Cold climates

[okeitrucker]

Has anyone living in cold climates installed block heaters or oil pan heaters on their trucks? If so, was it a pretty straight forward installation? Thanks.

[d rock]

haven't done it on my Acty yet, but i have put the 'stick on' oil pan heaters on other vehicles with great success. i'm in Canada and have used the Polar Pad brand heaters from Canadian tire. not sure what you have available locally but they are super easy to install and have worked great.

[unclejemima]

0w30 synthetic worked great in my 87 prelude and civic. They never had block heaters, and it gets to -40c here (northern alberta). Started no problemo!
-mark

[okeitrucker]

Thanks for the input. I found a few different kinds at the local parts stores, all of which look like they would do the job. Thanks for the tip about 0w30synthetic oil. I'll give that a try.

[d rock]

its always nice for the vehicle if that oil is nice and warm too prior to start up :). i notice on my diesels that they didn't miss and sputter at all during cold (-20 and below) starts if the pan heaters had been on for an hour or two prior to starting. half an hour would be plenty on a block as small as the kei trucks have.

[unclejemima]

haven't done it on my Acty yet, but i have put the 'stick on' oil pan heaters on other vehicles with great success. i'm in Canada and have used the Polar Pad brand heaters from Canadian tire. not sure what you have available locally but they are super easy to install and have worked great.

I actually might try those, they sound like they would work great.
Have you ever had the pad come off the pan because it did not stick well enough?
Thanks!
-mark

[d rock]

put them on two vehicles and zero issues. they have an adhesive on the back as well as a gasket material you goop around the edges to keep moisture and dirt out. as long as your pan is clean when you put them on there should be no problems. when i bought my first one i plugged it in while holding the pad, about 5 seconds later i didn't want to be holding it any more! for the kei trucks you could buy the small size. i use a timer on my cord in the winter and i bet an hour or two would be the most you'd need.

[TetsuKuma]

Another trick that works is to use a heat lamp enclosed in a metal box (no paint) and slip it under the oil pan in the late evening. Pull it out just before you start up. This works best in a closed space although I have used it in the out of doors using a box with very high sides which protects the lamp from wind and snow. You can also connect em to a timer.

[d rock]

i'll stick to the one time 5 minute job of applying the pad heater! :)

[unclejemima]

Thanks d rock, i will go check them out today!
-mark

[d rock]

you'll have to go to the Parts Desk and ask for them as they are not out on the shelf. its funny, the first time i went to inquire about them the guy at the desk didn't have a clue. i called the Polar Pad rep who assured me that Canadian Tire did indeed have them so i went back and pushed the issue a bit and sure enough the "counter boy" found them on his computer which meant they stock them. wow, a lot of work for a simple part :)

[unclejemima]

good ol' crappytire:D
-mark

[TetsuKuma]

I assume these have an internal thermostat that keeps the oil from "boiling". Does anyone use the old "heated" oil sticks still?

[d rock]

while those pads will keep the oil warm, they certainly won't heat the oil up anywhere close to what it will be once it's been in an operating engine for a few miles!

[Colin]

No doubt.

I think I'm going to use some 5W30 or 0W30 oil and install a cheapo remote start setup, so I can let the thing run for a few minutes before departure. It's never a good idea to hit the road with a stone-cold engine, and that's especially true when you're turning HIGH RPMs to keep up with traffic. :)

Colin

[unclejemima]

True enough!
-mark


No doubt.

It's never a good idea to hit the road with a stone-cold engine, and that's especially true when you're turning HIGH RPMs to keep up with traffic. :)

Colin

[captain_dc]

I'm just about to set up my Subaru for some cold winter ops. Have you had any luck setting up a comand start? Do you guys think a block heater AND an oil pan heater would be nesasary in -35C? What about the "sticking lines" I've been reading about, anybody not have this problem or have a fix for it?

DC

[Colin]

My Sambar fired right up in temperatures close to -35°C last winter, and I had no auxiliary engine heater. Just make sure you let it warm up for several minutes before you get underway.

