Cheap stopgap solution for short trip winter driving

[Forkman]

Okay, I am very aware as are most on these forums that short trip driving is very hard on engine oil, particularly in the winter... The moisture doesn't get a chance to escape if the engine isn't allowed to get hot enough.

At my last oil change I noticed some of the milky white residue along the oil fill cap from the excess moisture in the crankcase. (2003 3.1L Buick Century running the new SM 5w30 TropArtic).

My drive to work is short (make it in 10 minutes approximately) all of it in town driving. About 1/2 the trip is 25 to 30mph and the other half 45 to 50mph driving. With the temps such as they have been for the last month or so (below freezing), the engine never heats up all the way on my drive to work.

So this week I thought I'd test out a solution that you see on many big rigs, as well as on pickup trucks... I blocked off the grill from the inside with cardboard secured with zip ties.

I estimate it will block about 60% of the air reaching the radiator. There is still the lower gap in the front bumper where air is pulled up through the radiator and the cardboard I installed leaves about a 5/8 inch gap at the top of the grill.

Hopefully this will allow the car to warm up faster and reach full operating temp before I reach work.

I'll know come Thurs, as I'm off today and tomorrow with back problems (got to go see the doc tomorrow).

So, anyone see any problem with giving this a shot. The vehicle won't be seeing any long distance highway trips dill spring so I can't see where this will hurt anything.

 

[Shannow]

Can't see that it would hurt, but it might be worth checking that your thermostat is, in fact opening.

If it's not, then blocking the rad will do little.

A few years ago, I was playing with thermostats to control engine inlet temperatures rather than outlet...with pretty good results.

 

[Al]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Shannow:
Can't see that it would hurt, but it might be worth checking that your thermostat is, in fact opening.

If it's not, then blocking the rad will do little.

A few years ago, I was playing with thermostats to control engine inlet temperatures rather than outlet...with pretty good results.

---

Good point. Since you have the 3.1 engine there is a 90% chance that the intake for that engine is leaking.

 

[JHZR2]

check for leaks first, maybe a UOA is the best move for that.

Realize that water temperature does not correlate to oil temperature directly, I believe it typically takes ~15mi of 'normal' driving before the oil gets up to temp.

My mother does 5 block commutes, 4 times a day. we use M1 5w-30 in her 97 plymouth breeze, with great results. We try to get it driven a bit more every few weekends, to prevent the buildup of condensation, and it works well, oil analysis proves it is good.

JMH

 

[John K]

Also make sure your pcv valve is clean. I've had cars that showed milky deposits when the pcv valve was plugged.
I've had two cars that had some means of blocking off the radiator...a 59 Volvo 544(had a chain to pull up a blind like gizmo) and a 50 Opel(had a lever operated venetian blind type deal). The problem I encountered was overheating from forgetting to open them up once up to temp!

 

[eljefino]

You'll probably find that most of the cooling air gets sucked up from under the bumper anyway. If it were me I'd rig something UNDER the bumper to the bottom of that flap thingie to push air (and snow if you ram through a bank) down under the engine. Then you'd get adequate (?) cooling air through the grill.

If you really want to know where gets the most air, look at the pattern of bugs on your radiator/AC condensor. I'd block of areas not directly in front of the cooling fan first, so that can be effective if ever needed.

 

[haley10]

I think the effect will be so small with the short, low speed trip as to not be worth the effort, really.

The fan probably doesn't ever come on and the themostat is effectively blocking anyway.

 

[doitmyself]

JHZR2 - what OCI are you getting good results with???

 

[Al]

Get a piece of cardboard and attach it directly to the radiator so air can not get to the radiator (half the area or so). I did that one winter and it did help a lot.

 

[n8wvi]

I can't believe no one has suggested this, but can you install a block heater and/or oil pan heater? There's nothing like getting in a car, starting it up, and having warm air coming out of the vents. (No smart comments from those in the south

)

Dave

 

[heyjay]

Well, we've in an official warm spell. It was "only" -15 F this morning! But it is supposed to cool off to -30 F just in time for the weekend.

=8-0

Your 2003 Buick has electric cooling fans, so in winter they won't run anyway. At slow city or town speeds, I doubt blocking off the radiator would help with warmup or maintaining temp.

A winter front makes a huge difference if you're running a solid-hub flex fan, or if you're on the highway in frigid temps.

With short trips, you can expect that milky and/or foamy residue on the oil filler cap. You can also expect the PCV valve to ice up, and the Throttle Body to build up with those deposits.

You can take off the PCV valve every spring and fall and use cheap carb cleaner to spray it out. Make sure all the solvent is evaporated before you put it back in.

