[Piwoslaw]

I've been thinking about these glow plug coolant heaters. Svietlana takes at least 5 km to get up to temp with temps below freezing, and this is with a blocked grille and after preheating the engine for 2,5-3 hours. With no preheating and going downhill it can take even 15 km.

I guesstimate that the additional load will increase fuel consumption more than faster warm up will decrease it, but:

1. It may reduce the time I listen to my passengers nagging about "When will you finally turn the heat on?"
2. My OEM glowplugs (the ones in the cylinders) do not seem to work. I've checked the cables and replaced the relay and still nothing. So I need some help with cold starts.
3. I have a 300W heater in the cabin ventilation, but it hardly makes a difference, and does not warm the coolant.

There are lots of cheap used 12V coolant heaters, which can have 1, 2, 3, or 4 glow plugs. A long downhill after a cold start would allow me to use engine braking to power the heater, putting the otherwise wasted energy to use.

What do you guys think?