Vortec 350 V8 Engine ???'s

[SCOTT_99]

Gentlemen,

What, if any, steps can I take in providing helpful / useful tools to the Vortec 350 V8 Engine in my OBS 99 Tahoe during the Winter months here in Dallas, TX? I know that this is NOT the coldest place in the US BY FAR but my ass was freezing this morning while it was 28 degrees. The tahoe seems to not like the cold weather as much these days, I mean hell, its 10 years old. What have you guys done to the engine / drivetrain / differentials to help increase performance and up keep during the winter months?

Thanks guys,

Scott

 

[Chris]

General maintenance should do you fine. I've never had any cold weather issues when I go up north. I drive the 89 from SC to KY and it handles going from 75 to 17 degrees just fine.

 

[Ginger]

i just check the antifreeze and then normal stuff

 

[tattooed4life]

I always let mine run for about 20 minutes before driving in the winter months. Just to make sure all the fluids are moving and lubing everything up, this may just be something I picked up from driving a big rig.

 

[glfirefighter144]

hmmm...i'm the opposite, but then again, i usually don't have time for warm up, normally i just fire it up and leave, but i like the cold and can handle it in the truck till it warms up, of course then again, it is a GM product, ain't gonna hurt it any, and the computer figures it out pretty quick anyway

 

[SCOTT_99]

Appreciate the answers guys.

What do you know about Engine Block heaters and **** like that?

 

[tattooed4life]

hmmm...i'm the opposite, but then again, i usually don't have time for warm up, normally i just fire it up and leave, but i like the cold and can handle it in the truck till it warms up, of course then again, it is a GM product, ain't gonna hurt it any, and the computer figures it out pretty quick anyway

I guess I'm just a creature of habit letting it warm up before I go, my Yukon had a block heater on it from the factory and I used it all the time. As for my 97 3500 I haven't even looked to see if it has one--maybe I should 2+ inches has fallen since I got home from work.

 

[Ginger]

its actually not good to let it sit idling to get heat in it. plus it takes longer to build heat without the motor being under some load, at most i would let it idle for 5 min, but thats it

 

[tattooed4life]

I am not doing it to build heat, I'm doing it to get the engine oil running thru the motor. Your not hurting anything letting your vehicle warm up before you drive.

 

[Ginger]

the oil flows through the motor at startup, thats why the oil has the weight ratings. oil pressure guage goes up to 60 when you start up, and you have no better protection from warm to that,

as long as you dont turn massive amounts of rpms when its cold, its better to just drive it then let it sit there building carbon and such