Would an oil pan heater be beneficiary

[Cobb]

Yeah, I use 2 hours. With that my blue cold engine light goes off in 2 minutes. Within a minute of driving you hear it idle down and when its started it doesnt idle as high as when its stone cold.

Guess you can try a heater hose heater? Either way you will need to drain the coolant. Its worth it in the winter, I have MS and weight on my shoulders and arms doesnt help me. I typically go around in my pjs and a t shirt with a pair of atheltic crocs year round.

[RMasters]

That is what my original question was all about. Block heater especially in the block, not freeze plug, is fine, but a engine oil heater will help the oil. Had one on my van, made a HUGE difference.

Found out myself that the oil pan on the Insight is not smooth, so I can not attach one. Plus, my dealer showed me that the plastic over (undercarriage cover) is very close to the oil pan, so I don't want to take my chances.

Greetings!

[RedDevil]

I asked my dealer today if they can put an engine heater in my Insight. I had a lengthy discussion with their top mechanic (it has a large workshop); he found out that Honda delivers nothing of the sort over here and suggested asking dealers in Scandinavia, as they run the same spec cars but are obviously more into this matter.
He wasn't sure European Insights have that 28 mil plug at all... Weird.
Posted him some of the links from here (thanks again!).

We agreed that heating the oil, being 0w20 grade, though never bad would have less effect than on cars that use higher viscosity oil. But as the heater stays on for long and the pumps will work it through the system when the engine runs, the heat will spread so there should not be a big difference between heating either oil or coolant.
To be fair this is new to both him and me. He was intrigued though, maybe that will help.

[Cobb]

My Wagoneer held 2 gallons of oil.

I think a stick in pad would work.

Here is the hose heater eBay item

120829463876

1 1/2 heater.


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[RedDevil]

Thanks, that's a nice idea. I will post that to the mechanic at the garage, see what he thinks.
He found that European Insights have engine type KG instead of the KA or KL specified with the block heater plug. The plug might not fit, but he advised me to check with Scandinavian dealers...
The weather turns this weekend, up more than 10°C. Ah well, the pressure is off.

[RedDevil]

Met my brother-in-law again at my mothers birthday party. He's an engineer involved in all kinds of air and fluid dynamics, valve systems and fabrication of specialized production machinery for all kinds of components concerning these. He also has strong views and is willing to share them.
We both have a solid understanding of physics (I participated in the international student physics olympiad in Roumania, '83) so it is always nice to chat with him, leaving the rest of the audience on another planet.
But not this time. I mean, it wasn't really what I hoped for.

I thought he would know best how to make ar rWAI for my Insight.
I was not to find out, as he strongly objected to heating the air for a car that has EGR, Said the efficiency of burning cold air outweighs the difference in pressure on intake; cold air would expand more than hot air. Of course there is a benefit in heating the engine more quickly. But the EGR is capable of managing that, etc. I bet you cannot prove, etc. Someone who builds a mod believes in it and is biased to its success etc.

Yeah right.
So what are his thoughts about pre-heating the engine?
Would I like to see how my car burns away next to my house? You don't really want to put 230V in an environment with vaporized gas? What if you forget to detach the unit before you leave? What if etc?
I decided that I better not mention my experiment with the hair dryer now. It did not burn up my car but it would certainly detonate what's left of the conversation.

This gave me a lot to chew on.
Can I prove that a WAI works on my Insight? No. I believe it does. But no.
Can I measure it precisely enough? No. I need an UltraGauge. First that, then go test.

Went home, FE was bad just like when I came. Hmm, it was around freezing but it should have been better. Then I saw all 4 tires are bulging again. Hmm, they weren't when I put 2.9 atm pressure in them...? Check that tomorrow. But I know already.

So, does a WAI help FE on an Insight? Can't tell yet.
Does setting tire pressure to max PSI do that? Sure as hell.
Will I get a block heater? I look at my wife, kids, car, wife, car again; probably not.

[Cobb]

I know what the egr does, why its there, but not really on when its opened or closed. Some cars have multiple valves and opens/closes them at different parts.

Traditionally or in theory it mixes exhaust to reduce NOX. Its usually connected to a ported vacuum port which is above or below the throttle plates, I cant remember which. Its suppose to recycle the gas at idle and higher vacuum.

Since its electronically controlled it can be opened/closed at any time for any reason. Maybe its easier to understand the way a nickel metal battery works vs the modern day egr?

Regardless, taking it out of the loop lets you better performance and slightly lower mpg.

Since an oil pan heater is out, what about a dip stick heater? What about a light bulb? We used the traditional lightbulb that has a filament in it in a small dog house like to keep our water pumps from freezing in the winter.

I typically wing it til the blue light goes out, then use the lowest blower speed til it gets to 170 degrees F to my scan gauge 2. Once it hit that mark or critical mass, you can crank up the heat and not worry about it fading on you.




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[RedDevil]

Actually he did not rule an oil pan heater out, but said he would endorse 12 V systems rather than 230 V ones. Yet I know of no practical 12V heater systems.
I like the dip stick heater for its simplicity, but it is the high voltage issue again.

I even thought of routing the exhaust of our kitchen cooker hood to the driveway to heat (read defrost) the cars on it. I always run that in the morning to clear the smell of my roasted sandwiches.

Maybe my mechanic will come up with something worthwhile. If Honda approves, why not.

[jcbesq]

hair dryer and duct tape??????

[Cobb]

12 volt? Technically an element would get warm on ac, dc low or high voltage. As long as it has a thermostat it would be regulated and no worries of it burning up. I was of the assumption there is no regulator so it wasnt wise to use in the summer.


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