Home made Engine Pre-heaters?

[Mitsuru]

Has anyone got an engine pre-heater installed on their vehicle?
if so was it off the shelve jib or a home made set-up?

Such as a block hester which replaces one of the plugs in the block.
Or a on which is in the radiator coolant hose.

[BXBXBXBX]

Hello , a manufactured one in a radiator hose, it's now 40 years old. Personally there is no way that I would contemplate a home made one for safety reasons.
Many years ago they used to do a small paraffin heater that went under the engine, I haven't seen one for a long time.
Cheers.
Geoff.

[Mitsuru]

I was thinking of something along these lines.



http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Audi-A6-1-9TD ... 1e615220f7

And as it is already 12v and about 60 Kw/90 persecond.

[rich.]

why do you want one?

[Mitsuru]

You do agree that once an engine is warm,
the oil protects engine more efficiently,
also it runs better and is more efficent.
Also that starting a car from cold the engine
uses ,more fuel till it is upto normal operating
temp!
Also the older the engine the more it suffers
in cold weather.
And if this is fitted and can be connected to
either a timer or a thermoste or even better
a remote control operated switch, when you
get up in the winter you can warm the cars
coolant system up so when you start it later
there is heat in the heater matrix to warm you
up too. As well as make it quicker to demist or
defrost..

Those of us who have lpg systems fitted if
preheated it will switch to lpg from petrol
quicker.

Posted via mobile phone

[rich.]

the wear should be negligable & in cold weather it doesnt really take that long to warm a car, do you have a garage?
i do like the idea of getting into a warm car though.

[mach1rob]

Just get a Webasto heater, less Heath Robinson, although you will need a seperate diesel tank if fitting to a petrol.

[rich.]

is that the ones from hgvs? a mate fitted one to his camper conversion it was fantastic.. i used to "work" as his service crew & in the winters & early morning there was a queue for our service barge....quick warm, bacon sarnies & hot coffee.. happy days.

[Mitsuru]

the wear should be negligable & in cold weather it doesnt really take that long to warm a car,
do you have a garage?
i do like the idea of getting into a warm car though.

No garage, car outside 24-7.

Just get a Webasto heater, less Heath Robinson, although you will need a seperate diesel
tank if fitting to a petrol.

EErrrr no space for yet another fuel supply, hence the 12v option.

[tractorman]

Where are you going to fit the big battery you'll need to run these? If they are 60W, it'll be like leaving the headlamps on! Then, of course, a larger alternator will be needed to keep the big battery charged up!

I have a similar problem with my Golf - if it's left outside, it takes six or eight miles before the engine is up to temperature on a cold winter's day, three in the morning - the car lives in a garage! However, I won't be fitting any extra heating (it would be a mains-powered one if I did) and, to be honest, I don't think there is really much of a problem with cold oil - so long as you use a good brand - after all, lots of cars are left outside and never get really warm in winter. I can see the problem with LPG (older tractors used petrol for starting and then changed to paraffin/kerosene, which needed a hot engine before changing over), but wonder if the extra cost and complexity is going to save a massive sum of money.

I well remember the winter of 1963, when wagons used to park up in Carlisle (near a filling station) and they used to put newspaper under the sump and set light to it! Perhaps you should NOT try that trick!