Heat engine block for efficiency?

[MetroMPG]

No kidding! Did you offer to pay for the electricity use? Or was that not the issue...

[Who]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

You need a transmission pre-heater too. (In fact we all could use one.)

Don't forget wheel bearing pre-heaters.

[Who]

I'd like an outdoor temperature controlled timer with a straight line mapping.

5hrs @ -25° C
4hrs @ -15° C
3hrs @ -5° C
2hrs @ 5° C
1hr @ 15° C


I've used 3½ hours most of the winter. It's a 400 watt heater in a 3.3L V6. It seems to top out at around 30°C (86F) if you leave it on long enough. I'll back it down to 2 hours at the end of this month and then down to an hour at the start of May.

[MetroMPG]

Who - so you're saying yours "tops out" after 5 hours?

[TomO]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

No kidding! Did you offer to pay for the electricity use? Or was that not the issue...

Electricity use wasn't the issue (cost less than 4¢ per day for work's electricity). It was because my car was parked near the maintenance garage, and on of the other staff thought that I was getting a special parking space closer to the building. In reality, the spot I was parked in was only 5 ft. closer to the main building than the closest parking spot.

I made sure to inform all the staff that asked me, why I was parking there and most of them understood. Although, nearly all of them asked why I was still plugging in my car when the temps were just getting above 30°F, hehe. I then had to explain that 30°F is still a long ways away from 180+°F (the temp at which the thermostat opens on most cars).

Meh, I chalk it up to ignorance and jealousy of coworkers. It's all good though because I'm the IT Guy at work, so they all respect me anyways....and think I'm a little weird.

[Who]

It would take far less than 5 hours on a typical night to effectively saturate the ScanGauge reading (it is possible that the rest of the heat is still conducting to areas that help - exhaust manifolds for instance).

Those times above would be my guess on how long it takes to get to about 29° C (engine target temp is 80° C). My commute is very short and in the winter that means very high consumption rates so I've tried to max the block preheat, without using more money for electricity than the gasoline it saves. I save a nickel a night, so assuming 200 nights a year plugged in, it's only a 40 year payback.

The auto mfr.s of cars for cool climates could really help out. I'd like to see some insulation on both the block and the tranny. Let the cooling systems do the cooling, let the casings hold the heat. It wouldn't take much and could also reduce noise slightly.

I'd also like something like smart shore power. You park and plug and as you leave you set a time (maybe 7am). The car's sensor checks battery charge, engine temps, interior temps and outdoor temps. It then times everything and based on the input temperatures prepares the car so that at 7am, the battery is fully charged, the interior/seats/glass aren't freezing, and the block and tranny are pre-heated optimally. Much better than the remote starter option!

[RH77]

Originally Posted by Who

I'd also like something like smart shore power. You park and plug and as you leave you set a time (maybe 7am). The car's sensor checks battery charge, engine temps, interior temps and outdoor temps. It then times everything and based on the input temperatures prepares the car so that at 7am, the battery is fully charged, the interior/seats/glass aren't freezing, and the block and tranny are pre-heated optimally. Much better than the remote starter option!

That would be great!

I'm not the best with electronics, so bear with me...

How about a temperature-based timer/cycle circuit on the EBH? Take temps off of the block and have the circuit cut the power at X-degrees, and if you're not back in time, re-engage the heater like a home furnace.

Or even, would cycling the heating process produce more even-heating with less energy over a long period of time?

RH77

[s2man]

Originally Posted by TomO

I'm the IT Guy at work, so they all respect me anyways.

Or, they all fear you, 'cause you could cause their files to dissappear, or the servers to slow down.

Stew
"I don't do windows"

[tasdrouille]

I read an interesting paper on block heaters yesterday.

REDUCED COLD START EMISSIONS THROUGH USE OF ELECTRIC ENGINE HEATERS

Did you know that using a block heater year round can help reduce your carbon footprint by over 500 pounds?

Did you know that by using a block heater you can reduce your overall CO and HC emissions by up to 80% on a 3.5 miles trip.

Did you know that using a block heater saves your roughly 0.07 gallon per cold start?

[dremd]

Originally Posted by DifferentPointofView

Would a magnetic one work for that? (would it also work for a freeze plug type?)

I bet it would on your steel paned automatic trans.