Hand crank start

[maxhifi]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

DIY auto work sucks once it is cold enough to need a coat/gloves and or it has snowed. I try to save a late fall weekend for a once over/preventative maintenance session to try to head off all issues likely to need attention before spring.

Two words: heated garage... I set up a 5kW electric heater in my garage for such occasions, let it run for a full day before starting repairs. It doesn't change the fact that cars are absolutely filthy in the winter, but it sure takes the edge off. It was - 30C outside when the front main seal on my truck took a dump last winter. I think there's no getting around the fact that extreme weather provokes failures, gotta be prepared to deal with it.

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by maxhifi

Two words: heated garage... I set up a 5kW electric heater in my garage for such occasions, let it run for a full day before starting repairs. It doesn't change the fact that cars are absolutely filthy in the winter, but it sure takes the edge off. It was - 30C outside when the front main seal on my truck took a dump last winter. I think there's no getting around the fact that extreme weather provokes failures, gotta be prepared to deal with it.

Tried that once with a space heater and my uninsulated garage...The roof is tall and there is no ceiling...If the space heater did anything for the day it was on than what it did was all well above my head...All the air at ground level was still colder than a witches titty. At this point, any job I'm prepared to do on a car is cheaper to have a shop do than do comfortably in the winter...Granted We've had occasional freak 45f days in January (ballanced by blizzards in early May). A friend used to have a heated garage I could sometimes use till he moved away from his folks...

[maxhifi]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

Tried that once with a space heater and my uninsulated garage...The roof is tall and there is no ceiling...If the space heater did anything for the day it was on than what it did was all well above my head...All the air at ground level was still colder than a witches titty. At this point, any job I'm prepared to do on a car is cheaper to have a shop do than do comfortably in the winter...Granted We've had occasional freak 45f days in January (ballanced by blizzards in early May). A friend used to have a heated garage I could sometimes use till he moved away from his folks...

Mine is insulated with wood shavings, door is uninsulated and single pane windows. A normal space heater does little to nothing to take the edge off except for thawing your hands once in a while.

I use a 240V 5kW construction heater I picked up cheap at princess auto.. plugged into a 10AWG extension cord, which I run into the house through a basement window and plug into my electric dryer outlet. Total hack job yes, but that heater actually does make it tolerable in the garage. Especially if the heater is blasting at the general area of work.