winterize or not?

[chicagojeff]

Well, this is the first winter I have owned my Elan,and am trying to survey whether people think it's a good idea to put the car up for the winter, or just keep driving it...as long as there isn't any snow. It gets pretty brutal in Chicago, and I am wondering if the consensus is that continual heating and cooling/freezing of the block is actually worse than just letting it sit. I used to have some BMW 2002s, and no matter how cold it was, they would always start...I even had to use one to jump a new Passat!

Anyway, the car's garaged, but not heated...could use one of those oil dipstick heaters to lessen the blow to the block. Any thoughts? First time after about 10 days of not driving and little things that worked all summer are of course starting to get flaky, like the heater fan and other electricals (which are just a bad ground I think).

The plus I suppose is that the car is toasty warm to drive since the cabin is so small!

best, Jeff About to Be Cold in Chicago

[marcfuller]

cooling/freezing of the block

Freezing of the block is BAD. Are you using antifreeze?

I would not be concerned about the engine block, assuming you are using a good coolant mix and the coolant and oil is fresh. The block is used to a large variation in temps.

I would be concerned about the potential for thermal shock to the body causing some stress cracks to be revealed in the typical Elan GRP. In my climate it is not unusual for there to be a very large delta between the body's surface temp warmed to 80F or higher with bright sun, while the ambient air temp is well below freezing.

As for residual slush and mag or cal chloride (even on dry roads) you have to evaluate for yourself against the appearance and integrity of your Elan.

[1964 S1]

Hello from semi-brutal winter Cincinnati. I use my Lotuses as weather permits, year round. The electric dipstick is a good idea, warms the block via the oil. Unless it's a daily driver, getting it started on cold cold days may be impossible, but, when it warms up a bit, say above 40' you can be off and driving. I have no heated garage and I'm not sure if that would make a difference as to how often I drive them in the winter. The fiberglass body is more a concern in cold temps for me than the engine. I watched a six inch paint crack appear as winter progressed on a repainted S4 I bought from California, and I Had Not Driven The Car ! My conclusion, winter driving aids stress cracks. On the other hand, exercise is a good thing... somehow cars are like horses.

[twincamman]

Chicago Jeff ------load up the anti freeze to -40 f --thats about 50 / 50 ---to keep rust out of the rad and block ---remove the battery and store it in doors --don't cover it as this increases dampness under the cover -a garage is nice or a car port -fill the gas tank to prevent rust --and wait till spring ---I drive mine from April 1st [ if there is no snow ] till Nov 30 if there is no snow -----the 7 is 25 years in my custody and the ?lan hopefully will last another 30 with me ----the salt is deadly on these chassis --it sits in areas you can not get it out of --and keeps on rusting ------ as for cold it gets so cold last winter I put the cat out and it broke ed