It's my first winter with my big beauty!

Last spring I got my 94 F350 with a 460 in her. She's been pretty good to me so far (minus a few electrical issues which have since been sorted) and this winter she will continue to be a daily driver. It's not what I originally planned, but circumstances being what they are I want to make sure I'm doing some best practices for driving.

I live in SE Michigan so snow and salt are a factor as well as freezing temps and since it's an older truck and my first I have a few questions.

1. Should I change the oil viscosity I'm using? It currently has 0W20 in it, but without an engine heater I want to make sure I'm not going to put unnecessary wear on the engine when starting cold.
- In that same vein, how long should I let her warm up before I drive off?
2. It has a spray on undercoat already on the body and frame, but is there a suggested product I can use to help prevent rust even further from the salt and snow? I already plan on a good wash every week or two. The same goes for the bed as well, it is just painted, no real liner to speak of.
3. Are there any other best practices I should be aware of for this winter? A coworker mentioned driving with the hubs already locked in case I need to throw it in 4 wheel drive and then I won't have to get out, I'm concerned this would wear things down for no reason on top of losing a little bit of fuel efficiency.

I'm sure there's more I'm not thinking of so if you guys can give any suggestions I'd really appreciate it.

Thank you so much!

 

Make sure you have a 50/50 solution of glycol coolant and water to provide adequate freeze protection, and a quality 195° F. thermostat so the heater works correctly.

 

What weight oil were you considering using? 0w-20 is the absolute thinnest I would run even in a new vehicle, with bearing clearances being as tight as they are now. And that is probably Full Synthetic.

Some of these trucks have gone 200,XXX miles plus on just 5w-30, and the harshest winters up North.
If you're concerned about sub freezing temps, and wear protection, you might consider a block heater.

And letting it idle to warm up, that is just opening a world of answers for you and everyone is going to have a different answer. Truth is, after it kicks down from it's cold start idle routine, is the preferred time to drive. Just sitting and idling, the clutch fan still takes several minutes to slow down, so that entire time is running fully locked, the engine is taking longer to warm up. I have removed the clutch fan during brutal cold winter's, but remember, it can't cool down if temps accelerate quickly and with global warming, if you call it that, temps can swing from 0 to 40 in just a day.

It's your truck, do what you feel is comfortable. It sounds like it's well maintained and your pride and joy.

 

Any tips on where to get a quality block heater?

 

https://phillipsandtemro.com/.../engine-block-heaters

https://www.lifewire.com/car-block-heater-frozen...
I have remote starts on my cars, the convienance is well worth having one installed.

 

Your second link is broken. But I'll poke around thanks!

 

If I were just looking at oil viscosity I'd go about 5W-30 in winter and either 5W-30 or 10W-30 in the summer (and I'm in Minnesota, so we get winter temps here). But with flat tappet lifters I would prefer to use oil that's still has the higher zinc levels, and the oil I end up actually using is a 5W-50.

But regardless, 5W- something is fine for winter.

And while a block heater is nice, it's not really necessary unless it's getting really cold. Around here -10F is fairly common and -30F isn't unheard of. Down to 0 or -10 I wouldn't bother. And actually I don't have one at all, but if I did I might use it below that.


Long enough that the engine won't stall. That's usually a few seconds. I wouldn't accelerate onto a freeway right after a cold start, but drive gently for the first few minutes and you won't have any trouble.

Fluid Film is often touted here. I've never used it, but I probably will if I ever get an older truck with little enough rust to try to preserve it.

Generally undercoating is not thought well of. After it gets a few nicks in it it tends to trap moisture against the metal rather than keep it away. Probably not much you can do about it now. But if you get a new truck that hasn't been undercoated you might not want to add it.

And a really well known trouble spot on these trucks is above the inner fender in the rear. Stuff gets stuck up there and is held against the inside of the outer bedside, which results in the typical rust-through above the rear tire. Whatever you can do to keep that clean will help a lot. At least rinse it out frequently. And you might want to put drain holes in the inner fender so stuff doesn't get held there.

Are you talking about the inside of the bed? That's usually not much of a problem unless you let dirt and leaves collect and hold moisture against the metal. You could get a spray-in liner installed if you want to avoid new nicks, but on an older truck there's probably already some rust starting, so trapping it under the liner isn't a great idea either. Personally I don't like the drop-in plastic liners that rub against the paint. I just go with a rubber mat on the bed floor, which can be taken out to rinse clean every so often.

I would only lock the hubs if you think there's a reasonable chance you'll need 4WD that trip. For some people that means leaving them locked all winter, which is OK if it's needed. But as you say, it will cause a little more wear and use a little more fuel. Not so much to worry about if you need 4WD, that's why you have it after all. But enough that it's worth thinking about if you don't need 4WD very often.

