plug their cars in at night to a heater element in the sump to stop the oil freezing or you could light a fire under the engine as per Scott of the Antarctic or you could wrap an electric blanket around the engine .

Hi guys -------- CRAIG, straight answer is YES, oil can freeze just like anything else, but is it LIKELY to ?? No, not really unless the wind-chill factor magnifies things.. My last job pre-retirement was as a civilian Senior Craft Technician with the British Army here in Donnington, Telford and ---amongst other things ---- helped prepare AFV's ( Armoured Fighting Vehicles) for Winter deployment to BATUS, Canada (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Ar ... t_Suffield )...part of which entailed fitting an upgraded filter mesh--ie larger holes--in the semi-automatic gearboxes in the CVRT's (Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance, Tracked)-- As PHIL ASHBROOK mentioned sump warming was employed on site as well...... Prior to that I was with the Royal Mail Transport and spent many a winter recovering HGV's, light vans etc from remote farms or Motorway breakdowns.....In both cases rest assured we never had any oil freeze BUT} Diesel fuel--- if left untreated--- can start to separate-out it's wax content (GRUNDA--don't forget those additives !!)... NEDDY's advice to keep the cables well oiled is sound..It's in weather like this you realise why we DON'T grease them.. I would use that electric blanket idea PLUS let the engine/gearbox assy. warm up a bit longer, maybe whilst you are "kitting-up"..as that VEEDOL stuff in the gearbox can be quite thick initially... Finally, if you want 4-stroke piston engines operating in REALLY cold conditions then do you remember these guys ??}-------------------------- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Pilots_NWT ------------

Thanks for the replies : Yes Stiff Cables & wheel Bearings expected...
It Was The engine I was thinking about...... " I will continue to use Ol' Bessie as she Enjoys this rough weather"..It was More of the Standing & Freezing worries (If You Belive the Press) of -18?? etc.....Mean while on the Russian front some Ural 650's are banging along at 1 30...;0)..........................
Lastly, Sump heaters ,Electric blankets? maybee another Dusbin bag on Top & a dose of 2st Oil in the tank to help ;0)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Pilots_NWT

If This Picture works Pic of My Bike & Workshop Today :0)

----------- Scully, it's out there---somewhere !!