As for the sticking cables... I've never experienced it, but apparently water gets into the cable sheaths on some trucks when they pressure wash them on departure from Japan. Let the truck sit in a warm building to thaw the ice, then squirt some Kable-Ease or water dispersant (WD-40) type product down the sheaths and you should be fine.

Colin

[oldsnowman]

i see some of you are thinking about going to 5w30 & 0w30 oil for winter...what weight of oil are you using in the summer?

[andy_george]

I use Mobil 1 5w-30 all year, but the winters here aren't nearly as cold as northern Canada....

-Andy

[oldsnowman]

I use Mobil 1 5w-30 all year, but the winters here aren't nearly as cold as northern Canada....

-Andy

i am using 5w30 now (its first oil change) castrol full synthic and works great but i had the oil tested after 1500km's and the guy asked me what rpm does the engine run at, so i told him 6500 at 100k's...i think he didn't believed me, he just said change it every 2000k's. i wonder if a 5w40 would be better for the high rpm.

[Subaru]

I am a firm believer in using good oil and changing it often.When using longer life oils,you avoid the general looky over you do every oil change.I try to prevent problems,instead of fixing broken crap due to not doing regular inspections.my 2c worth:p

[teeshka]

On the Sambars, I go to AutoPartsPlus and get a lower rad hose in-line heater, 1" dia. There is a short hose just under the carb and I install it there, it is 375 watts, circulates the coolant to keep the engine toasty warm, with the added benefit that the residual heat rising from the heater keeps the carb nice and warm. It is a very tight fit and you have to move the bracket that holds the thermostat housing.

[captain_dc]

Teeshka,

Do you have a model and or brand of in-line heater you use?

I'm winterizing a Sambar right now.

I also need to decide on a pan heater to buy, any specific recomendations?

Thanks

[teeshka]

Are you in Canada? AutoPartsPlus sells Temro heater, model #320-0001. Make sure you run the truck after installing and top off the antifreeze or you could burn out the heater as there could still be some air in there after initial installation.

[Timetripper]

If your engine is in overall good shape I think sticking with xxW30 is best.
Sometimes heavy is not always better.
The stock recommended oil is 10W30 in Japan and I can see going down to a 5W30 for our colder climates
but if the bearing clearances were not designed for the 40 weight then it's kind of like stuffing
your size 11 foot in a size 8 shoe - not to comfortable.

The guys who are building street strip cars [V8's] take this into consideration
when building up the block and I can see it on a high milage clunker that burns oil and has lots of bearing wear.

i am using 5w30 now (its first oil change) castrol full synthic and works great but i had the oil tested after 1500km's and the guy asked me what rpm does the engine run at, so i told him 6500 at 100k's...i think he didn't believed me, he just said change it every 2000k's. i wonder if a 5w40 would be better for the high rpm.

[captain_dc]

I'm driving a subaru sambar stadard aspiration.

I've been running for a while now with a pad heater and found that it is functioning adequitly, still planing to put in an inline rad hose heater but I'm getting the run around from the local parts store.

Up until recently I was thinking I would have no problem operating all winter, but once the temperature droped below -20C for a few days I started having problems. The biggest problem I have is a signifigant loss of power when driving the highway when the temperature is around -20C. With my 13" rims, winter tires and 4wd, I usualy get around 90K in cruise, when this power loss occurs I'm lucky to get 60k and after I find the truck won't idle right and stalls without attention. I'll pop it into the hangar at work pull it out and the problem will be solved...until the next time it gets cold soaked and I try and run down the highway again.

I have it in the hanger today. I'm waffling on wich way to go for corective action. I'll definetaly throw some methal hydrate into the tank and cover up the rad today. I'm not sure what else I can do.

I have considered a carb heat isue. Not sure what to do about it.

Any sugestions would be realy apreciated.

