G.I.jonas Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 Put a remote starter on the car, let it run for a minute or two and it'll accomplish the same thing. Pretty much. Another thing to consider is the fact that (lets say the idea does allow 120+degrees) upon leaving a non running engine at high temp for prolonged periods of time must have an effect on making all the residual oil in the engine drain away pretty effectively.I'm not sure it would be a huge deal but it seems that there would be no benefit for engine longevity as in my eyes the engine would be starting with in an even drier condition than normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjames Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 I dont think that the oil drain back is much of an issue. The advantage would come from having the oil in the sump already warm, therefore much easier to pump. Other advantages to keeping an engine a constant temprature include reduced wear from prolonged idling for warm up, and reduced heating and cooling cycles. Heating and cooling cycles are very hard on internal components, alot of the wear that we see on bearings, rings, cylinders and pistons comes from expansion and contraction of parts during warm up. The other big advantage is that by keeping an engine at temprature, keeps condensation and moisture inside the block to a minimum. Oil will absorb moisture. I honestly dont see that this would have much of an effect on the Florida car, but in theory we could all benefit by keeping our engines warm. It's a little more important on large engines, where a little water in the oil or condensation in the engine could rust a crankshaft, waste a bearing, and cost a few hundred grand for an overhaul. Pretty much. Another thing to consider is the fact that (lets say the idea does allow 120+degrees) upon leaving a non running engine at high temp for prolonged periods of time must have an effect on making all the residual oil in the engine drain away pretty effectively.I'm not sure it would be a huge deal but it seems that there would be no benefit for engine longevity as in my eyes the engine would be starting with in an even drier condition than normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.I.jonas Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 I suppose.Im really not against the principle,just wondering about whether or not it will really end up worth it in the end.Perhaps some sort of solar powered rig?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Posted March 30, 2008 Author Share Posted March 30, 2008 Alright. Here's what I plan to do. I ordered this heater from JC Whitney ZX540691A http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/Search?catalogId=10101&storeId=10101&sku=ZX540691A&searchbtn.x=0&searchbtn.y=0 It's a tank type 1000 watt heater with 5/8'" nipples. According to the Zerostart literature it will cost 6 cents an hour to run. I can afford this. I'll post some test data as soon as I get the heater installed. An early Z with carbs is not going to work well with a remote start system. For me this is the best solution. At least for now that is. Derek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Purple240zt Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 Derek, so are you going to turn this thing on a couple hours before you leave or what? That would seem to make most sense since you don't need it on all the time. Thats a monster heater! I wish I had room for something like that in my 240sx. There just isn't enough space. -15 ambient temps are brutal. Evan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdsk8ter Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 Maybe its me but I would just drop a diffrent temp thermostat in there cause it to heat all the fluid up faster Hell on all the thermostats I install I drill a very small hole in the housing it allows a small amount of coolant to flow. I would think where you are your car would always be warm just my thoughts though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 Yes I'm hoping I don't need to run it all night. It says it has a thermostat for over heat protection. the company that makes this also make standard block heaters for just about everything imaginable. They offer a 35MM heater but it's only 400 watts. If this actually works I'll buy a couple of the core plug style and loose the tank. The tank was the quickest way to find out if it's worth the bother. I'm running a 192 degree thermostat now but I don't think that makes it heat up that much faster derek Derek, so are you going to turn this thing on a couple hours before you leave or what? That would seem to make most sense since you don't need it on all the time. Thats a monster heater! I wish I had room for something like that in my 240sx. There just isn't enough space. -15 ambient temps are brutal. Evan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Purple240zt Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Your T-stat has nothing to do with warmup time. Has more to do with maintaining temperatures obviously. Evan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjames Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Your T-stat has nothing to do with warmup time. Has more to do with maintaining temperatures obviously. Evan My ex seemed to think that if she set the thermostat on the furnace to 80 it would make the house warm up faster. (no offense to anyone else that may feel that way) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelToad Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 