My truck is currently sitting outside my garage as there is presently (and for the next few days) not enough room inside. It's been out for about a week so far.

I live in northern MN and we all know how the winters are here.

Its connected to a battery tender and the battery is new. Antifreeze is newish and the oil is as specified for the vehicle - 5w20 full synthetic.

I'm wondering if there is any value in these days of -15 to -30 temps to starting it every 2-3 days or so and letting it run for 30-45 minutes.

Prolly not much use in starting it like that.

I’d find one of those stick-on heating things on the oil pan to keep the oil moving. My dad used to have a diesel f250 and he had a block heater that was plugged up during cold days (20° or less)

I wouldn't start the vehicle frequently for no particular reason. You're generating combustion byproducts in the oil, wasting start cycles (starting is one of the worst things you do to the engine), and wasting fuel for no productive reason.

I would also not run a block or other heater continually, but rather wait to turn it on until a bit before I'm planning to start the engine for the following reason:

The engine and any accessories driven inside the engine won't heat equally with most types of heaters, so as you heat parts of the engine, you potentially also have parts which won't heat as effectively and moisture in the oil from blow-by may condense there and cause corrosion on those locations. You could insulate the engine compartment to help hold heat in, but seems unnecessary.

I wouldn't.

When I lived in Alaska, I retrofitted both:

an oil pan heater (i.e. drop skid plate, clean oil pan, glue on oil pan heater, route wire, and reinstall skid plate)

a blanket heater for the battery. Cold severely limits cranking power.

People I know in Fairbanks, had a 3rd heater and that was in their coolant (aka engine block heater).

My house had a heated garage (~50F since the water heater was in the garage) so I didn't use it at home. However, I did use it at work, airport, etc. when it was cold. No more of that God awful no lubricity start-ups and as a bonus the heater started producing heat faster.

People I know who used it at home had it on a timer so it'd turn on 2-hours before they started their car/truck to go to work. No sense in wasting electricity heating it longer than it needs.

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Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

I wouldn't worry about it. I'm in Central Iowa, which I know is tropical compared to Northern Minnesota, but I leave my 2003 Silverado outside at all times because it doesn't fit in the garage. Starts right up after sitting for weeks, doesn't matter the temperature and we can get down to negative double digits pretty regularly in February. If you have a strong battery and no parasitic drain on it, you'll be fine. I think when it is cold the warming and cooling cycles will be more harmful than any good if you don't have any other reason to drive it. I think the recommendation is if you are leaving a car parked for weeks you are supposed to disconnect a battery terminal, forgot which, to keep it from draining. I've never done that. For what it's worth, the battery in it is about 3 years old.

Put some Iso-Heat in the fuel tank, and let it be until you need to drive it somewhere.

Thank you all. Confirmed my beliefs.

When I was growing up in Alaska, Dad put a 100 watt light bulb in the bottom of the engine compartment.

Fast forward to when I was an adult, I bought vehicles with heating elements in a couple of the freeze plugs and put that on a timer every day. Started heating it up at around midnight and shut off around 6AM.

Worked fine for Anchorage and the surrounding area.

I agree, no to the occasional start. I used to do more with ‘block heaters’ various types. Now it’s more to lighter weight, synthetic oils. Yes, the battery needs attention
, newer, a tender with some uses.

If it was severe cold, below zero or so, I’d want some oil or engine preheat, if available.

Winter of 1974 thru fall of 1979 while in Delta junction / Ft. Greely (US Army) and Fairbanks, Alaska It was almost mandatory to make the following modifications to vehicles un less they were in at least a covered garage that was somehow warmer than outside temps that could and would be in temps of up to and greater than -50*F below zero. Vehicles plugged into electric "hitching post" with a extension cord. A small trickle charger on the battery.... Battery hot plate under the battery..... Battery electric heating blanket wrapped around battery...... Block heaters that were either freeze plug mounted or of a tank(cylinder) that drew water out of the bottom of the block then heating the coolant and returning it into the top of the block. Adding a can of "HEET" additive every tank to keep the moisture in the gas line from freezing the fuel lines closed..... Using a lighter viscosity oil in the oil pan so as to speed oil delivery when 1st starting the engine.... going to a lighter weight at temp of near or greater than -50*F for 30minutes and you would have trouble to remove the oil with a spoon...... At those temperature you could possibly get away with 4 hours unplugged from hitching post but after 6 hours you would be pressing your luck....... Also the use of something in front of the radiator to block or partial restriction of the air flow to keep the radiator from freezing up (wnnd chill effect) solid stopping the coolant flow and causing the block to serious overheating to the point of internal parts damage..... People who live in climates that barely reach freezing (+32*F) have trouble comprehending having to live / survive / and thrive with these conditions ........................................... drill sgt

I feel you on the Minnesota winters, we're 20 minutes away from where they set the record at -60-some below a few years ago.

Some things I learned from our mechanic son-in-law if you have a block heater, use it; the battery performs at its best when its temp is between 50-70 degrees; running the vehicle and not driving it do more damage than you realize; and if you need a new battery, get an AGM battery, they hold a better charge and crank better than the lead-core batteries.

Block heater. There are a lot of varieties out there and it works.

quote:

..get an AGM battery, they hold a better charge and crank better than the lead-core batteries.

The battery chemistry in and AGM battery and conventional wet cell battery are the same. They both use lead and sulfuric acid. They have different construction.

In a conventional wet cell arrangement, lead plates are submerged in a pool of acid. The more plates, the more surface area is available for the chemical reaction that creates electricity, the more cranking amps. In order to fit more plates in a given size battery, thinner plates are used. Thinner plates are more fragile though, so there is a limit on how thin the plates can be made before durability is affected.

Enter Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM). Instead of the lead plates being surrounded by a pool of liquid, the plates are sandwiched between layers of glass mat. This allows thinner plates without compromising durability as the mat helps hold the plates together. The mat absorbs the sulfuric acid, so the plates are still surrounded by acid and the chemical reaction can still take place.

In summary, AGM batteries allow more thinner plates than wet cell which gives AGM a cranking amp advantage over wet cell in a given size battery. The chemistry is the same. Both still freeze, both are still ruined by heat. The AGM construction offers and advantage in high vibration applications.

Is there gasahol in the tank? This is more important as that stuff slowly corrodes the system. It has a 90 day life and must be used up or it starts breaking down gaskets, seals, and creating varnish in the system. I didn't drain the weed eaters and mower every winter, and got forced to pay a carb rebuild almost as much as the whacker is worth. I now use alcohol free only in the garden tools. If that vehicle has gasahol in the tank find a gasoline stabilizer which will preserve it from breaking down.

Another plus for the engine block heater. Plug the heater in a couple hours before you intend to use the truck and things should be warmed up enough that engine will start right up.

Starting the truck every 2-3 days might make you feel better, but it doesn't make the truck easier to start, plus after you turn it off, it's back to its original cold temp in a couple hours.