K5 Winterization

[troutbum_mt]

A couple of questions, well several. Hopefully this will turn into a search worthy thread that answers many of the winter type questions that seem to get asked. It would be cool to have a lot of the info in one place to direct people to....

First, let's talk about batteries. Obviously you want the one with the best cca's, but what brands in your opinions are more robust? I currently have dual die hards in my 78 with a 400 short block. It hit -20 and neither one is giving me enough juice even with a block heater. Once I am able to get the Blazer started it runs fine but is desperately trying to juice those batts. They are set up in series (neg of slave to neg of primary, pos of slave to pos of primary). Would a separator be a wise investment? I am guessing they are 4 years old or more since I bought this Blazer used and know it sat all last winter without being run so I plan on buying at least one new battery and running it solo until I can afford a second. Would a battery blanket be a wise investment as well? Never had to use one before.

Next question. Block heaters. Flow type from the radiator hose, freeze plug or magnetic patch type? I currently run a freeze plug type but with a 400 that is basically steam cooled, unless I am completely mistaken yet again, this might not be the best type. Comments, suggestions or input?

There is currently a thread about winter tires so I won't rehash that here. But my question regarding traction is how do you weigh down the rear end of your K5/Burb/Truck or do you run it empty and use chains? I need to throw some more firewood in the back of mine but have seen where people use these new fangled waterbed type doohickeys. Of course there are always sandbags.... Which gives the best bang for the unemployed buck?

How do you all winterize your rigs and in what order do you place your importance? What gear do you make sure to carry when you know you will be out alone and travelling during winter?

Sorry for the long post, but am basically trying to get a ton of info in one post for future search ease.

 

[lectric80]

I will give you the basics on the last portion of your question:

I don't add any weight to the back of my Blazer, I have found with the short wheelbase and very heavy truck, I don't see many issue with traction unless I want them. I don't tend to slide around a lot, but I also don't avoid using my chains when I get into deeper snow in the hills. I guess my chains could be considered extra weight, but I don't always carry them.

As to what I would carry:

1. Emergency blankets - I carry several of the silver lightweight blankets for emergencies. They will keep enough of your body heat in to survive a long time without your engines heat.
2. Firestarter- I always have a lighter since I smoke, but I also carry matches in a waterproof container, and a small amount of newspaper to start a fire.
3. Tire chains - duh
4. MRE - I carry about 6 MRE's to use for food if I should get stuck somewhere it might take time to get out of.
5. I also carry a small pan and a simple butane powered spider stove to melt snow for drinking water.

There my be more, but I can't remember everything in my winter survival kit. I will take a look later today and give you an updated list.

 

[Chevy305]

Lets see, the only thing i do differently in the winter is I have to choke my engine
I guess I live in a populated area with good snow removal...

 

[colbystephens]

I voted for a damn good battery simply because without killer CCA, you won't get a diesel started in super cold temps. here it's been in the teens in the mornings, and i haven't had any trouble starting her up - just like an 80* day, with a tiny bit more smoke.

for what it's worth, you described your batteries as being set up in parallel - not series. if they were set up in series, you'd have a 24volt system.

here's something for weighing down the bed of a truck that Avery4jc posted up recently. seems like a cool little gimmick.

http://www.autoanything.com/hitch-bed-accessories/65A2868A0A0.aspx

we had quite a conversation on block heaters/engine heaters, etc in the diesel forum. here's some cool stuff from that thread:

Engine heater/Tank circulator

Napa Item#: BK 6053344

Price: $67.99
I read it's much cheaper through checker/kragen/whatever their other names are... partsamerica.com. didn't research it myself, tho.

those circ coolant heaters are the cats azz. it keeps the frost off your windshield over night if you leave the controls set to defrost. you tee the unit into the heater core hoses. there is no pump in it, it circulates on convection so placement and orientation is critical for them. follow the manufacturers instructions.

at temperatures as low as yours, you might consider an oil pan mat heater too, so it oils up quick enough.

if you're not going to be driving super fast, you might consider airing down your tires. i was on a steep iced mountain forest service road yesterday outside of town and was having trouble going up at 20PSI on my TSL's. I aired down to 10PSI and the truck walked right on up.

 

[dyeager535]

IMO the rear tank on the K5, since it's behind the rear axle, when full, adds a good amount of weight to the rear, and IMO is probably sufficient for the purpose, especially if the 31 gallon.

 

[BILTIT]

dual die hards, what CCA?

We hit -40C up here and can still start a vehicle with one batt, two helps though. I like 900CCA or more if the batt will fit. My current truck runs dual 750 CCA's, spins a chevy small block like no ones business. Alot of the time bad cables or connections can be more of a problem than the batts themselves. Battery blankets help alot too if you only have a single batt.

99% up here is freeze plug block heaters, they work fine but for a diesel i would probably go to the inline style.

 

[George_Pimpdaddy]

I like using industrial oil field batterys i can get em cheaper than napa batterys and there come in 1000CCA. Also plugging in the block heater will help when it dips far into freezing

 

[troutbum_mt]

You guys are posting great info so far on fixing my probs and I thank you. Colby, you are right. Yes they are in parallel (fock me for being a stupid newb yet again lol.) BILTIT, they are 900 cca Die Hard Golds. One seems older than the other from the looks of things which is causing me probs. Lectric you nailed the other side of the question and gave me some packing ideas.

Keep the ideas and mojo flowing. The ideas/suggestions/info you all are posting could very well save a life!

 

[BILTIT]

I had some issues with a weak battery in my dual setup last year, had to replace both. One was weak and it pulled down the other. Might be time to replace both?

