Well,

The question:

What does your Rex run for temps during the winter? It is only getting down in the 30s right now here and my Rex is only climbing to about 1/4 of the temp gauge after I let it sit and idle in the parking lot or something when I take it for a spin.

I am kinda concerned that it will be having some problems come dead of winter when it is sub-zero wind chills in god's country where I live. I can't park in the garage, but I can park it next to the garage door and near the house to keep in kinda sheltered.

Now,

Any suggestions for helping the Rex stay healthy during the winter other than storing it properly till Spring?

I plan on driving it all winter. I live in-town, about 6 or 7 blocks from the campus (I attend Ferris State University). So, I don't have to worry much about the bad weather or bad road conditions cause we are plowed out overnight regularly.

 

Oh. I do have an OEM thermostat installed (10-20-02) in it too. The car ran really cold before I put that in. It was only getting up to a 1/4 of the gauge if I was driving around for 10-15 minutes or so.

Now it warms up in about 5-7 minutes.

Oh, how crucial is it that I get the car up to total operating temperature before killing it again? When I leave my house to drive to work, I don't get up to full temperature. I drive it for about 5 minutes at a combination of 3k rpm shifts and idling at stop lights.

 

1/4 on the temp guage is perfectly normal for an '86-'88.

If the car is in good shape, you shouldn't have any cold weather problems.

5 minutes of driving should be fine to warm it up enough to prevent flooding. I always let my car run for 1 minute in the cold before I start driving it, and don't take it above 3.5K until it has reached temp.

 

Just get a real water temp gauge before you have any sort of concern for the question. They are easy to install and worth it. It is really cool to see the engine water temp heat up and up and up....then drop a little when the thermostat opens. Then it stabilizes. You just can not get that info from a stock gauge.

James

 

Ditto James.

Make sure your coolant is about 50/50. If you're not sure, coolant testers are both cheap and plentiful. And don't use oil any heavier than 10W30. I ran with 5W30 last winter and didn't have any probs. But I'm thinking I'll stick with 10W30 this winter, cuz you don't get quite as much lubrication with 5W30...

Your 7 will LOVE the cold air, btw.

 

My GXL ran at 195 F today. Scared me, usually it runs at 180 F.

 

my car ran at about 3/4 of the " normal operating temp gauge today going back and forth to school, about 45 minutes each way, should I be worried??????

 

Just get an aftermarket water temp gauge

James

 

3/4???????? yeah thats high if it stayed at that mark the whole time during all types of driving then you may want to get a diff gauge but if that was that high just cruising down the road then you may want to look into a new engine....

 

This is so incorrect, 5-30 gives more lubrication faster!

and does the best job in a colder area, keep using 5 weight and you will be happier