Montana Winter Jeep Prep

Jsouder53

Jsouder53

Hooked
Moving from Florida to Montana this will be the first real winter that our Jeep has ever seen. Our Jeep has yet to see snow. All I know is that I need different washer fluid so far...

Just wondering what else people do before winter.

*It is not a garage kept Jeep



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zimm

zimm

Caught the Bug
That's about it. You could look into a battery heater and oil pan heater if you're going to be in -10 or colder.
 
WJCO

WJCO

Meme King
Get a quality battery.

When mine wasn't in the garage here and it got single digits or colder, I would still drive it around a couple miles even if I really didn't have any plans to go anywhere. Just to move fluids around and stuff.

When it's that cold, also be careful working on anything plastic as it can easily break.

Always let it idle for a few minutes after starting just to make sure oil is circulating around.
 
98XJ06LJ

98XJ06LJ

New member
Get an ice scraper. A real one. Not one of those ones that will fit in your pocket. If your Jeep is going to be kept outside you will need one. These work really well and are available almost anywhere that it snows. Also a good idea that if there is snow on the forecast over night to fold out your wipers so they aren't touching the windshield. The rubber on the wiper gets brittle and if you start scraping ice and hit the wiper blade that is frozen to the windshield it will sometimes tear. Just personal experience and preference on both. Congrats on the move!! Montana is beautiful!

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using WAYALIFE mobile app
 

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98XJ06LJ

98XJ06LJ

New member
98XJ06LJ said:
Get an ice scraper. A real one. Not one of those ones that will fit in your pocket. If your Jeep is going to be kept outside you will need one. These work really well and are available almost anywhere that it snows. Also a good idea that if there is snow on the forecast over night to fold out your wipers so they aren't touching the windshield. The rubber on the wiper gets brittle and if you start scraping ice and hit the wiper blade that is frozen to the windshield it will sometimes tear. Just personal experience and preference on both. Congrats on the move!! Montana is beautiful!

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using WAYALIFE mobile app
Click to expand...
Oh.... And the brush is for clearing all the snow from your hood and painted surfaces so it doesn't blinds you when you start driving....

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WJCO

WJCO

Meme King
98XJ06LJ said:
Also a good idea that if there is snow on the forecast over night to fold out your wipers so they aren't touching the windshield. The rubber on the wiper gets brittle and if you start scraping ice and hit the wiper blade that is frozen to the windshield it will sometimes tear.
Click to expand...

^ Agreed. Especially if you've been driving it the day before. The warm interior temperature of the Jeep causes the fresh snow on the outside to melt and make water around the wipers. Overnight this area becomes a block of ice.
 
Snboarder113

Snboarder113

Hooked
Remote starter.
Emergency supplies.
Recovery supplies.

Rust prevention, wax, paint, undercoating.

Thick weather resistant floor mats.

Check your coolant, up here we call it antifreeze.

Depending on what you’re used to running you may switch your oil thickness choice.

Switch from light beers to dark.


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monstrousmac

monstrousmac

Caught the Bug
I live in Helena Montana, nothing special other than windshield wiper fluid. Blockheaters are cheap to install if you want one. I even run a soft top all winter long. Last winter we hit -32 degrees and no issues.
 
Jsouder53

Jsouder53

Hooked
WJCO said:
Get a quality battery.

When mine wasn't in the garage here and it got single digits or colder, I would still drive it around a couple miles even if I really didn't have any plans to go anywhere. Just to move fluids around and stuff.

When it's that cold, also be careful working on anything plastic as it can easily break.

Always let it idle for a few minutes after starting just to make sure oil is circulating around.
Click to expand...

Awesome [emoji106] I’ll definitely put quality battery on my list.

98XJ06LJ said:
Get an ice scraper. A real one. Not one of those ones that will fit in your pocket. If your Jeep is going to be kept outside you will need one. These work really well and are available almost anywhere that it snows. Also a good idea that if there is snow on the forecast over night to fold out your wipers so they aren't touching the windshield. The rubber on the wiper gets brittle and if you start scraping ice and hit the wiper blade that is frozen to the windshield it will sometimes tear. Just personal experience and preference on both. Congrats on the move!! Montana is beautiful!

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using WAYALIFE mobile app
Click to expand...

Thank you! That’s exactly why we moved here! We ended up getting one of those ice scrapers [emoji106] thank you for the tip on the wiper blades as well

Snboarder113 said:
Remote starter.
Emergency supplies.
Recovery supplies.

Rust prevention, wax, paint, undercoating.

Thick weather resistant floor mats.

Check your coolant, up here we call it antifreeze.

Depending on what you’re used to running you may switch your oil thickness choice.

Switch from light beers to dark.


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE mobile app
Click to expand...

Perfect list! [emoji736] to most of those. I’ll have to look into the antifreeze and I run 5w-20. Would it be smart to switch to 5w-10 or something similar?

monstrousmac said:
I live in Helena Montana, nothing special other than windshield wiper fluid. Blockheaters are cheap to install if you want one. I even run a soft top all winter long. Last winter we hit -32 degrees and no issues.
Click to expand...

We will have to meet up at some point! -32 that’s crazy! Glad to hear that the soft holds up to the cold like that



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jdofmemi

jdofmemi

Active Member
You have the right advice so far.

The 5w-20 oil is fine.

One more thing, don't use your emergency brake. It can freeze if set after driving then left in sub freezing temps.

I know, I'm is SoCal now, but grew up in Northwest Colorado. Coldest morning I went out in was -56. I recall weeks on end of never getting above zero, and hitting -40 every night.

That said, you are in beautiful country, and I would have no problem going there to get out of the rat race.
 
Jsouder53

Jsouder53

Hooked
jdofmemi said:
You have the right advice so far.

The 5w-20 oil is fine.

One more thing, don't use your emergency brake. It can freeze if set after driving then left in sub freezing temps.

I know, I'm is SoCal now, but grew up in Northwest Colorado. Coldest morning I went out in was -56. I recall weeks on end of never getting above zero, and hitting -40 every night.

That said, you are in beautiful country, and I would have no problem going there to get out of the rat race.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the tip on the emergency brake and the oil!

There is plenty of space up here for you when you are ready to leave the rat race!


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rl206

rl206

New member
Battery can be an issue for sure we hit -11 over here in WA last year, and I had 2 starts where the battery just barely turned the motor over. I'd definitely carry a bottle of hand sanitizer w/ you to get the door locks and windows thawed out. Has saved my ass a couple times.
 
Jsouder53

Jsouder53

Hooked
HighwayTrout said:
https://wayalife.com/showthread.php/51084-Odyssey-Batteries
Click to expand...

monstrousmac said:
I use a Optima yellow top.
Click to expand...

Awesome, thanks!

rl206 said:
Battery can be an issue for sure we hit -11 over here in WA last year, and I had 2 starts where the battery just barely turned the motor over. I'd definitely carry a bottle of hand sanitizer w/ you to get the door locks and windows thawed out. Has saved my ass a couple times.
Click to expand...

Hand sanitizer to thaw out door locks? Lol



https://wayalife.com/showthread.php/52442-The-Build-and-Adventures-of-Bearbait
 
Arrcherr

Arrcherr

Caught the Bug
A collapsible recovery shovel is small enough to keep in back without taking up to much space and can really come in handy
 
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