Broke down in Saskatoon :(

[CrazyScotsman]

Well, the cold got the better of my Volvo. I woke up at 3 am freezing to find truck no longer running. I tried starting it, code came up , " Low engine oil ". I get up get dressed go to put some oil in, and low ande behold all my oil is laying on the ground. So I called Volvo care. volvo dealer closed till Monday and no vendors in the area that do mobile repar, according to Volvo.
There I sat in the truck in minus whatever it was ( cold ) Had my boots on that are good to -40, layered clothing, sleeping bag wrapped round me. All I can say is , " I have never been so cold in my life :. I sat there freezing till almost 8 am, when the people I was delivering to got there. I think they got there just in time, I couldn't stop shaking from the cold. Their warm rental suv sure felt good.
I finally got hold of the local Volvo dealers on their emergency number after numerous call's and messages left. Probably 9 hours after the first call to them, was when I got them.
They helped set up for a wrecker to tow it to their shop, guy came in to open shop and put truck in. They seem to think that it may be the crankcase valve frozen ( Never heard of that valve before ), and maybe then cracked because of the cold. Will find out for sure Monday when they open up after the New year.
Well, we had to get that satelite communication systems off, so I go to use my lift gate on back of trailer. Guess what.. The hydaulic fluid was froze, I could get the lift to go down and up, but cylinders that make it come out from under the back of trailer were froze solid.
Well, these guys that flew up here from MD to install this stuff are getting impatient that their 7+ million $ equipment is still on the trailer. Well, I had to go out and rent a truck with a lift gate. Guy in charge of install went with me, he said opening in back of truck has to be such in such tall, so I take my tape measure along, he measured the height, says good they'll fit through that opening. Wrong we ended up taking the elecronic banks off the pallets, all in all a 1 hour job, turned into an all day ordeal in freezing weather.
So now I sit in a hotel, till Monday, but I am going to help the installers move equipment around tomorrow, more for something to do than anything else.
1 consolation in this deal is I didn't break down in the middle of BFE, if that had happened no telling what my outcome would have been.
You can keep this COLD..... I have hEAT in room cranked as high as it will go.

Sorry for been long winded. Needless to say DW is not to happy, she says" she could have lost her old man to the cold ".

 

[beardedone]

Your DW is very right, but you did the right thing by layering up and staying with the truck. It is when people leave their vehicle that they freeze to death. December has been a bitterly cold month up here, as it has been everywhere else in North America. In November of every year my emergency kit goes into the jockey box. A single burning candle inside a vehicle can save your life, just make sure it is in a can so you don't start a fire.

 

[jimtoo]

Yes... your DW is correct... the first thing you lookout for is Yourself in a situation like that... They can always replace a piece of equipment or electronics.

I have never heard of oil freezing, it may get thick and gel a little when not being used, but if your truck was running,,don't see how it could jell or freeze, I would think something else happened. I worked in the oil field in Co and Ut and many a time we left truck or rig run all night so the fuel would not jell. Never had a problem.

But good luck on your repairs and hurry home safely. You cannot be replaced.

Jim M

 

[jnbhobe]

K-2 hope you get things fixed soon and get back to the warmth of MO.so Elaine can warm you up.

 

[CrazyScotsman]

Jim it was the crankcase valve they think froze up, whatever that is. Truck was idling when this happened.

Jon I wish for nothing more than Elaine keeping me warm.

Gerry how do people handle this cold every year????
I did see something I have never seen before, is electric plug in's at parking areas so people can plug their cars in while at work ETC. That shows you how bloody cold it gets up here when you plug in a gasoline engine.

 

[jimtoo]

I have never heard of that valve before either and with your engine running, you should have had 180* temps. You have thermostat in engine, plus shutters on radiator, no way should it freeze. Keep us posted on the repairs Ken.

Just stay warm and safe. And please wear more than the kilt.

Jim M

 

[2010augusta]

Ken, I feel for ya man, A couple years back I bought a car if ebay and flew out to Michigan over presidents day weekend to pick it up and drive home to Colorado. Well after a full day and 5 airports later, I was in Lansing and driving towards Kalamazoo, when suddenly the car began running like crap. I took the first exit and the car died. I call road-side service and had to wait several hours in the car for the tow truck. It was about 10*F outside. I was very happy when a guy with a suburban pulled over and let me warm up a bit while waiting. I had to spend two days in a hotel waiting for a shop that could properly diagnose the problem, then had to fly back to CO to get back to work on time. The car was in the shop for two weeks to get a solenoid and a new cam shaft installed. Once the car was delivered to CO it ran great for several years till i traded it in on our F-450.

