this is more of after the fact type question...of what should I have done...I'm sunny Southern California person =)

I just got back from Mammoth, Ca



Problems encountered:
- hard starting in the morning..(weak battery?)
- rear window froze to the rubber (at bottom of window) so I couldn't open rear gate
- with cables on (rear wheels) and 4wd engaged...there was a death rattle from the left front tire area. Initially, I thought the shock had come loose/off. w/o 4wd it was less but still there. Chains off and the roads cleared...no rattle...would bad ball-joint cause this? or A-Arms?
- At initial start, the pulleys squealed like crazy until warmed up. Should I have sprayed some grease on them?

What else should I have done to prep for cold weather?

Problems encountered:
- hard starting in the morning..(weak battery?)

Most likely....

- rear window froze to the rubber (at bottom of window) so I couldn't open rear gate

Silicone spray (or grease coating) on rubber seems to do good at keeping rubber from sticking to glass or metal

- with cables on (rear wheels) and 4wd engaged...there was a death rattle from the left front tire area. Initially, I thought the shock had come loose/off. w/o 4wd it was less but still there. Chains off and the roads cleared...no rattle...would bad ball-joint cause this? or A-Arms?

Common noise when using chains. Some vehicles don't like chains due to close tolerances in the fender wells.

- At initial start, the pulleys squealed like crazy until warmed up. Should I have sprayed some grease on them?

For belts, I use a bar of soap to keep a film on them.

What else should I have done to prep for cold weather?

Dress warm, carry extra blankets...

x 2 except belts. I don't do a thing for 'em.

Toss in a 9x12 tarp to toss over the rig during warmup to make it more effective. Cover the grill and the wheel wells to keep that nice warm engine air in there.

Cold weather gear bag for all in the vehicle is a MUST. Case in point:

I stopped to help some n00b here last night; VERY lucky he didn't roll his *rig* (a 4 letter word). Promptly threw the rear end of his wife's rig over the edge after I told him he most likely wouldn't be able to haul himself out from a 60dg embankment; and also near-parallel to the road. Good thing for them I stuck around after tossing out a flare for 'em.

Neither dressed for the weather, and the wind chill was about -20F or so. Convinced them to use the AAA they pay for in the AM, and to check each other for frostbite when they got home. This was 0030 hours, so not a lot of traffic for both of them to be waiting on, stuck.

Now they both know how to use a flare, where to get 'em, the Troopers' number is now in their cells. Now I've gotta go get a new tow strap. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />

thx...

...kept a good supply of provisions in case we got stuck.

I cleaned the windows, but will apply silicone next time.

I think there is something going on with my RT front wheel area. I'm going to try a washboard road to see if I can reproduce the 'rattle' 'clunking' sound.

Not sure what to do about the battery. It works fine now and started the truck every time (4x) in the cold early mornings....albeit with a struggle..3-4 turnovers before it started.

What about anti-freeze...do you change the ratio?

Normally you do not need to change the anti-freeze ratio. If you are in sub-zero temps, there is a change in mixture that is recommended.

If you have and alignment issue, Rodger Daniel's Alignment and Brakes in Santee is a good shop.

He has a full alignment rack setup and is very familiar with 4x4 vehicles.

A standard 50/50 mix of ethylene glycol antifreeze (i.e. Prestone) and water is supposed to provide freeze protection down to -34?F. There should be a chart on the jug that gives you the % versus temperature. I suspect you will be fine, although it did get down to -45?F in Boca, CA back in 1937. Brrrrrrrrr.

50/50 is just ducky for you down there. Don't overthink this. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />