Making Your Ford Bronco Winter-Ready

So Mother Nature has finally made up her mind. After teasing us with record-breaking temps and unseasonably warm fall weather… winter has definitely arrived. The temps have dropped, and parts of the Northeast and Midwest had their first major snowfall (over 30 inches!) Thanksgiving weekend. And while Bronco Nation members in certain parts of the country won’t feel winter’s wrath as many of us will, we should all still prepare for whatever the season may bring.

Those colder temps and snowy conditions can definitely change the way your Ford Bronco or Sport operates. Taking certain precautions and being proactive with your vehicle care can help ensure it keeps running to its maximum potential in any condition. I was talking to Kyle Stone, Bronco Nation member and a Senior Master Technician through Ford, about some Winter Prep Basics we should apply to our Broncos. He had some great tips to share.

TIRES

OK, let’s start with the tires. It’s not just making sure there is enough air in them. There are so many aspects of a tire… what should people look for?

Your tires are obviously essential to everyday driving, whether it’s on the pavement or on the trails. But when the temps drop, it’s important to keep an eye on them more than usual.

Tire pressure is the easiest one to check and should be monitored no matter if you off road or stick to the streets. Always reference your door sticker for recommended pressure, unless you’ve modified your Bronco significantly and require different settings. 

• The full size Bronco (6^th Gen) and Sport are both equipped with a tire pressure monitor system that you can check through the instrument cluster settings and displays. 
• If you're representing the older Bronco generations, a simple and cheap pressure gauge (pencil style, or dial style) are both easy to store and cheap to obtain.

Tread depth and sidewall condition are something that I feel gets overlooked a lot with modern vehicle owners. And sadly, the stock tires that come from the factory (depending on equipment level and trim level), don't seem to last as long as they used to. I’d recommend inspecting your tread depth and sidewall condition at around 20,000 miles for non-severe use, and probably around 15,000 miles for heavy dirt-road or off-roading use. 

• Testing your tread depth: The easiest check you can do is to take a quarter, put it in the tread of your tire with Washington's head pointed down. If you can see the top of his head, it's time for new tires, especially for winter traction. If you plan to off road during the winter, I’d recommend slightly more tread, halfway up his forehead to his eyes would be my bare minimum just be safe. 
• Inspecting your sidewall: This is also a very easy process. Check for cracks or bulges in the side of the tire, as well as for cracks in the tread area. If you start seeing cracking or sidewall bulges, it's time for new tires. If you see a sidewall irregularity and aren't sure if it's safe, ask a representative at a reputable tire or repair shop.

Balance is an easy one to check, and it’s something you can really feel just from sitting in the driver's seat. If you feel a shake or vibration that doesn't seem right, your balance could be off. To avoid potential issues, get the balance checked/performed at a tire shop. 

> One major thing to remember in the winter (and in wet conditions year round), is to keep an eye on snow, ice, and dirt build up inside the wheel. Even a small amount of build up inside the wheel can cause your whole vehicle to shake severely and make it feel unsafe to drive. 

And whether it’s January or July – ALWAYS make sure to have a spare ready when hitting the road.

BATTERY

It seems like one of the most common things I hear about on cold winter days, is people waiting for tow trucks because they have a dead battery. Are there any precautions we can/should take to hopefully avoid that? 

Colder temperatures can definitely be rough on batteries. But there are a few things you can do to keep it powered up and your Bronco running. Avoid the hassle of a dead battery (anytime, but especially in the colder months) by taking these precautions:

• Get your battery tested. A test will tell you if the battery is fully charged, how many cold cranking amps it can provide, and generally how healthy it is. Ideally you’d want to get this checked in the fall, before temps drop, but it’s smart to have this done anytime. And even more important if you have an older battery (3+ years).
• Keep it clean. Take a few minutes to clean corrosion off the top of your battery  and make sure the cables are tightly connected.
• Start it up. If temps have dropped significantly (below freezing) and you happen to not be driving your Bronco for a few days, you’ll still want to start it up. In cold weather, it's generally recommended to start your vehicle at least once every few days, which will help prevent battery drainage and keep the engine and fluids circulating. I would actually recommend letting it run for maybe a half hour to make sure oil temps come up to get rid of any moisture that can build up from cold starts, or driving it.
  
  If your Bronco is going to sit over the winter, I would actually recommend a battery tender/trickle charger, instead of starting it every few days. A lot of cold starts without letting everything come to temp can actually do more harm than good.

And of course, always keep those jumper cables in your car. You never know when you may need to help yourself, or another Bronco driver.

LIGHTS

What about the exterior lights? Are there any things to look out for/precautions we should take with those?

Lights are a very easy check, especially with the newer technology of the 6th Gen and the Sport. For most lights, there is a warning that will come up on the instrument cluster if you have a bulb out (but it's always a good idea to check them anyway!). 