 

[Riverman]

Welcome to Canada Ken!
We leave our large units (Cat & Detroit engines) running steady for days/weeks on end. It is very important to keep the RPM's & engine temps up. We have had them shut down due to exhaust plugging off with unburnt fuel but never dropping the oil on the ground. Thats a new one on me. Trying to operate in these nasty sub-zero temps without the proper equipment can be very dangerous. Hope they get you fixed up & headed south ASAP.

 

[CrazyScotsman]

Riverman.. On the engine I have, the Volvo D16, you can only kick the RPM's up to 700, any other truck engine i've had you could kick them up to at least 1100 rpm's
Plugging gasoline cars in to an electric outlet is a new one on me.

 

[Riverman]

700 RPM is definately not enough. We try to keep ours at least 1300-1500 after -20C and that is with belly tarps - air tank heaters - fuel tank heaters - winterfronts closed right tight.
Do you have a antifreeze evaporator for your air system on your unit? That will be your next problem. Fortunately I believe we will be seeing some warmer weather soon...up to a balmy -15 C by mid week.

 

[beardedone]

If an engine, gasoline or diesel, idles at too low of rpm for a long time it certainly can freeze up in the bitter cold. Almost every vehicle up here has a block heater and lots of v-8s have two. I always run 5-40 synthetic oil in the winter and some run 0-40. I also have an electric battery blanket and a long extension cord to plug in if I can find a power source. I like the cords with the light in the end so I could look out the hotel window in Ft. McMurray to see if the power was still on. If you are coming up north much in the winter than an Espar heater would be worthy of consideration, but they are $$$$. I certainly hope you get it fixed and that the most expensive thing was the tow job. Good luck. (By the way I don't go to Ft. Mc. anymore, don't work and now my truck stays in the garage)

 

[geeksrus]

Jim it was the crankcase valve they think froze up, whatever that is. Truck was idling when this happened.

Jon I wish for nothing more than Elaine keeping me warm.

Gerry how do people handle this cold every year????
I did see something I have never seen before, is electric plug in's at parking areas so people can plug their cars in while at work ETC. That shows you how bloody cold it gets up here when you plug in a gasoline engine.

I'm from the same neck-of-the-woods as Gerry... how I cope with these bitter winters is by heading to the southern U.S.... now in Mission TX.

Eh!:angel:

 

[jbeletti]

Glad to hear you are safe now Ken. Stay warm.

Jim

 

[wyleyrabbit]

I partially grew up in Regina, SK, and the bitter cold snaps in winter can be severe. Yes, every vehicle has an engine block heater and you must plug the thing in every night or your oil will gel...and obviously never start. If it's windy, don't park so the radiator is facing the wind either.

Fortunately, I live in metro Vancouver, BC now. In the 25+ years I've lived here, I think the coldest it's been is -16C ( about 3F ). We don't need engine block heaters here. Most of our winter is above freezing, and today will be a "balmy" 8C ( 46F ).

Chris

 

[caissiel]

I spend last winter north of Thompson Manitoba and the Ford survived very well except for the electronic sensors bucking in the cold. The fuel is conditioned and should survive in the cold if filled in the cold. I had to install a cold blanket in the grill to cut the cold to the engine compartment so as not to freeze the sensors. It was a different unit that cause different problems. I found out that the Fords were tested and approved for -30F and I was in -40F most of the winter. The surprise I got was the survival of my LCD Radio/GPS/TV units in the cab, did survive the cold. Its recommended not to expose LCD to the cold.

 

[mjatwalker]

Wow Ken, and I thought it was cold here only 16 this morning. Hope you make it home soon and safe.

Mike

 

[Dave012]

I grew up in Saskatoon. Last night was about -19C and its currently around -16C (3F). Of course with windchill, it probably feels far colder than that.

That is typical weather for this time of year. I heard on Christmas Day it was about -27C (-17F).

Hope you're able to get warm, and can travel soon.

Dave

 

[kkamshop]

Ken sorry to hear about your misfortune.I hope repairs are minimal.Good luck, Kenny

 

[Paul & Nan]

I'm from the same neck-of-the-woods as Gerry... how I cope with these bitter winters is by heading to the southern U.S.... now in Mission TX.

Eh!:angel:

Where are you in Mission. We are in Mission as well. Paul and Nan

 

[CrazyScotsman]

20 more minutes and the shop opens, so hopefully in a couple of hours I will get the prognosis. I am keeping a positive attitude, the glass is half full.
The install crew that came up here from MD have been very helpful guys, helping me out whenever they can, like giving me a ride here and there. Yesterday I spent the whole day with them being their grunt, helping them with the install, it was the least I could do, considering all the help they have been.
I will post what Volvo has to say, have a great day all.