Slow cranking in cold weather!

[Churchlady]

"I'm using Castrol 5W50, though. Best of both worlds -- thinner for quick circulation on cold starts, but plenty of viscosity for long trips and/or heavy loads. I ran Mobil-1 15W50 in the XJ for awhile, alternating with 10W30 for winter, but it seemed like the weather always changed on me right after I changed the oil and I was always using the wrong weight. The 5W50 stays in year 'round."
--------------------

Eagle, I think I'm in your same weather zone (5). Would you recommend the same for me ('96 w/91000 miles; about to change to synth for 1st time)? I'd like to be able to run the same kind of oil year round. And do you run synth in diff/transfer case? What kind?




__________________

 

[Churchlady]

P.S.

And what is the optimum warmup time before putting the car into gear? I always did 20-30 seconds on my Trooper & then--like Rich--let it poke along & loosen up on its own for a few blocks.

Do you use any kind of engine heater in really cold weather? Are those little dipstick heaters any good? Searched for mention of them but found none.