Hey all
I searched the FAQ and the general forum but couldn't really find much on the use of supplemental heating products for winter.

I have in the past had cars with block heaters and they work very well. My 90 Passat tdi conversion I used an oil pan pad heater because it was forum consensus that it was better to heat oil in the winter than coolant. That might be true but it does nothing for getting the engine to temperature in a hurry and as you know tdi's are pretty efficient so they will not come up to temp just sitting and idling.

The frost plug heater is just about the least expensive thing you could find but the install is kind of a pita. I'm tempted to go for the tank type heater this time since I have the space for it and the install on a Dodge is pretty straight forward. And last I looked I had one of these that was doing nothing...

If you're running a winter engine heater of some kind what is it and are you happy with it?

Thanks
Steve

 

You realize those aren't all exclusive to each other.

The pan heater keeps the oil thinner so it can flow easier when you start the motor. This doesn't do much for the coolant or the humans.

The block heater excels at warming the block so it's closer to operating temperature. This, however does nothing for that congealed mass in the oil pan.

And the tank heater gets interior heat sooner. But, again, does nothing for the congealed mass in the oil pan.

So, how cold ARE you talking about? That also varies which is better.

My opinion, worth about what it would cost to print this on delicate paper and use it in the bathroom *grins* is to install the tank heater for the humans and to get the motor warmer a bit sooner. But that also presumes you're not in the "But it's below -20!" "Celsius or Fahrenheit?" "Does it really matter???"

 

Ralph
I recognize that they're not mutually exclusive, but they will have at least a little overlap in that they will warm the mass that is the engine and by extension the oil will get some warmth. My plan is to be using synthetic oil by the time the worst of the winter hits anyway so I'm not terribly worried about how congealed it gets.

I can't think of a time when we've gotten to -20, but -10 is not out of the question, usually about January 10th we start to see stuff down that low and it can last for a while. I can recall last year a couple of weeks, maybe more, where we had nothing but subzero temps all the time.

Since I'm the only driver (and often only occupant) of my vehicles I'm often not concerned with the cabin temp, it'll get warm soon enough. What I am concerned about is the engine though and so maybe the block heater is the way to go with this although the pan pad heater I installed on my Passat did do a decent job last winter. At this point I think I have a high wattage tank heater (1500 watt) sitting around unused and even a magnetic pan heater that hasn't had a home in a while either. I might just try and use those two and see if they will suffice this winter.

Thanks
Steve A

 

Both together sounds like a great idea to me. The tank heater will cause thermosiphon action, keeping the block from freezing; the pan heater keeps the oil from getting too thick.

The -20 was supposed to be -4, which is kind of a joke number; it's the same, Celsius or Fahrenheit. Or even the Sulu scale ...

RwP