I am moving a 2001 Land Rover Discovery II SE from southern California to Minnesota. The vehicle has spent its entire life in warm weather. Right now in Minnesota it is 4 below zero. What, if anything, do I need to be concerned about with using the vehicle in cold weather? Will the ACE system be impacted at all?

Thanks,
Greg

 

everything will work fine. But make sure the battery is good. Have it tested and cleaned of any corrosion or else it wont start. ACE is fine in all temps. But if you got leaks of any kind the cold makes them worse. Make sure you keep coolant topped off or else no heat.

Doors will freeze though if you wash it and let it sit in the cold weather.

 

i would change the coolant out to make sure it is fresh, install a new thermostat, have an autozone or similar check the power on the alternator to make sure its running like a top and then throw a new battery in it with 1000cca and you should be good to go. then in the spring or summer as it warms up make sure to complete the 60k service sticky in the HOW TO section.

 

You are going to want a new battery if yours is more than 3-4 years old.
You will want to use a 5w-30 motor oil i the winter time, 10w-40 for the summer.
Other than that that is all you need to do.

How long have you owned the truck?
Is your throttle body heater still hooked up?
That is a common leak point for engine coolant and alot of people just by-pass it and if yours is by-passed your throttle will freeze and you will either not be able to give it gas or it will stick open and you may crash.

 

Spike,

I don't own the truck yet. I am getting it (for free) from my brother-in-law. He has taken good care of it and I am the fortunate beneficiary of his success. I don't know if the throttle body heater is hooked up or not. I will ask him and check when it arrives.

Thanks,
Greg

 

Greg, if he does not know then you can find out just by looking at it.
If it is by-passed you can hook it back up for cheap.
Glad you are getting a Disco for suck a great price. lol
I take it you know very little about these trucks?
If so read the "How To" section on the main page of the Discovery section.
And remember, you MUST use premium gas.

 

Minnesota winters call for something like mobil 1 0w40. I live outside of Buffalo, NY and even a full synthetic 5w40 was not cutting it with this cold spell. I dumped the Rotella and switched to the 0w40 and it really helps with those cold morning starts.

 

Here is something that I thought of today that you will need to do after you get to Minnesota...you will need to recalibrate the compass in your rear view mirror.
If you dont it will read the wrong direction, so North wont always be North and so on.

 

Have the antifreeze tested. Any drive in oil change place can do it. You will need to be sure it is up to snuff in the cold.

Also be sure to use real windshield wiper fluid or the holding bottle will crack if the fluid freezes. I know some people in warm weather use water for that.

 

Buy winter wipers also, regular wipers will ice up.