Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1220268
Problem #4 We cannot do anything about gearbox oil – but high viscosity does not lead to a tragedy here. The differential or the gearbox may be exposed to a bit higher wear, but that's it. The coolant, however, is a major problem. If it freezes up, the engine block, the cylinder head, the cooler are all going to crack, as there is liquid inside those elements. Readily available coolants use glycol as their base – usually their freez- ing point is defined as -35, -38 or -40 degrees. This is not enough for Yakutia. Concentrates are also available. It is enough then to place pure concentrate in the cooling system – and our freez- ing resistance will be at the top level, right? Unfortunately no, this does not happen. Pure con- centrate freezes up at 13 de- grees. It needs some water to drop the freezing point. The best results can be achieved when the concentrate is mixed with water. 2:1 or 3:1 ratio work best. This way, the solution would not reach its freezing point at minus 60 de- grees centigrade. If you do not want to mix it up by yourself, you could simply go to Yakutia. There, ready-made liquids are available, the freezing point of which is as low as -45, -50 or even -60 de- grees. Problem #3 There is one simple solution that is not cheap, but it can save the battery from the freezing damage. Going up into the moun- tains, it is difficult to provide any warmth to the battery, if we're leaving for many days to come. However, one may continuously charge the battery, by setting up a simple solar panel. Charging the battery would slightly warm up the electrolyte, and, secondly, it would maintain the chemical reaction that would, in turn, keep the liquid moving around. These two factors may make the freez- ing process more difficult, possi- bly saving the battery too. Problem #2 To avoid a situation in which oil turns into honey or caramel, low viscosity oils for low tem- perature applications can be used. Viscosity rating is marked with the use of the number pre- ceding the letter "W", within the specs. 10W40 oil viscosity would be lower, at low temperatures, than one applicable to 15W40. 5W40's viscosity would be even lower. 5W30 or 5W40 - this is not relevant for low temperatures. The number following the letter "W" refers to viscosity at the en- EXPEDITION