Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site pur-phy.UUCP 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.