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
-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