The Throttle Body requires more care, as it's coated. Try to find a "Throttle Body" cleaner that states it is safe for "coated throttle bodies." You also have sensors, such as TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) that could be damaged if you saturate them with cleaner.

You may also have an electric IAC (Idle Air Control). My 2000 GMC Sierra did. You can experience cold stalling and poor idling if the IAC passages and IAC pintle valve get plugged with deposits.

Instead of really flooding the throttle body with cleaner, use very short bursts and use a rag to carefully mop things up. If you have "drive by wire" throttle control, extra care is needed for the throttle plate motor.

The only way around this is to minimize the condensation effects. As suggested above, a block heater is great and the single best thing you can do to help.

Synthetic oils are much more resistant to condensation than regular oil. I'm not sure how you feel about synlubes, but a synthetic 5W-30 or 0W-30 would work well in your daily driver, especially with severe cold temps and short drives where it never warms up.

Another thing you have to do is bite the bullet and dramatically shorten your OCI to get that crud out of the pan. Ah, the joys of winter.

 

[Cyprs]

I am toying with idea of pan heaters, it is my understanding a proper sized and wattaged pan heater will take car of oil condensation in oil in pan even before you drive, I am told a pan heater for diesels are too hot to touch within a minute even in extreme cold, they are made for gas cars too. They sound slick for winter concerns.

Cyprs

 

[heyjay]

That's right Cyprs, a properly sized pan heater is also a good investment in a very cold climate like ours.

However, resist the temptation to oversize the heater. A HD diesel motor may have a 500 watt pan heater, but I doubt a car or LD truck would need more than a 50-100 watt heater.

Have not had any experience with those dipstick heaters, but some folks swear by them.

If your pan heater is too large - too many watts - you will literally cook the oil.

The best thing for cold climates are those circulation style coolant heaters. They use a thermo siphon effect to heat engine coolant, push it through the heater core, and back into the motor.

You have instant heat when you start up, and the entire motor is warm, not just one spot. Unfortunately, most modern cars and trucks with electric or vacuum controlled heater valves are not compatible with a thermo siphon coolant heater.

 

[TallPaul]

My '95 F150 holds 6 quarts (including filter) and I run a 250 watt pan heater pad. I leave it plugged in all the time in winter. I went out one day when it was about 5 above zero F and held a thermometer (with insulated backing) on the pan for several minutes. Seemed to stabilize around 65 degrees F. So 250 watt seems a good size for my sump. It is pasted on the lower side of the pan and I wonder if it would heat better pasted on the bottom (but the pan surface prevented that). Anyway, on a really cold morning it will start pretty well, but the cold block cools the oil quickly. Way up north there you might want both pan heater and block heater.

 

[heyjay]

TallPaul:

Sorry about the confusion I was referring to the immersion style pan heater. The heater element goes inside the pan.

I would imagine with a heating pad or blanket, you would need a much higher wattage, as the pad is exposed to the ambient conditions and must heat up part of the oilpan before the heat reaches the oil.

In very cold climates absolutely, the ideal solution is both a coolant heater AND an oil pan heater. Most of the HD equipment up here has both.

 

[motorguy222]

Blocking the rad does make a difference in heat.If there is more heat,then the engine is getting warmer.

I have a piece of cardboard over part of my rad at the moment and it is working pretty well.

The car that I am doing this on is a Buick with a 3.3 V-6.It has a 180 degree thermostat in it and it was cold here in the last part of December,the cardboard made a difference.

It wont hurt for Forkman to try this and it may help more than some may realize.

While the electric fan may not come on,the air that moves through the rad while driving is probably all that is needed in the cold that Forkman is describing to make the engine run cool.

If cardboard is used,DO NOT cover the whole fan area.It may need to come on and if it does,it wont be able to cool and may create too much of a vacuum and burn out the fan motor,depending on how it is attached.

[ January 11, 2005, 07:15 PM: Message edited by: motorguy222 ]

 

[Cyprs]

Yeah, the heat pan blanket heater I am looking at is 75 watts for 4 litres on Altima and 150 watts for 5-12 litres for diesel, this is the silicone or stick on pan type heater, the company says no thermostat required.
thanks,
Cyprs

 

[chiefsfan]

I would lay money the 3100 is leaking internally. I drive mine 3-4 miles to work and back in cold weather and never have condensation issues.
I tried putting cardboard in front of the radiator and it did not make a difference. These 3100 motors take their time in warming up. I just wanted more heat. I did manage to bend some of the delicate radiator fins in the process of the cardboard installation.