Piwoslaw's Peugeot 307sw modding thread

[ShadeTreeMech]

I know the coolant heaters on ebay are starting to become much more attractive as the winter fuel mileage starts to plummet....

My van usually gets closer to 21 mpg, and right now I estimate it has gotten about 19 mpg this tank.......grrrrr.

A thought has occured to me. How much battery power would I need to power a coolant heater through an inverter? Running a coolant heater at the house wouldn't be a big deal, but what about at work when it sits for 8-10 hours cooling off?

Another option is to attempt to insulate the engine compartment and preserve the heat, but that is a tricky thing when dealing with how to insulate around the exhaust manifolds and tail pipe.

[Piwoslaw]

Update on the coolant heater.
It seems like the best increase in temperature that I'll get is 25°C above ambient after 1.5-2 hours. Not exactly a RED HOT engine at this time of the year, but enough to have heat in the cabin at least 1km sooner (after 1-2km instead of 3km). It'll also bring the coolant to above freezing even in mid-winter, unless we get -31°C again this year.

I've started paying attention to how fast the engine cools off now. The other day it was around 2-3°C outside when I parked and about 2 hours later the coolant temperature had fallen to 40°C from 80°C. Later that evening it was around 1°C (plus windy) and the coolant temperature after 2.5h was 24°C, from 82°C. So I think I'll look into blankets and other ways to keep the heat in. I already have an OEM blanky on the underside of the hood (bonnet), but I bet that it's for noise control as much as holding temperature. Maybe I'll add some foil to that?

Originally Posted by vtec-e

Or until you layer some of this over your engine:

Thanks, Ollie

[vtec-e]

You're welcome. I had to make a cutout in mine for the intercooler duct but it holds in a lot of heat all the same. Gets a bit tatty after a year of use though.
Nothing a bit of McGyver tape won't sort out!

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by vtec-e

You're welcome. I had to make a cutout in mine for the intercooler duct but it holds in a lot of heat all the same. Gets a bit tatty after a year of use though.
Nothing a bit of McGyver tape won't sort out!

You wouldn't happen to have pictures posted somewhere, would you?

For now, I'll try to find the cardboard+alufoil I made in the summer (to block heat from the solar roof), put it on top of the engine, foil-side down, and see how that works. I hope the monster that lives in the depths of our garage and feeds on random trash hasn't started munching on it yet...



EDIT (06.12.2010):



Not the best fit, but almost perfect. Good enough for government work, anyway. I haven't had too many occasions to test it out, only once, actually. It didn't take more than 1.5h to cool down to 25°C, but it was only -15°C outside. Damned aluminum block!
And even if I do upgrade to a better material, I'm not going to be able to install it (without amputating fingers later) until it warms up.

[Rokeby]

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

...So I think I'll look into blankets and other ways to keep the heat in.
I already have an OEM blanky on the underside of the hood (bonnet),
but I bet that it's for noise control as much as holding temperature.
Maybe I'll add some foil to that?

Have you considered aluminum foil faced bubble insulation?
Getting wet under the hood/bonnet shouldn't have any effect on it.



Don't know where you'll find it locally.
Here's one of many suppliers from a google search:
ZX-INSUL radiant barrier foil insulation

Here's a thread on how I used some as a radiant barrier on my Prius.

And another.

[euromodder]

Make sure you get proper heat resistant alu foil.
The thin stuff used for insulation blankets won't work underneath the bonnet.
The thin plastic carrier (PET in some cases) also needs to be able to withstand the temps under the hood.

While none of the ZX-insul products actually seem to be made for high-temperature applications, such stuff surely exists.

[Rokeby]

Euromodder,

that is a reasonable cautionary note.

FWIW, the foil-single bubble layer-foil laminate I've used as a radiant heat
barrier on my Prius is going on its second season with no evidence of
damage/deterioration from under-hood temps. It is loosely draped around the
top, front and back of the ICE.

(Granted it would better serve its intended purpose it fit the ICE tightly, on all
sides and the bottom. But, I just don't have the patience or flexibility to pull
that off. )

The laminate came from a local Lowes chain hardware store, so I doubt the
aluminum foil is special in any way.

[euromodder]

Rokeby, which one did you use then ?

A PE-carrier has a melting point around 120°C/250F depending on density, that's too low to safely use it in an engine bay.
A PET-carrier would have a substantially higher melting point, around 250C/480F, which would make it useful as long as you avoid direct contact.

[Rokeby]

euromodder,

Again, a reasonable question, but I don't know the answer.

(I never thought we'd be getting this deeply into this.
The product I identified earlier was meant as a general example.
It may in fact be better than what I'm using as it is available in
greater thickness with higher R values.)
Your reasonable information-seeking request deserves a reasoned
information-providing response.

Here's the product from Lowes:
Reflectix Double Reflective Foil Insulation

And here is the manufacturer's website for the product:
Reflectix Inc. - Double Reflective Insulation

Hope this helps.

[Piwoslaw]

I finally found a mirror to replace my folded passenger side mirror. It's a bike mirror, got it in a Decathlon sports store for 24PLN ($8/6€), and it is mounted on a ball joint:



I removed the part that goes into the handlebar and placed the mirror at the front of the window, but - oh no! - all I saw was my side mirror, even though it was folded!



What to do, what to do? Thankfully, the plastic that covers access to the mirror's wiring comes off quite easily.



So I drilled a 4mm hole in it for the screw, added a washer, put some scrap rubber underneath (plastic against plastic/metal doesn't have enough friction to hold everything upright), and presto:



(Yeah, that washer will get painted black when it gets a little warmer.)



I've actually killed two birds with one stone (metaphorically speaking): not only did I increase safety while reducing drag, I also stopped the Wife's complaining about not seeing anything when she's a passenger. In fact, maybe she'll start to drive without unfolding the passenger mirror, reducing fuel consumption even more.
Of course, the OEM mirror won't be removed, since I still use it sometimes (eg when maneuvering in tight parking lots, or when hauling a trunk full of cargo/people), and law requires a second outside mirror when the central, internal mirror can't be used.

BTW: The cable in the last picture is my coolant heater's extension cord.