In 1972-73, I was working at a radio station in the Tri-Cities in eastern Washington (just down the pike from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation) where it can get pretty freakin' cold on winter nights. My car was sitting in a car port, and although it was thoroughly winterized, I had one helluva time starting it in the mornings. Often it just wouldn't start at all, and I had to call a cab to get to the station. Bummer! Later in the day, after it had warmed up some, it would start without a protest.

The station manager had live in the area for years, and he made a suggestion. I'm no mechanic, but according to him, there is something like a flexible diaphragm that has to do with the carburetor. When it gets real cold, it gets stiff and won't flex, and the engine gets no gas (some folks may know what I'm talking about, even if I don't). Following his suggestion, I bought one of those small lamps, complete with a 100 watt bulb, that you can clamp onto something, plugged it into an extension cord, ran the extension cord out under the door to the car port, clamped the lamp to the engine right next to the carburetor, turned it on, then lowered the hood but didn't latch it, and threw a tarp over the whole shebang.

The light kept the diaphragm warm enough to stay flexible and the following morning, the car started, no problem.

Don Firth