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RedDevil · 12-16-2013, 05:22 AM

As I see it there are two reasons why a cold engine wastes so much fuel.

One is thick oil; added friction so to say.
The other is bad combustion. The system will feed in extra fuel until the oxygen sensor is satisfied, but that means it gets overly rich.

I know about immersion heaters just like oil coolers. They are quite useful, I do not dispute that.They solve the friction part.

Heating the air solves the other part. Air is the medium the combustion process uses. And it works; conventional WAIs are effective, just not in the first few minutes when the engine has no heat to power the WAI,

When the engine is warm the air gets warmed up a bit by the intake manifold and inside the cylinder, and the other wiay round preheated air may lose a bit of heat in a stone cold engine.
Yet, for the sole purpose of heating intake air, I think the eWAI could be more effective than a block heater etc, unless you draw the intake air from around the preheated engine parts.

Best approach would be using block heaters and eWAI combined, solving both issues.

12-16-2013, 05:22 AM	#12 (permalink)
RedDevil Master EcoWalker Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Nieuwegein, the Netherlands Posts: 3,999 Red Devil - '11 Honda Insight Elegance Team Honda 90 day: 54.08 mpg (US) Thanks: 1,714 Thanked 2,247 Times in 1,455 Posts	As I see it there are two reasons why a cold engine wastes so much fuel. One is thick oil; added friction so to say. The other is bad combustion. The system will feed in extra fuel until the oxygen sensor is satisfied, but that means it gets overly rich. I know about immersion heaters just like oil coolers. They are quite useful, I do not dispute that.They solve the friction part. Heating the air solves the other part. Air is the medium the combustion process uses. And it works; conventional WAIs are effective, just not in the first few minutes when the engine has no heat to power the WAI, When the engine is warm the air gets warmed up a bit by the intake manifold and inside the cylinder, and the other wiay round preheated air may lose a bit of heat in a stone cold engine. Yet, for the sole purpose of heating intake air, I think the eWAI could be more effective than a block heater etc, unless you draw the intake air from around the preheated engine parts. Best approach would be using block heaters and eWAI combined, solving both issues. __________________ 2011 Honda Insight + HID, LEDs, tiny PV panel, extra brake pad return springs, neutral wheel alignment, 44/42 PSI (air), PHEV light (inop), tightened wheel nut. lifetime FE over 0.2 Gigameter or 0.13 Megamile. For confirmation go to people just like you. For education go to people unlike yourself.