Keep an eye on Barrett Jackson and Mecum auctions. They occasionally have Wolf’s Head dial thermometers for auction. As you may know, you can bid on line.
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Years ago I tried to trip the GFCI by rubbing the hot 117 VAC wire on the concrete garage floor.
Nothing.
Did I wethe floor to see if that would cause a trip? Don’t remember.
No problem withe battery.
Withengine warm, presumably less amps drawn by the starter motor.
As a courtesy to residents, I drive out of theighborhood before turning on the light bar. (The LED light bar uses a fraction of thelectricity of the motor-driven incandescent bulb light bar.)
If most engine wear happened on cold starts, would northern vehicles wear out significantly sooner than those used in the south?
Yes. They do.
Is it not kind of hard to tell since vehicles in the north tend to rust out while that’s not so much of an issue in the south?
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Yes, that’s my point. He asked if northern vehicles wear out sooner than southern vehicles, and generally they do. And as to if engines wear out sooner, I imagine they might, but it doesn’t matter if the engine is good when the frame is rusted out.
His question was about cold starts, not rust. I’m not certain “cold” starts refers to ambient temp, anyway. Although a “colder” start might be worse.
Then again, I’ve heard it said that “heat kills a transmission”.
I guess you’re screwed either way. 
What kind of circular logic or verbal gymnastics had to happen for this to be the result? Like this?
- Do cold starts make engines wear out sooner?
- If so, northern vehicles must wear out sooner.
- It doesn’t matter if they wear out sooner, because rust kills them.
- Rust makes northern vehicles wear out sooner.
- Yes it is true, northern vehicles wear out sooner.
- Yes, cold starts wear out vehicles faster, because they must be in the north, where there is rust.
- We have demonstrated that engines in northern vehicles wear out sooner.
- If the claim that northern vehicles’ engines wear out sooner is attacked, the response is that it doesn’t matter because rust kills.
I just have to go LOL.
So, do the engines in northern vehicles not last as long? Maybe comparing northern and southern high mileage vehicles of the same model year that are less than 20 years old would be a good place to start?
this is what you asked. you were not specific on the engine only. you asked if they wore out faster. so, he responded to the general question. if you asked if the northern engines wear out quicker than southern engines the answer might have been different. just my thoughts
How could someone not get that from the context? Starting your engine in the cold without using the block heater will cause your car to rust out faster? That’s ridiculous it just doesn’t make any sense. The person seems to be dishonest and is playing verbal gymnastics with me by substituting wear for rust and then saying that northern cars wear out faster due to rust.
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Someone asked a very specific question about vehicles in northern climates vs those used in the south. I’m not the one that changed the discussion from just engines to entire vehicles.
Anyway, there are too many variables to consider to make this question worth answering. For instance, people are often told to drive their cars gently until the engine is warmed up. Yet Ford, Honda, and perhaps others, have their cars programmed to have the transmissions upshift at higher RPMs when the car is cold, with the reasoning that a faster running engine will warm up quickly to reduce tailpipe emissions.
Can you cook steak and eggs on a block heater? No you can not. I trust you see the error of your ways now. 
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darn, I was looking forward to that block heater steak. I guess I have to go out and take it off.
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Yes, buthe real question is what brand and weight motor oil is best for steak and eggs? Non detergent, of course.
Castrol has a light, almost neutral flavor which is why an old friend used to refer to it as salad oil. And in the old days Kendall had a green tint to it, good for making Green Eggs and ham.
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The cold pour point on this oil is about -50 F which means the oil is quite pump-able down to -40 F so cold start-up wear is of little concern. Certaintly less concern than burning down your car and garage and possibly home with a Rube Goldberg frypan engine heater.
And you can use an ARC Fault outlet to protect the car more effectively than a GFI if you insist on keep Rube around.
Thank you. That should have been my question.
Is there any benefit in keeping thengine and transmission warm when attaining highway speedsoon after start-up?
(As a Registered Tree-hugger and Greenie, I always try to accelerate gently.)
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Have you tried a dipstick heater? No installation problems.
Thank you.
Does it havenough wattage to keep thengine warm in a cold garage?
Also does it fry the motor oil?
At leasthelectric skillet keeps everything (under the hood) somewhat warm.
But just wait until thelectric bill arrives.