Ganey

Have seen many heater topics. Here's a new one, er 4 in 1.

1 Have heard of engine heaters used to heat the oil or water, etc. Being from the south :cool: haven't even seen 1, at least know of them. Should reduce wear by getting up to 180 quickly. Anyone use one or know about them?

2 There are also aux. heaters available to heat the interior pass. like electric. Typically one would expect these not to be able to output enough. Anyone use one or know about them?

3 In milder climates heated seats can heat enough by themselves, though your feet may get cold. Electric heater might take care of this.

4 Would you believe it may be possible to heat the int. using heat from the headers/ex.manifold through the heater core?

Being interested in everything to do w/ cars this may be interesting & help some. Any comments?

:cheers:

Scott78

Well I guess you could say I from an area that heaters are used regularly.
For an engine there are a couple types of "block" heaters.
1. A frost plug type heater, small elec element heats coolant.
2. Tank type heater hooks into heater hose and pumps heated water thru block and heater core(quickest way to get heat in the morning)
for oil there are "stick" heaters replace dipstick and magnetic pads to stick on oil pan. But the tank type coolant heater does warm the oil slightly.
For interior you can get 12v aux heaters (not effective IMHO)and there are 110v versions.
For air to air interchange the old corvairs and volkswagon used a "wrap" around the exhaust pipe that they cycle the air thru to the passenger compartment(watch for leaks and getting CO into passenger compartment).
If you REALLY need one they are more available here and I'd be happy to find one for you. I know when I bought my Suburban down there I took it into a dealer before coming home to have some small stuff done. When I asked them to install a block heater while they had the coolant drained I got a blank look from the mechanic :rolleyes: and was asked "what is a block heater?"
Scott

BLT-71

Ya, what he said.
I have used the in block heaters, replaces a freeze plug. They are very affective to warm the coolant, block, and oil all in one as long as you plug them in at night. The dipstick and pan type are a bit of a pain to get to and can be forgotten about, bad things happen with the dipstick type. Some are a bit long and can hit the moving parts in the bottom end. But they are affective if used with care.
As for the cab heaters most just are not effective enough to make a difference.

69bblock3x2

Ganey,

I have a Ford diesel pick-up that came from the factory with a block heater in it. If I plan on driving it the next morning following a cold night (10 degrees F or below) I'll plug it in. When I go to start it I wait for the glow plugs to get hot (takes approx 30 seconds), and as soon as I switch the key to start it fires. Whats nice is that I have instant heat.

Several truck fleets in this area also use block heaters, especially school bus fleets in the north country if they can't park indoors. The vehicles will be parked in front of fences or poles that have power outlets on them.

Auto parts stores and truck parts distributors will run specials on engine heaters in the fall. One of the more popular brands in one named Kats.

The heaters that work the best are the the type that warm and circulate the anti freeze. I have seen the inexpensive dip stick heaters over heat and actually have the handles melt.

John.

A78Corvette

Hello Ganey
Remember I am not a mechanic. I had a Jeep Wagoneeer that had a 110 plug to heat the engine. It was factory, but I live in TN. and never needed it. Try giving the Jeep people a call. They have been factory installing these things for years. Maybe they can point you in the right direction. :conehead