remote block heater pump Insight G1

[highwater]

The desire was for a circulating block heater. Lots of options out there.
Undesirable properties exist in the aftermarket options:
Inline heater in a hose; localized cooking of the hose?
Enormous volume of flow; think big block under load; not for the Insight.
Physical size; need small for real-estate concerns.
Just a few that pointed away from readily available automotive options.

So, lets look at the solar heating hardware.
High temperature rating.
More options with less flow volume.
12v.
Nice possibilities here. Still expensive.

The EL-SID 5PV from Ivan Labs was chosen.
5 watts
2.5 GPM flow. Still quite a lot for 1 gal of coolant, but spec sheet says PV models will run slower on battery voltage. That will be alright.
Light weight.
250F max temp.
No shaft. Magnetic drive.

Bought one from Kansas Wind and Power, no connection with them.
5PV was on sale, YES

Oh, and the block heater part itself has already been installed. Factory aftermarket.


The in/out fittings were not in an optimal orientation for the chosen mounting location, which needs to be low in the system, and the male fitting meant another fitting to get down to size of the coolant lines. Lets just build another pump body and make it out of aluminum, and rotate the pump features where they will work for us.

Here’s a pic of all the pieces and the new pump body.
Yes the features in the new pump body are off center.
The out fitting in the flat on top needs to be moved over on the flat so the o-ring will seat fully against the flat surface. The internal features of the pump were shifted off center to be able to get this done.

The small barbed fittings for in/out, were borrowed from the PC cooling crowd. Very nice little fittings. They will be installed in the top flat of the new pump body. Those holes have not been machined yet, in the picture shown.


Where do we put this thing.
The plan is to weld a bracket to the oil filter spacer. The bracket will be cut from an aluminum gear box cover, discovered in the scrap tub. Need to get the pump body out from under the overhanging engine block in the area next to the oil filter.

Here’s a rendition of the finished weldment, taken from the solid model.

This pump will be powered by 12v power supply when the block heater is powered up.



Randall

[highwater]

Here's a shot of the new plumbing route.



This should allow circulation of all the coolant.
Hopefully either with or without the cabin heater core.

Can be powered during FAS for all those long EV periods.
Once we get to a greater state of EV.

Randall

[jime]

I'm a bit confuses, as usual Where does the auxiliary heat come from? Not the stock Honda block heater I hope.

[Cobb]

I am guessing he is going to make a solar power water pump addition to the cooling system of his car. Not sure why he needs it during operation, FASing, etc.

When I am in "EV" mode the flow of coolant causes the temp to drop fast and once it falls to the 150 range I loose EV mode and the engine refires.


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[samwichse]

Seems to me like he wants the water from the block heater circulated throughout the engine to heat it more thoroughly.

[Cobb]

I think doing this will just accomplish cooling vs heating. I notice with my oem 400 watt block heater that when I turn the engine on the temperature reported by my scan gauge actually lowers for the first few minutes before it starts to climb.

What the geo metro guys do is get a 1500 watt katz recirculating heater so it not only heats the engine, but the coolant and the heater core if the heater valve is left open.

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[highwater]

Originally Posted by jime

I'm a bit confuses, as usual Where does the auxiliary heat come from? Not the stock Honda block heater I hope.

Oh, and the block heater part itself has already been installed. Factory aftermarket.

This pump will be powered by 12v power supply when the block heater is powered up.

Originally Posted by Cobb

I am guessing he is going to make a solar power water pump addition to the cooling system of his car. Not sure why he needs it during operation, FASing, etc.

When I am in "EV" mode the flow of coolant causes the temp to drop fast and once it falls to the 150 range I loose EV mode and the engine refires.


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I got the pump because of the 250 degree rating. Its made primarily for domestic hot/ solar hot water circulation. Not going to solar power it on the Insight.

Originally Posted by samwichse

Seems to me like he wants the water from the block heater circulated throughout the engine to heat it more thoroughly.

Exactly. While plugged into the grid before I leave the house.

Originally Posted by Cobb

I think doing this will just accomplish cooling vs heating. I notice with my oem 400 watt block heater that when I turn the engine on the temperature reported by my scan gauge actually lowers for the first few minutes before it starts to climb.

What the geo metro guys do is get a 1500 watt katz recirculating heater so it not only heats the engine, but the coolant and the heater core if the heater valve is left open.

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With the 400 watt OEM there is concentrated heat in the upper regions of the system (head). 1500 watts would certainly need to be circulated IMHO, would the element would probably burn out.
Yes everyone has the concept right except for the solar power.
The OEM block heater is installed.
The circulating pump will circulate the coolant in the Insight system, while powered by the grid before departure.
Hopefully it will equalize the coolant temp though out the system, and decrease the cooling effect of the initial start up.
The engine blanket helps here, as it is an excellent guardian of the coolant temperature.

The FAS comment by myself was tongue-in-cheek at this time.
However, I can see If we had a greater state of EV, it would provide some heat during periods of EV.
Since it is 12vDC this would be easily accomplished. If it were 110/120 voltAC, this would be more involved when underway.

Randall

[AbCaRed00]

The stratification of the temperatures in the coolant can be quite wide ranging in extreme cold conditions with just a normal non-circulating block heater.
To promote the heater coils longevity it's recommended in cold winter conditions to unplug non-circulating block heaters before cranking the engine over lest the block heater coil get a sudden shock of cold coolant and fail.
Interesting project.

[highwater]

Something else will probably come up on clearance issues behind the radiator fans.

Both fans removed from my Insight in 2006. Plenty of room to work around the oil filter.

Yes I unplug from the grid before any ICE start.

Randall

[Cobb]

I am disappointed. I thought you were going to buck the trend and use the sun vs coal to preheat your gas burning engine?


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