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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!CS-Mordred!Pucc-H:pur-phy!act
From: act@pur-phy.UUCP (Alex C. Tselis)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Cars in Very Cold Weather
Message-ID: <1604@pur-phy.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 20-Jan-85 21:31:07 EST
Article-I.D.: pur-phy.1604
Posted: Sun Jan 20 21:31:07 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 22-Jan-85 05:45:11 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: Purdue Univ. Physics Dept., IN
Lines: 25


	Here in the midwest the weather has been really miserable.  It's been
so friggin' cold that they've been broadcasting emergency phone numbers on
the radio for those stranded, for those without fuel, for those without shelter,
and so forth.  

	This weather will probably afflict those on the East coast soon, so
you guys out there, take heed!

	Anyway, my question concerns the behavior of cars in extremely cold
weather.  I know something about the general characteristics of matter as
the temperature is decreased (some stuff freezes, some stuff gets very 
viscous, metals contract, and so forth), but I'm particularly interested
in what happens specifically to cars.  I found that my car won't start, and
I've had to walk home for several days now.  This is when I need to use my
car the most!!! 

	Could car experts in Netland explain what happens to cars in such
weather, and what sorts of things can be done to alleviate the resulting
problems?  This sort of thing would be very useful to me and others in
the midwest, and will be useful to the people on the East coast who will
have to worry about these things in the near future.  (It usually happens
that the weather here journeys to the East within a day or two.)

	Many thanks.