Cold Engine Oil Flow Circulation

[zoomie]

In an average passenger car with say 4 1/2 Quarts oil sump with a coolant heater plugged in for 4 hrs and ambient air temp is 20 degees below freezing, how long at idle till the bulk of that oil has circulated once and maybe picked up some heat to improve its flow. Im thinking about 5W and 0W-20.

"Research by the Agricultural Engineering Department of the University of Saskatchewan has shown that operating a block heater for longer than four hours prior to starting a vehicle is a waste of energy. It was found that coolant temperature increased by almost 20 °C (36.0 °F) degrees in that period, regardless of the initial temperature (4 tests were run at ambient temperatures ranging from -11°C/12°F to -29°C/-20 °F); continued use of the heater for a further one or two, or more, hours achieved a mere 2 or 3 more degrees Celsius as conditions stabilized. Engine oil temperature was found to increase over these periods by just 5 °C (9.00 °F)."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Block_heater

 

[Quest]

you live in Vancouver, BeeCee. 5W30 or 5W20 shall do just fine.

Besides: this winter is around 9C in the day for you, so why worry about cold flow in your engine?

Q.

 

[zoomie]

Originally Posted By: Quest
you live in Vancouver, BeeCee. 5W30 or 5W20 shall do just fine.

Besides: this winter is around 9C in the day for you, so why worry about cold flow in your engine?

Q.


I'm in the north right now

 

[Quest]

I was running dino 5W30 back in the 90s in PG, with no block heater (dorm parking cycles the power to the parkade plugs..not enough to warm up my coolant in my Suzuki); with windchills down to -35C and coolant stayed cold, I was able to fire it up just fine....battery and alternator (and engine of course) lasted for over 5 yrs before I sold that car...

So, how cold is your area now?

Q.

 

[zoomie]

You have an interesting signature, not saying I agree with it, just interesting...

 

[OldSparks]

I don't use the block heater in my Nissan, as the garage is insulated and rarely dips below -3C during the winter.

It would have been nice to plug it in yesterday afternoon when I left the outdoor parking lot. The QR25DE rattled quite a bit on startup at -23C, and that was with Motomaster synthetic. But I guess -23C is warm weather compared to the prairie provinces...

 

[zoomie]

Originally Posted By: zoomie
...how long at idle till the bulk of that oil has circulated once and maybe picked up some heat to improve its flow?

 

[Clevy]

I live in the same city that that particular university is in. I am very interested in this myself. On my winter/work truck especially. It sees all the winter duty. Mind you I could have been in the mustang for as mild this winter has been here.

 

[CATERHAM]

Originally Posted By: Quest
.not enough to warm up my coolant in my Suzuki); with windchills down to -35C and coolant stayed cold,
Q.

Just for the record, windchill doesn't further lower the temperature of an engine's coolant and oil. It's just the ambient temp's one needs to be concerned about.

 

[Jeff_in_VABch]

Originally Posted By: zoomie
In an average passenger car with say 4 1/2 Quarts oil sump with a coolant heater plugged in for 4 hrs and ambient air temp is 20 degees below freezing, how long at idle till the bulk of that oil has circulated once and maybe picked up some heat to improve its flow. Im thinking about 5W and 0W-20.

"Research by the Agricultural Engineering Department of the University of Saskatchewan has shown that operating a block heater for longer than four hours prior to starting a vehicle is a waste of energy. It was found that coolant temperature increased by almost 20 °C (36.0 °F) degrees in that period, regardless of the initial temperature (4 tests were run at ambient temperatures ranging from -11°C/12°F to -29°C/-20 °F); continued use of the heater for a further one or two, or more, hours achieved a mere 2 or 3 more degrees Celsius as conditions stabilized. Engine oil temperature was found to increase over these periods by just 5 °C (9.00 °F)."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Block_heater


At 0.5 to 1.5 GPM the oil will have circulated in 2.5 to less than 1 minute. I doubt it will have picked up much heat at all as it is starting at ambient temperature in the pan. If you want the oil warm, use a magnetic oil pan heater.