 

It's mostly city driving. I can't see needing 4 wheel drive much at all on highways and honestly if I'm in a situation on the highway where I need 4 wheel drive I probably shouldn't be on the highway. But, I'll have to wait and see how the truck handles in snow anyways. The tires are pretty much brand new so I should have plenty of traction as well.

Sounds like I'm just worrying over nothing. If it becomes a big issue I'll look into a block heater but what I've been doing should keep working.


Thanks so much for your help guys!

 

I don't think you can ever go wrong with a block heater, but, of course, they are standard equipment out here. 0W oil will help it crank over easier in the cold, that is what it is meant for, but 5W30 is a good oil for winter in old engines. The block heater takes a lot of stress off the battery on cold starts and your battery and charging system gets tested every day with reduced battery output the colder it is and increased cranking loads from cold oil. Get a block heater and a timer for the plug you use at home so you don`t waste a bunch of power running the block heater all night. A couple of hours before you need it is usually good for easing the starting.

As I understand it, newer vehicles with auto shifting 4X4 don`t typically have free wheeling hubs. Leaving your manual hubs locked is pretty much like every new 4X4 on the road with the front dif turning and just the transfer case in neutral. I`ll run my old truck with the hubs locked if we get a big dump of snow and I don`t have any load in the box. I`ll unlock them if I`m running any distance on the highway.

 

Big factor is make sure you have a strong battery with the highest cca’s available.

I generally put a new battery in every three years because I like to know it’ll start in the winter

 

It doesn't hurt to top off a battery once in a while with a charger, this will tend to extend their service life out a bit. An automotive charger like the kind Sears or Wards or everybody sold for decades is fine. Make sure grounds and battery cable connections at both ends are clean and tight.

 

I only lock the hubs when I need 4x4. Otherwise you are spinning those u-joints needlessly. I have never owned a block heater and have seen some cold temps. The coldest I recall was minus 30 up here on the hill and minus 42 down in the valley a mile or so away from the house. The only thing that would start that morning was my '77 F250 with a 400. When I know ahead of time it is really going to be cold, I sometimes put a drop light under the hood. Just enough to take the edge off the cold. But that is old school I guess.

 

I lived up in Traverse City,Michigan. snow butt deep on a tall injun 6 months out of the year... no block heater and if it was gonna get really cold, do like the buffalo do and put the butt end into the wind while it's parked. Only a cpl times can i remember it was so cold it was hard to shift the old t-18. Never had 4 wheel drive either. Just some sand bags throwed between the wheel wells in the bed and wetted down so they froze there in Octember, ran them until Apriish, 10w-30 year round in my 67 with a 352. I think you are worrying a bit much. 50/50 mix in the radiator and after a cpl min of easy driving, it was roasting you out of the cab.

My 93 has gotten 10w-30, with the exception of 20w-50 in the gawd awful summers in Arkansaw where waking up to 85 degree heat at 4 in the morning felt cool.

 

A lot of people have this opinion in one form or another and I really can't understand it. It's like saying that if there's enough snow on the roads to need tread on your tires that you shouldn't be out anyway, so there's no reason to replace your bald tires.

People seem to think that 4WD only helps you get going when you should probably be parked. But it also makes the truck more stable in snow. It even helps older trucks stop straighter (it makes it impossible to lock up one axle which was pretty easy in older trucks, less of a factor with anti-lock brakes though). So if you have 4WD, USE IT! Just like you would put better tires on if you had them available.

That doesn't mean you should think your truck is invincible in 4WD and you should drive 95 mph in 6" of snow. It helps, but only so much. But still, it helps, so why wouldn't you accept that help?

 

Central MN, where last winter we saw -40 3 different times. Top notch battery, and proper cable size is a must, and they are often neglected. Unavailable from Ford and the aftermarket replacements are 2 small a gauge. I've had mine built at an electrical shop that fabs cables for ag and over the road truck use. Super quality ends and I use 2 ga for my 460 for the winters. I use a frost plug heater (the only kind, do not bother with in hose ones, you will be sorry) readily available from NAPAs etc, Make sure it's a Canadian one and not Chinese. RF inner fender comes out easily and that's the spot for installation. I have 3 460 5spds on my farm and they all pop off quickly, if they can spin over! Do not lock your hubs unless you anticipate needing them for deep snow or mud. And on ice DO NOT LOCK your hubs, you won't be able to steer. Warm up for no more than a minute or so, and then drive lightly loaded in a lower gear till the gauge starts to move. None of the putting around at 1500 at 30. If you've an auto, don not let it shift up for a while. I like to run along around 2000 rpm for a bit. My oldest truck has over 500,000 miles on it and is still working great. My 2 bits