A theory to ponder

[rob-the-oil-nut]

Any way of increasing the heat energy to the piston / cylinder / coolant jacket? Or reclaiming / reducing that which normally goes out the exhaust?
How about a switch in the circuit to the electricly-powered rad fan?
The rad place has a $17 inspection special I think I'll go for...is a flush and re-fill really (still) needed every 2 years?
Advice on best anti-freeze? Mixture? Even though our water is fine, I think I'll put in reverse osmosis water in the mix, it's just another $2.
The car was plenty hot today but that was after a while, and it was well over 35 F.
See my post on peel & stick heaters? Think a 6" Z 1" one could get weaselled into the heater core tubing?
Used coolant to the lab for testing?
THANKS!!
Rob

 

[cousincletus]

I had an old 1974 Chevy pickup that wouldn't heat well in the cold. I put in a new heater core and thermostat but still had a cold ride. Once I installed new weatherstripping arounf the doors the truck warmed up 100% better. I would have never guessed it would have made such a difference, as the old weatherstrip was decent looking and I could only hear a little wind noise getting by it. A 195 degree stat will help also as well as the cardboard.

 

[Matt_S]

Ah, come on Rob, what's another 8 thousandths anyway?

It's just a cylinder. REV IT UP!!!

Seriously, though, for the record, I don't recommend revving the engine high when it's not fully warmed up.

Speaking of warmed up, we all know that engines operate most efficiently at their normal operating temperature. That's when you'll get the most complete burn from the fuel and the most heat energy. Computers tend to run engines rich at low temperatures, which reduces combustion temps and slows warmup. Oh the other hand, the engine needs that extra fuel to stay running when it's cold, so you've got a tradeoff. But yes, when the engine is cold, you'll get reduced combustion temps and the engine won't give off as much heat until it's in closed-loop mode. There's not much you can do for this except a block heater.

I think that exhaust-powered heaters have been tried before and I think there's a good reason you don't see them in cars today. If a heater core with ethylene glycol starts leaking, you won't die. 'Nuff said. Electric heaters have also been tried, but it takes so much power to run those effectively that your alternator would never be able to keep up if the heater was worth anything. The ones that have been tried have been next to useless.

 

[mechtech]

Nascar racers often duct tape the radiator inlet [various amounts] to get better qualifying times, so there must be less drag. They overheat doing this, sometimes!

 

[Shannow]

The burn rate of most spark ignition fuels ('cept when you got to alcohols and methane) are pretty well the same.

The octane measure is simply a way of measuring the tendancy (more correctly the lack of tendancy) to auto-ignite.

Ignition delay may be marginally higher, but negligible.

A lot of road transport, even in 10deg C weather use a radiator cover to reduce heat loss.

There was a guy down here (John Bennett) who was manufacturing thermostat housings that comtrolled coolant inlet temperature to the engine.

I used such a kit, and found both an increase in economy, and a dead cold radiator header tank mid winter down here.

 

[rob-the-oil-nut]

quote:

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Originally posted by Shannow:
1) A lot of road transport, even in 10deg C weather use a radiator cover to reduce heat loss.

2) There was a guy down here (John Bennett) who was manufacturing thermostat housings that comtrolled coolant inlet temperature to the engine.

I used such a kit, and found both an increase in economy, and a dead cold radiator header tank mid winter down here.

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1) But aren't those Diesels? Isn't that a whole nuther kettle of fish?
2) Any one know if such a device could be had in Canada or the US? The cost of having one imported, or made *for* me, would be prohibitive...you could buy a lot of electricity for that (We have just about the lowest price in the world for Kilo-Watt-Hours)
THANKS!
Rob

 

[Matt_S]

quote:

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Originally posted by rob-the-oil-nut:
1) But aren't those Diesels? Isn't that a whole nuther kettle of fish?

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The important difference, as least as far as this thread is concerned, is that it is more important for the truck diesels to be warmed up before operation than with passenger car engines. It's also very important for them to be at full operating temp for maximum power and efficiency and low wear. Those big radiators will cool the engine too much in the winter, so they partially block them off. The idea is the same, though: faster warmup and better maintenance of normal operating temps, whether it's a passenger car or a truck.

 

[Lumberg]

Rob:

The idea of the cardboard is to deflect air away from things that create resistance either through plain getting in the way or turbulence. I was surprised at the article. This was a fairly boxy car (I forget the exact make/model but think of an old 70's muscle car) but just putting a sheet of cardboard in front of the grille shaved time. This was purely an aerodynamic effect. It was not due to higher engine temperatures.

mechtech also makes a good point. NASCAR crew chiefs are always running a fine line when running extra tape on the radiators. If you've watched a few races you have probably seen when a contender gets a hot dog wrapper or something on his grille opening and the crew chief and the engine builder are freaking out as the driver calls out the water and oil temps getting higher. however I have always heard that more tape=more downforce in the front of the car, making the front wheels grip better. On a Nextel Cup car there are several variables, and much higher speeds; more downforce=more drag, so it's hard to compare to a street car.

The bottom line is, the reason I would put anything to block air in the front of my car would be for increased MPG at speeds over 35 MPH, not for increased engine or cabin temperatures.

 

[SHOZ]

On my '91 Festiva I will completely block off the radiator with a rigid plastic sheet when the ambient temps are consistently below 70F. The fan is disconnected year around and I have a new t-stat. The radiator is only about 12" square.

 

[TheTanSedan]

btt

 

[H2GURU]

If you do choose to block off radiater be sure to do it CONCENTRICALLY, otherwise you may stess water pump bearing by off-center LOADING.

 

[dkcase]

quote:

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Originally posted by H2GURU:
If you do choose to block off radiater be sure to do it CONCENTRICALLY, otherwise you may stess water pump bearing by off-center LOADING.

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My take on this is that you mean because of uneven airflow to the fan. Correct ?

So, in a vehicle with an electric fan--or the water pump somewhere other than in the center of the front of the engine-- don't worry.