20F below freezing is 12F. That's not too cold to worry about the oil too much. A synthetic 0W20 would certaily be a good precautionary move though.

 

[Jeff_in_VABch]

Originally Posted By: CATERHAM
Originally Posted By: Quest
.not enough to warm up my coolant in my Suzuki); with windchills down to -35C and coolant stayed cold,
Q.

Just for the record, windchill doesn't further lower the temperature of an engine's coolant and oil. It's just the ambient temp's one needs to be concerned about.


If one was using some type of engine heater, the wind chill (basically actual wind) would have an effect on the amount of temperature increase, as the wind would carry away some heat generated by the heater vs. a calm/no wind condition. But it cant lower temperature below ambient like you said. The point being, in extremely windy conditions, a heater will lose effectiveness.

 

[CATERHAM]

Originally Posted By: Jeff_in_VABch
Originally Posted By: CATERHAM
Originally Posted By: Quest

Q.


in extremely windy conditions, a heater will lose effectiveness.

Unless it's a radiant heater which heats the substrate not the air.
A block heater heats the coolant internally and oil pan heaters transfer heat directly to the sump so they're still pretty effective even when use in an unsheltered environment.

 

[A_Harman]

It's nice to know that a block heater's maximum benefit is achieved after only 4 hours. Now if only I were interested in getting out of bed at 3am to go plug it in...

 

[tommygunn]

Originally Posted By: A_Harman
It's nice to know that a block heater's maximum benefit is achieved after only 4 hours. Now if only I were interested in getting out of bed at 3am to go plug it in...


I bought a $7 on off timer at Lowes for my dogs heat lamp in the winter, this should work great on a block heater too.

 

[zoomie]

Originally Posted By: A_Harman
It's nice to know that a block heater's maximum benefit is achieved after only 4 hours. Now if only I were interested in getting out of bed at 3am to go plug it in...


Candaian Tire Timers

 

[zoomie]

Originally Posted By: Jeff_in_VABch
At 0.5 to 1.5 GPM the oil will have circulated in 2.5 to less than 1 minute. I doubt it will have picked up much heat at all as it is starting at ambient temperature in the pan. If you want the oil warm, use a magnetic oil pan heater.

20F below freezing is 12F. That's not too cold to worry about the oil too much. A synthetic 0W20 would certaily be a good precautionary move though.


Thank-you Jeff, 0.5 - 1.5 GPM.

 

[mechtech2]

Wind chill is for human exposed flesh.
But wind does indeed cool an engine down faster.
It has an effect. If not, why fans on radiators?

 

[SuperDave456]

I'm glad I live here in Texas.

At one point in time I was slated to become a Missile Launch Officer at Malstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls Mont.
One of the things that was on my "to do" list before getting there was to get an engine block heater.

I started doing research, and Holy Moses there is a lot of things you can do to your engine to heat it! Never got the heater, and I got moved elsewhere do to other coincidences.

 

[A_Harman]

Originally Posted By: tommygunn
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
It's nice to know that a block heater's maximum benefit is achieved after only 4 hours. Now if only I were interested in getting out of bed at 3am to go plug it in...


I bought a $7 on off timer at Lowes for my dogs heat lamp in the winter, this should work great on a block heater too.


I had a digital timer that I tried to use when I first bought the truck, but apparently the current draw was too high and it fried the timer. I don't doubt that there are heavy-duty timers I could use, but I prefer to drive the Camaro now that diesel is more expensive than gasoline.

 

[Quest]

My Suzuki runs on water jacket heater (all Alu blocks with no frost plugs to install engine block heater) that is installed on the lower radiator hose.

so, blowing wind does have an impact on my already small/weak/ineffective water jacket heater.

W/o windchill, the temp would be around late -20sC (around -24 to -28C if I recall).

Q.