I have to admit that my '66 Bug had been converted to 12V.  But that -47
degree morning WAS the only time it didn't start.  The way I figured it, if
it was above -40 I was okay, and I never had a sump heater or even a can of
Sterno.  Just a 1600 single port and 15W-50 Castrol.

BTW: It was a baja bug with big Yokohama tires that made the guys in 4X4
trucks look silly when it was snowing.

Cheers,

Jeff

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM]On Behalf
Of Richard A. Jones
Sent: Wednesday, December 18, 2002 4:27 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: cold air-cooled VWs

> As for air-cooled VW's and cold weather, I had a '66 VW Bug when I lived
in
> Bozeman, Montana and the only time that bad boy didn't start was one
January
> morning when the temperature dipped to -47? F.  Just a loud click.  I
think
> the oil had become solid.

Christmas of 1964, I drove my '61 deluxe VW splitty with a brand-new
(6V) battery and 20W oil to Bismarck, North Dakota.  The nights
were about 35 below and in the days it was warming up to -15.  I
think that was the time when Bismarck had 30 days below zero
inside 90 days below freezing.

The first morning, I put in the clutch, turned the key--and that
brand-new battery turned the engine over slowly 4 times.  Slowly,
very slowly, VERY slowly and extremely slowly!  That's all!

The VW dealer put 5W oil in it and a sump heater and it started up
fine after being plugged in about an hour.  The inside was toasty
because I had installed a surplus Stewart Warner 6V military gas
heater.  I used to joke that you could cook a chicken in front
of the vent!  I never had to scrape windows--just start it for 10
minutes and the ice was all melted.

[RVC (required Vanagon content): I think that heater put out twice
the heat of the BA-6 in my '81 which makes a lot of heat.]

                                Richard A. Jones
                                Boulder, Colorado
                                '81 Vanagon   Mr Bus
                                '87 Syncro Westy   El Jefe