Quote:
Originally Posted by ctgottapee
paulgato: I know you thought the coolant preheat wouldn't be as good as the oil pan preheat, but I think your oil preheated will run into the same problems.
As soon as it makes one pass through the engine, it will cool to ambient as the engine will be cold. I would be willing to wager you would see no change in the oil temp gauge by the time it cycles around.
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Hmmm... I always thought that the coolant preheater on its own would be better than an oil pan preheater on its own. But I think that both together would be even better than either on its own.
The Prius' idea of pumping the coolant into an insulated container while parked is great, but why not do the same for the oil? The oil already has a sump into which most of it falls when the engine stops, so why not insulate that sump from the air? One should be able to keep the oil warm for a couple of hours at least between drives. Also, an insulated sump would improve the efficiency of any oil sump heater fitted. The oil is cooled (in my engine at least) via a coolant/oil heat exchanger (aka 'oil cooler') so insulating the sump pan should present no hazard while driving. Maybe there is some kind of spray-on foam insulation that will withstand engine temperatures?