Yellowknife (Jan 17/05) - Northerners will do just about anything to heat up their stalled vehicle battery when -40C takes hold.

"I've seen three hairdryers going at a time, inside the hood, in three different directions, on for 12 hours. That's not good," said Jimmy Mackenzie, a mechanic at Kitnuna Construction in Cambridge Bay.

Mechanic Rodney Newman checks the oil of a car at J&G automotive in Iqaluit last week. - Kathleen Lippa/NNSL photo

"I've heard of people using a propane torch to heat their battery. Or using a little electric heater under the hood -- the kind that wouldn't even warm your feet up!"

People wouldn't have to get so creative and risk even more damage to their vehicle if they just listened to their mechanics and got their car winterized each year, he said.

As it is, mechanics in Nunavut have their hands full right now.

"Blocked. We're flat-out here," said Jim Ashford, shop foreman at J&G automotive in Iqaluit last week.

The shop is literally filled with every size of vehicle, from buses to cars.

Despite the long cold months in Nunavut, most people are still dangerously uninformed about how their vehicles work, said Mackenzie, who has been in Cambridge Bay for three years.

"We try to get everything working properly - battery warmers, block heaters, all that checked before winter. But the general public, I hate to say it, are very ill-informed about winterizing their vehicles."

People make careless errors by pulling too hard on their plugs, he said. "People are pulling the wires apart inside. And you're wondering why your truck doesn't start," said Mackenzie.

"I hate to pick on the customers, but they have an owner's manual for a reason."

Half of the jobs being done these days at J&G are on battery blanket cords, said Ashford.

"The main problem is preparation," said Ashford. "It's that simple."

An oil change is standard; and check the antifreeze to make sure it is good to -50C.

A winter front cover for the grill to keep the heat in is also a good idea.

Of course, there are the natural remedies when you are really in a jam.

Out on the land, men have found that urinating on a small engine, like that of a snowmachine, actually works.

"In the old days, on the older models of snowmachine, it worked," said Tommy Akavak in Kimmirut.

However, throwing boiling water on a frozen battery is a bad idea.

"It can work in some cases, but if it doesn't work right away you're screwed basically because the water will just freeze," Mackenzie said.