-50 degrees
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Teching In
Joined: Jul 2008
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-50 degrees hey guys, i just picked up a ls1/t56 for my custom build. i live in canada and yesterday it was almost -50 here. i was just wondering will this cold of weather could do anything bad to the engine? i am not going to be running it in this cold of weather but it will be sitting outside. is there anything i should do to make sure it stays healthy? thx for any help 
If the moter is out of a car and just sitting in a crate or box I would drain all the coolant out of it and just have the block dry. I live in parkcity UT and we see lows in the -10 to -20 range Our local auto parts stores carry a magnetic heater that sticks to the oil pan... Now I know it wont stick to a aluminum pan but you could get one and attach it some how to keep some heat in it.
Winterpeg?
If you keep it wrapped up well, I would think the only thing you would have to worry about would be a sudden warm spell. If it warmed up fast enough you may have a problem with condensation occurring on or in the cold engine.
I'd pull the plugs, pump some oil into the cylinders, turn the crank by hand a couple of times, then put the plugs back in. If you are really ambitious, you could back off all of the rockers so the valves will be closed.
Might be a good idea to wait 'till it warms up a tad, even if it is a dry cold.
Ken
If you keep it wrapped up well, I would think the only thing you would have to worry about would be a sudden warm spell. If it warmed up fast enough you may have a problem with condensation occurring on or in the cold engine.
I'd pull the plugs, pump some oil into the cylinders, turn the crank by hand a couple of times, then put the plugs back in. If you are really ambitious, you could back off all of the rockers so the valves will be closed.
Might be a good idea to wait 'till it warms up a tad, even if it is a dry cold.
Ken
Teching In
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 29
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From: Waterford, MI
the condensation is your biggest problem. There's no reason the engine can't sit in those conditions for 10 years and be okay as long as you can keep out condensation so bearing surfaces and bores don't get rusty. If you can wrap it in an insulative blanket, you'll slow down how quickly it can change temperature to keep the condensation from happening. Getting cold doesn't matter, just how quickly it gets cold. Whatever you do, DO NOT block off all the PCV openings with vacuum caps. The engine needs to breath air in and out of the crankcase to keep the condensation out. you could also purge it out once in a while with welding gas if you have any around.
Backing off all the rockers is a good idea. Also, put Mobil1 in it and run it first if you can to flush out all the old oil. Dyno juice will degrade and sludge up over time in cold temps. And if you don't think you can get all the coolant out, run 70/30 through it. That will get you a freezing temp of -54F for any of the remainder that stays in.
Backing off all the rockers is a good idea. Also, put Mobil1 in it and run it first if you can to flush out all the old oil. Dyno juice will degrade and sludge up over time in cold temps. And if you don't think you can get all the coolant out, run 70/30 through it. That will get you a freezing temp of -54F for any of the remainder that stays in.
Last edited by jewce; Dec 15, 2008 at 07:39 PM.
