Still learning stuff here (block heater)...long...

[addyguy]

In another recent post, I mentioned how I 'couldnt find' my block heater cable on my car, and had to start it unaided at -26C, and how it was a painful start. I did another start the next morning at -29C, and it was even worse, so I made a concerted effort to find the block heater cable.

I did find it, and so last night, I did plug my car in all night, as the temperature went down to -31C (all temps. are air temps.). I started the car this AM, and it started much, much easier, but NOT as easy as I had thought it would. During my work day, I park in a heated garage, and my car fires right up effortlessly, like in summer. I thought a block heater would keep the engine warm enough that it would start like this, but there was still some 'sluggishness' in the way it started, like it was about -15C out.

On this site, I have read about quite a few people who encourage people to use BOTH a block heater, AND synthetic oil, for easy winter starts. I always thought this was major overkill - if you use one, it makes the stating so easy, that it negates the use of the other completely. But after feeling my car still having some 'stiffness' in its morning start with a block heater plugged in all night, I can now see how if I had had synthetic oil in in, and plugged in the block heater, it would have started even easier. Synthetic oil still gets thick at cold temps, EVEN if it is not AS thick as dino, and minimizing that helps an engine out, especially an 'older' one. I'll most likely use both next winter - I can't afford to have my car conk out on me b/c of the strain of hard winter starts.

Thanks all for sharing anecdotes with me that helped me come to this realization....

 

[ThirdeYe]

It probably has to do with your battery as well. I know that even though I'm using 5W-30 Amsoil in my car, I still struggled to start it last night at around -10F because the battery was acting a little sluggish in those temperatures.

 

[addyguy]

You're probably right - it is BRUTALLY cold here - first time below -30C air temp in 4 years! In my other thread, a couple of people said my battery was probably weak, and I disagreed b/c it is only about 3 years old. I didn't take into account a healthy battery will still become 'weak' just from extreme cold....

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
You're probably right - it is BRUTALLY cold here - first time below -30C air temp in 4 years! In my other thread, a couple of people said my battery was probably weak, and I disagreed b/c it is only about 3 years old. I didn't take into account a healthy battery will still become 'weak' just from extreme cold....


And that's why my battery is 900CCA

 

[Drew99GT]

-31 C is at the cold cranking limit of the 5W-xx SAE testing. Synthetic would dramatically outperform conventional 5w-30. Even me, the ardent conventional oil user, would have synthetic 5w-30 at a minimum, in my cars.

 

[Smokescreen]

One thing I have learned is that winter driving, startups and operation is hard on everything..including us at times. Synthetic oil and plugging in is more par for the course when temps go below -15C. It helps your car start, warm up faster reducing emissions, and allows the cabin to warm up faster. Its all to make life easier and extend engine life.

Heck the fuel economy misers out there plug in the car just to get 0.5 mpg more even when its warm out.

 

[Mau]

im guessing battery as well...I have ASL 5w30 in my car and it starts the same as it would on a hot summers day.

 

[Kruse]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
I started the car this AM, and it started much, much easier, but NOT as easy as I had thought it would. During my work day, I park in a heated garage, and my car fires right up effortlessly, like in summer.


Please remember that you are heating the engine coolant and block, but not really the oil itself. The oil sits away from the engine and is hit by your -31 temps, causing your slower starts.
Of course, when your car does start, the coolant will already be warm and you should have cab heat a lot sooner.

 

[addyguy]

True, but I figured that if I left it plugged in all night, that the heat from the block would spread down to the oil pan, as metal is a very effective conductor of heat, and by morning, everything would be toasty warm.....

 

[Kruse]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
True, but I figured that if I left it plugged in all night, that the heat from the block would spread down to the oil pan, as metal is a very effective conductor of heat, and by morning, everything would be toasty warm.....


Metal is also a very good conductor of cold. On your next cold morning after having your block heater plugged in, touch the bottom of your oil pan find out for yourself how cold it is, even if the top of your engine is warm.

 

[StevieC]

That's why I like my oil pan heater... It was brutally cold here this morning (-21oC / -5.8oF) and my car started effortlessly and my engine water temperature according to my scan gauge was at (100oF/38oC) within 30 seconds of running and normally left un-plugged in these temperatures it would take about 2-3 minutes to get to these temperatures.

 

[Steve S]

The oil viscosity really comes into play after the engine starts.

 

[addyguy]

Steve,

Love your sig - long live Mori!

 

[zulu]

This is why Subaru uses battery warmers instead of block heaters. I had a block heater on my RSX and I could never tell a difference. It always cranked slow in the winter. I'd much prefer to warm the battery a bit and pull as many CCAs as I can. Synthetic is for once the engine gets cranking.

 

[StevieC]

I don't have a Battery Warmer... Just an Oil Pan heater and mine cranks fine in this frigid weather...

Not sure why...

 

[addyguy]

I'm pretty sure mine is a 'block heater' - there is nothing on, or near the oil pan and the cord literally seems to plug into the block at the front. I still thought it would be powerful enough to make the whole engine 'room temperature-ish'...

 

[hemitom]

its been -30 here as well and what i did was add a one amp battery charger under the hood of my truck. Combined with the block heater set on a timer to come on for 90 minutes. My battery is six years old oringnal to the truck. the first cold morning before i installed the charger with block heater only it was slowwwwwww cranking, the next morning with the charger on it turned over like a summer morning amazing what a hot battery will do.

 

[demarpaint]

I have a block heater on one vehicle, factory installed, replacing a freeze out plug. I installed a Wolverine oil pan heater on another vehicle. The oil pan heater seems to work better than the block heater, when both are plugged in overnight.

I can't comment about frigid Canadian temps, but the oil pan heater is at the bottom of the oil pan, and heat rises so that seems to make me think the oil pan heater will do a better job. I would think that a block heater combined with an oil pan heater is the way to go. If I had to use only one I'd go with the oil pan heater.

 

[jldcol]

You block heater may a little compromised, giving less heat than it should, maybe test the power draw or get some resistance measurements, to see if it's up to snuff. You may also want to add a battery warmer mat, easy to install, and/or a battery charger to keep it fresh in the cold.

 

[Oldswagon]

Quote:
On this site, I have read about quite a few people who encourage people to use BOTH a block heater, AND synthetic oil, for easy winter starts. I always thought this was major overkill -


Is that part of the reason we are here - overkill. Most of us know our cars will do just fine with the cheapest dino's and fram filters, but we all relish in spending the extra time and money on high end synthetics, filters and the like to reduce engine wear.

When it comes to winter starts, I figure I will do everything that I can to prevent my engine from seeing any extra stress from the cold weather. Sure, I know my engine would be fine without synthetic and a block heater, but I know using both will reduce engine wear more, increase my fuel economy, and reduce warm up time in the winter, so why not use them?

For our vehicles, I run synthetic oil in both our daily drivers (my vintage summer drivers use dino). Both also have block heaters that are used along with the synthetic. My 350 Chev is an all iron engine with a large cooling system that takes a long time to heat up, so I also use a oil pan heater to supplemant the block heater. The Civic's little 1.6L heats up in a fraction of the time, and so a block heater is sufficent for it.

Both start without any stress during the winter, and I am sure by using this combo I am reducing engine wear. And to me, it's all about reducing engine wear to maxmimize engine life.