frankvan

This'll be my first winter driving my C4 through the snow and ice of Canada. (yes, we really do live in igloos )
My winter vehicles (known as POS vehicles) both have problems that preclude me from driving them this winter so the C4 gets the job. Besides, the C4 is a hell of alot more fun to drive!

I've already got Hakkapelita snow tires on the original D90's. Just had an oil change with 5W30 done (and of course they overfilled by about 1/2 litre - again) which I figure will be good for the winter.

My biggest concern is for cold starts, as in -40C or colder. Is there a way to install a "block" heater of some sort or is it even necessary on a non-water cooled engine? Are there any precautions one needs in extreme cold to avoid damaging the 964 motor or drivetrain?

Frank

Chimera

I use 0W40 synthetic and have an unheated garage. The engine starts immediately. That said, -40 C is a good reason to stay home!

Doc

Marc Shaw

I was lucky and was able to store mine in a garage heated to +5C last winter so had no starting problems - it gets cold her in NB too but not that cold!

Marc

Indycam

"Are there any precautions one needs in extreme cold to avoid damaging the 964 motor or drivetrain?"
Stay far away from the boneheads driving one wheel drive trucks on summer tires .
Do not blow by sport utes with gun racks .
When people start driving stupid , put the porsch away and fix the pos .

DarrylH

Block heaters heat coolant, typically, although I have a vague memory of a dipstick heater, so I don't think you'll find one for an air-cooled 911. I've heard of needing to heat the crankcase with a torch in extreme cold - never experienced anything that frigid, myself. If you're parking where there's an electrical outlet, you might consider a battery "blanket" warmer, since the battery in a 911 never, ever gets warm. If not, you might want to take it inside! Beyond that, the usual warmup rules apply - brief idle (?30 seconds) at startup until oil pressure stabilises, then gentle, part-throttle driving until all the moving parts start to warm. Might need to double clutch while the tranny is cold. I've started and driven my 964 at about -25C, which is about as cold as it gets here in Toronto, and apart from the usual creaking and groaning, it worked fine. And you get interior heat quicker than most cars, which is kinda neat.

KirkF

Not much you can do about a block heater. Even the magnetic ones have nothing to stick too.

I ran my 944 year round for 6 years. I used 0 W 40 and someitmes 5 w 30
I put the biggest battery money could buyt in it.
It never had a block heater. And it always started.

And I live in Winnipeg, which I am sad to claim is the coldest city in canada.

I think you will be fine with what you have done.

Kirk

Millemiglia

In "911 and Porsche World" the was a guy living in Alaska who used to write in the Reader's Report section. He used his 964 C4 as a daily driver and I don't remember him having any troubles with the cold. Similar climate to yours?

The coldest temperature my car has had to cope with was -26 C.
No problem at all.

frankvan

Thanks for all the replies. The coldest I've driven it in was about -15C last year when there was no snow or ice on the roads. The only thing I noticed was the shifting was quite stiff for the first 2 or three minutes but it started on the first crank and idled fine.

I read some of the alaska guys reports on johns uk web page last year. I don't know if alaska gets as cold as the canadian prairies because of the proximity of the ocean - I've been to Juneau in November and it was raining (heavily!). But they definitely get the snow there!

I'll get one of those battery blankets - probably a good investment anyways. And I just put a new battery in last month. Now if I could just install one of those 959 Dakar Rally lift kits i could take on the snowbanks and the gunrack SUV crowd....

Jay H

I've got several test reports and a book on the design of the 996. All of these models (including the 930 Turbo) are extensively tested in Canada and/or other extemely cold climates for durability. The engineers and test drivers definitely try to find flaws in these cars in cold weather.

I know one mag article on '80's Carrera's and a Turbo that I read stated that it was so cold that they just let the cars idle all night while the driver's and reporter slept in the hotel to insure the cars would start at night, but it was extreme cold. It was also fun to read about how they were using this 930 in heavy snow conditions (along with the caravan of regular 3.2's) and the test driver was fighting a constant fish tail for the entire day's tour across Canada. But, they crashed none of the vehicle and nothing broke.

The 996 book shows them testing 996's and Boxsters in extreme cold as well at -32 celcius on the Alaskan Highway near the artic circle.

A couple excerpts from the 996 book on how Porsche tests in the cold:

"...the frigid night in Watson Lake in 1997 had no dramatic moments. The eleven test cars, some of them new Carreres, some Boxsters, started willingly, shrouding themselves with dense clouds of steam in the predawn gloom...

... in the evening {meeting} sessions, the team discusses mostly minor matters. A slight howling is heard in fifth and sixth gear; Getrag will have to address this. A rattle is coming from the induction system at part throttle; the cold air hardends the thin composite intake runners, and they generate undesireable resonance effects. The production part will have to be molded with slightly thicker sections. At temps below -20 C (-4 F), the idle speed is still not where it should be, but this can be corrected by reprogramming the electronic engine management..."

I would assume the 964 series is just as robust in cold as the prior generations.

C24FUN

When I had my 70 VW in Regina in the late 70s I had a heater that bolted to the bottom of the engine to keep the oil in the sump a bit warmer. Of course that's where the oil was in the VW, not in the external oil tank!

I've never seen anything advertised for a 911 though.

Good luck!

Jim G.

tobago Bob

Aircraft engines use a silicon pad that is heated by 110 volts check with an aircraft supply company. Aircraft spruce comes to mind (no affiliation) perhaps something could be modified to work. Perhaps a silicon heating pad stuck to a clean spot on the oil tank. keep the oil warm and your 3/4 of the way there.

Tobago bob
90 C4 slate grey cup 1's

Indycam

Aircraft spruce = A number one dream land !
I wish I could order whatever , charge free .

RallyDogRacing

At 15deg F this weekend past in Dubuque, IA - my '90 C4 cranked slightly slowly after sitting all night and the dyno 5w30 turning thick. It caught directly buy only ran for 2 or 3 secs before dying. It refired and ran for about 10secs and then struggled for a little bit as the 02 came up to temp (I assume).

Driving it for the first time on snowy/icy roads was interesting. My Nokian RSi's haven't arrived yet so the tires were a limiting factor for me. I did feel guilty driving around in salt...

Jim Michaels

Thank you all for making me feel lucky to live in the tropics; well, relatively speaking.

frankvan

RallyDog,

The temp has dipped to near 0F here lately (around -20C for the rest of the world) and my enigne displayed the same running for 2-3 secs then dying - couldn't even keep it going with blipping the throttle. But the second time I fire it up it comes to life and idles between 700 and 1000, albeit a little rougher than when its warmer!

One concern is the amount of air the HVAC system pumps out. On full defrost it's barely enough to keep the windscreen clear when it's chilly, esp with a guest in the vehicle. Anyone else find the ventilation just doesn't blow hard enough? The air is definitely warm (almost hot) and the fan(s) are making lots of normal fan noise but the volume of air just isn't there. Doesn't even get warm enough in the cabin to take my gloves off...