• For the front lights, grab a friend, neighbor, or family member and have them stand outside the front of the vehicle to headlights, turn signals, fog lights, and high beams are properly working as you go through and test each.
• For the rear lights, have them move to the back of the vehicle. Make sure you have your brake pedal pressed hard, shift into reverse and make sure both reverse lights work, after that shift back to park, check the brake lights and turn signals.
• One that's often forgotten about, the license plate light! Be sure to check that bulb and keep the license plate free of snow buildup, too… you can get a ticket if it's covered and unreadable!

If driving in a snow storm or through heavy winds with snowy drifts, be sure to check the headlights for snow build up. This is a really common issue with the full-size Broncos, since LED lights don't produce the same amount of heat as halogens do…so they don’t melt the snow and ice. I've heard of people applying Rain-X (or similar products) to the lenses to help prevent or minimize build-up, but I can't speak from experience on that yet.

FLUIDS

There a lot of fluids needed to keep our Broncos running their best. I know we should monitor these throughout the year, but are there any we should pay particular attention to during the colder months?

Fluids are another easy check. Engine oil, coolant, and washer fluid are the easiest and most important to check. You should check to ensure these levels are ok year-round, but during the colder temps it is even more essential for a variety of reasons.

• Always make sure your oil level is OK. A low oil level could simply mean you need an oil change, or it may be an indication of another mechanical issue under the hood.

• Coolant levels should be monitored especially in colder weather, as low coolant means your heat won't work properly.
• Washer fluid is a big one in winter time, especially if you're in Southeast Michigan like I am, where we use salt on the roads to take care of ice and snow. We use it much more frequently when driving in the snow/winter, so always keep an eye on washer fluid levels to keep the salt spray off the windshield and to help take care of little bits of ice buildup. 
  • Be sure to either use a winter blend or at least an all-season blend of washer fluid to make sure it doesn't freeze in the tank, hoses, or sprayer nozzles! 
  • Tip from a mechanic: some washer fluid lines run inside the vehicle, and if they freeze and worse case pop, they will fill your interior with washer fluid)
• Try to keep gas/fuel levels at least above 1/4 tank, but preferably above 1/2 tank when it's below freezing. It's uncommon, but possible, for fuels to freeze when it's cold out, especially if they have a high ethanol content (E85 shouldn't be run in any modern stock Bronco by the way). This also helps keep your fuel pump healthy, as the fuel itself cools and lubricates the pump. When levels get too low, it can stress the pump and cause premature failure. 

DOORS

Many people like to remove the doors of their Bronco or Sport to make the drive experience even more exciting. Can the door seal be affected by the lower temperatures? Are there any steps to take to secure them/make sure they stay on in the cooler temperatures?

This is mainly for the full size owners, but applies to Sport owners, as well. Simply put, if you take your doors off in the warmer weather, you should ALWAYS check both the bolts and the connectors to make sure your doors are tight and secured when you put them back on.

• Loose doors can not only make noise, but they may not seal as well, causing your heat to escape and possibly let water in.
• Take a quick look that rubber sealing area between the body and the doors, make sure nothing looks out of place or torn/ripped.

THE ROOF

And just like the doors, people take their roofs off or drive with them open when weather allows. Is there anything people should do to ensure the roof is properly sealed for the winter and ready to keep the cold out?

One of the fun parts of owning a Bronco is the ability to remove the roof or hard top panels (if your vehicle is equipped with that option). If you had removed the hard top panels or the whole roof at some point, before hitting the road again (especially in the cold!) you should:

• Make sure the latches are all secure and the bolts are tight
• Make sure the seals/weatherstripping are not pinched or torn 
• For soft tops, make sure the windows are installed properly, and the mid and front latches are all secure, too
• For hard tops, I’ve noticed that the hard tops get more noisy/creaky in the cold; I imagine a quick spray of silicone spray or rubber care spray might help with that (I'll have to give it a try and report back)

Part of my worry with the roof and seals would be water buildup between the panels or between the body and rear section; this could freeze and potentially cause cracks or other damage. I haven't seen it, but I can definitely see it as a possibility.

WIPERS

I feel like I am always replacing my wipers in the wintertime. We seem to use our wipers way more frequently in the cooler temps here in Michigan — pushing ice and snow off the windshield or washing the salt off the windows.

Wipers are something that should always be kept in good working order. Streaking wipers, or wipers that don't clear the windshield properly, are a major safety concern.

• If your wipers are streaking, falling apart, skipping, or just leaving too much water in their trail, they should be replaced immediately, and the windshield should be cleaned as well.
• Dirt, salt, and ice buildup can all cause wipers to not work properly, too.
• Don't forget to check that rear window wiper, too (for us hard top and sport owners!).

I like to keep a spare set of wipers in my vehicle just in case — you never know when you try wipe a stubborn piece of ice off and suddenly the wiper is detached, or rubber is torn off. A spare (even if it is an older one you replaced) can help you in an unexpected moment on the road until you can get safely to a store or gas station to buy a replacement. 

Have any tips or tricks you use to keep your Bronco or Sport winter-ready? Tell us below.