DC

[Timetripper]

Take the lid off the engine and look at the muffler along the left hand side, there should be two corragated hoses
running to the muffler from the air box. One supply and one return that heats the air going to the engine
make sure that there is no rips or tears in them or that someone has removed before you purchased your truck.

[captain_dc]

Tripper

I inspected the the hoses you spoke of, everything seems to be in order. The butterfly swings and the air filter is clean. Not sure how to check if that butterfly is truly working.

Tripper, do you think there is a huge loss of heat by the radline hose traveling up to the front? I've considerd that I'm not heating the engine up enouph to heat up the air being inducted....maybe covering the rad will help.

Still open to other sugestions.

DC

[Timetripper]

Another thought - Is the thermostat ok?
If you run it in the hanger does the temp gauge get to half way?
That's where mine end's up when fully warmed up.

[teeshka]

First with cold starting problems, I have had 4 trucks now with the same problem. The choke was sticking and not closing completely. I removed the air cleaner hose, plus the plastic cover on the carg and sprayed carb cleaner on the choke plate plus all the linkage. Then I spayed some lubricant on everything. It is hard to hit everything because there is a metal cover hiding most the linkage, use the plastic tube that comes with some spray cans. That cured the cold starting on all the trucks. As far as no power, the sticky choke could also cause some of that. On the other hand, synthetic gear lube goes a long way to making these trucks roll easier. I got a container of trucks yesterday morning, -20C here, it was almost impossible to push the trucks, even downhill, whereas in the summer they roll out by themselves with a bit of a push. I was amazed that every truck started right up, even the Toyota diesel.

[andy_george]

A little off topic here, but.....

Anyone have experience with the Kats lower radiator hose heater? Is that a better or worse option than the oil pan heaters with the objective of heating up the heater core asap to get the cabin warm. Which heats things up quicker?

Thanks!

-Andy

[teeshka]

I don't know about the Kats brand in particular, I use Temro, but the lower rad hose heater definitely is better than a pad. More watts-more heat. On Subarus, I also found it beneficial to insulate the 3 steel tubes that carry the coolant to the front. Any hardware store has pipe insulation.

betterthanquads.com

[okeitrucker]

Andy,

As Teeshka says, the lower radiator hose heater is better, but I have been installing both the Katz hose heaters and a pad on the oil pan, figuring more heat is better than less. And since those pads are cheap, why not?

-Hiram

[Shrimp Daddy]

Think something like this would work from katz? It is a magnetic engine block heater.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200339105_200339105

I had thought of fabricating an electrical cord to plug in an engine/radiator hose heater and a ceramic heater. I could fab a cord for the ceramic heater and run it through the firewall to the inside of the cab and have an outlet in the cab for the ceramic heater. While sitting at work, the inside of the cab could be heated as well.

[quadzmoto]

I found that for my 93 Hijet the stick on pad works quite well. But since the oil pan is not flat I first had to stick on a 1/8 steel plate - JB Weld does the trick very well. Then the pad goes on the plate and seal it all with silicone. Done quickly and realatively inexpensively.

[captain_dc]

FYI,

I have a Subaru Sambar 91, standard aspiration.

I think I solved my cold weather isues with the folowing actions:

-Covered the radiator with a tarp.
-Insulated the rad lines (3) from the engine to the rad (front to back in the subaru)
-Instaled a lower rad hose heater
-instaled a pan heater
-cranked up the "fast idle" screw on the carb
-changed oil to 5w30 synthetic

I find now when I start up I get some temp on the rad fluid and I manage to keep it up even at higher speeds in -30C. I have no problem cruising at 90k in 4x4 in cold cold temps either.

As winter progresses, I'll let you guys know if there is anything else I find...looking forward to -39 later this week!

DC

[teeshka]

I just got a 92 Sambar van in, and it started the other morning at -32 C., no assistance, no heaters or lighter oil, just pumped the gas twice and it fired right up. Heater makes pretty good heat too, although I wouldn't want to be in the back seat.

betterthanquads.com