 

[colbystephens]

troutbum_mt - you should really cut the last line out of post #8. i know you're probably kidding, but there's sanctity and great value in all human life. it was a jocular attitude like you post in #8 that lead me to nearly taking my own life many times.

 

[Drey]

I carry
-Jumper Cables
-General Tools
-20 foot tow strap
-couple big clevaces
-Extra Sweatshirt, socks, hat
-Scoop Shovel

I have a diehard battery right now but when it dies Im going to switch my K5 to a dual Interstate setup.

Also in the winter I used to put really narly tires on my vehicles, which worked well, this year I stuck some all terrains with alot of biting edge on it, and they provide alot more traction on icy snow packed roads, we havnt had a heavy snow yet so im interested to see how they do bombing through 3-4 foot drifts.

 

[troutbum_mt]

troutbum_mt - you should really cut the last line out of post #8. i know you're probably kidding, but there's sanctity and great value in all human life. it was a jocular attitude like you post in #8 that lead me to nearly taking my own life many times.

Yes I was joking but you are right. I took that line out. Didn't seem as funny reading it for a 2nd time as I intended.

 

[m-4x4-chevy]

I use dual batteries and a big marine battery switch from Perko. The switch allows you to use battery #1, #2, or both. I mounted the switch on the floor next to the t-case shifter. Both Optima batteries switched together really spin the small block on those cold Arizona mornings.

 

[jonathon]

I'll say tire chains.. others here will disagree, but chains work AWESOME. Won't do you crap in the ice, but then again nothing will. I was amazed at the difference chains made in my suburban..

As far as weight.. don't need it. It's called the gazillion pounds of glass, sheet metal, and the 37 gallon fuel tank hanging off the ass end(in my Suburban). Doesn't fuel weigh something like 6 pounds per gallon?

 

[lectric80]

To expand my list of the winter emergency kit:

1. Magnesium shavings
2. Char cloth
3. Some dry tinder that I replace every year
4. Spare set of insulated gloves
5. Spare hat
6. Two pairs of dry wool socks
7. Toilet paper
8. Coffee can full of kitty litter
9. Coffee can full of ice melt

Most of my emergency kit stays in the truck all winter.

 

[colbystephens]

I'll say tire chains.. others here will disagree, but chains work AWESOME. Won't do you crap in the ice, but then again nothing will. I was amazed at the difference chains made in my suburban..

As far as weight.. don't need it. It's called the gazillion pounds of glass, sheet metal, and the 37 gallon fuel tank hanging off the ass end(in my Suburban). Doesn't fuel weigh something like 6 pounds per gallon?

you are right that chains are an important thing to carry with you. infact, all of the items in the poll are very important for winter driving. i guess it just comes down to what your most afraid of - not starting, sliding, or sliding some more.

given that i'm real happy with my TSL's in the snow/ice, paired with good gearing and using the engine to do braking so i don't lose traction by accidental brake-lock-up, i decided i most want my truck to start because i trust it to get me through the nastiest weather...

good batteries are absolutely ESSENTIAL to starting my diesel. you need to power up the glow plugs (lots of power there) and then have enough juice to crank the engine over FAST at 21:1 compression. obviously, the particular rig you run determines which of these options is most important to you. a gas-powered rig won't need near the battery power that mine will for start up.

so - people can argue you all you want, but it ultimately comes down to what kinds of driving conditions you know you will have that are unique to you, plus the unique values of your rig.

way to go against the grain and go with chains!

 

[muddy shoes]

Id say tires then batt, I had some low tread tires on my k10 and i was sliding like a mofo everywhere, even in 4wd sometimes. I threw some new meats on there and ive been driving up in the mountains all day in pretty much all weather in 2wd. Course that wouldnt do me any good if my baby wouldnt start but I only have a single cheapo battery and I started right up in -15 last week after it sat outside my work for 8 hours.

Definately pack a survival kit, I keep my snowboarding jacket in my truck along with a beanie, 2 pairs of gloves, propane tank and torch, lighter, tin cup for melting snow/drinking water, and a jar of peanut butter and some other good protein/fat/carb foods that I only need a little of to keep me going for a long time, and last but not least a good pair of boots.

I also have all the usual recovery equipment in the bed of my truck but that stays in there all year; tow straps, spare tires, tool box, etc. Id say make sure you have remedies for the things most likely to happen and for the things that your least comfortable with happening. That way your not in a bad state of mind and in a bad situation at the same time, positivity is always the best thing to bring along with you in any situation!

 

[dyeager535]

My rule of thumb is, if chains are required, I don't want to get there that bad.

It is amazing what you can get through chained up though.

 

[abig84]

my k5 is pretty much just a winter truck. got dual batteries, a winch and some half bald 38s im set to go

 

[plumber mike]

I love my optima yellow tops. One in the plow truck is 6 years old and always starts it. the one in my work truck did go dead with a draw over a weekend. they do not jumpstart well. it needed to sit on the charger for a while. For me here in the Black Hills good tires(traxxus mt seem to work well)heavy duty bobcat chains, a high lift ,a metal dirt shovel and a snow shovel seem to do the job. I do all my maintenance in the summer to avoid problems in the winter. I also keep a can of starting fluid in the carb equipped truck to keep cranking to a minimum in below zero weather.
for me extra gloves,coats,coveralls,granola and candy bars and some blankets. My neighbor slid off the road on the way to town and wound up spending the night in his truck during our last blizzard(4' with 6-10' drifts)
so i take it pretty serious.