You cant compare a truck heater directly with what would be going into your car. Theres a huge difference in mass. Warm up a cast iron skillet and a little aluminum pan for the same time, put your hand on each 5 minutes later. If you remote start your car a few minutes early, your going to spend tons less in gas than you are in electricity for a 1K+ watt heater, starting will heat your engine the way it is supposed to be heated. Also for about $0.10 you can put a piece of cardboard in front of part of your radiator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 I've been reading on the ecomodder forum Sorry, this forum is for CarZ that perform in the areas of single digit MPG and timeslips. just kidding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Posted April 4, 2008 Author Share Posted April 4, 2008 Ok I got the heater in today and it looks pretty cool. It's about 7" tall and about 3" in diameter. It fits very well directly behind the alternator. The inlet is in the bottom and the outlet is in the top. I decided to pull cold water from the drain plug on the radiator and feed it back into the 3/4" nipple coming off of the water inlet on the block. I filled the radiator back up with water and plugged the unit in. It started getting hot right away. I let it run for about 10 min and started checking for heat. The lower radiator hose was getting warm but the rest of the motor was still cool. It was apparent that it was taking the path of least resistance and reentering the radiator through the lower hose. I didn't have time to do any re-plumbing so I just let it cook. After about 45 min the radiator water was a piping hot 160 degrees! I was quite impressed. I think whats happening is the thermostat is keeping the hot water from circulating. My plan is to drill a small hole in the thermostat. I'm thinking along the lines of 1/8" or 3/16". When I get it all figured out I'll post some pictures. Derek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.I.jonas Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Just think,if everyone had agreed with your idea you probably wouldn't have tried it - now it looks like you may have something. Good work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benitoz Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 What if you put a electric fan on your car that way the fan would never run (until it needs to) and the car would warm up quicker.. or get a remote start and start the car before you get out there and if you do both your problem will be solved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Purple240zt Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 That thing have a thermostat? You could be the first z owner to overheat his car while its parked and not running LOL. I still think your crazy BTW, whether it works or not! lol Evan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.I.jonas Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Now you need a block heater-heater,you cant just go around turning on the block heater until it has been brought up to operating temp! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjames Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 OkI got the heater in today and it looks pretty cool. It's about 7" tall and about 3" in diameter. It fits very well directly behind the alternator. The inlet is in the bottom and the outlet is in the top. I decided to pull cold water from the drain plug on the radiator and feed it back into the 3/4" nipple coming off of the water inlet on the block. I filled the radiator back up with water and plugged the unit in. It started getting hot right away. I let it run for about 10 min and started checking for heat. The lower radiator hose was getting warm but the rest of the motor was still cool. It was apparent that it was taking the path of least resistance and reentering the radiator through the lower hose. I didn't have time to do any re-plumbing so I just let it cook. After about 45 min the radiator water was a piping hot 160 degrees! I was quite impressed. I think whats happening is the thermostat is keeping the hot water from circulating. My plan is to drill a small hole in the thermostat. I'm thinking along the lines of 1/8" or 3/16". When I get it all figured out I'll post some pictures. Derek I think you'd be better off teeing into the heater hose connections to get proper natural convection through the block. They are right near where you mounted the heater too. Make sure you plumb it so the inlet of the heater is on the hose coming from the discharge of the water pump. If it gets warm enough, the engine thermostat will open, but I wouldn't think there'd be much benefit to heating up the radiator. Wouldnt work for me, my electric fan would come on and try to cool down the engine that I heated up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Posted April 4, 2008 Author Share Posted April 4, 2008 Just think,if everyone had agreed with your idea you probably wouldn't have tried it - now it looks like you may have something. Good work! I always do better when someone tells me it can't work! As far as a remote start I can only say you guy's must not drive early Z cars with SU carbs. Starting one cold is not exactly like EFI. We have a thing called a "choke". That thing have a thermostat? You could be the first z owner to overheat his car while its parked and not running LOL. I still think your crazy BTW, whether it works or not! lol Evan I hear ya! When it started heating up the first time I thought I'll look pretty dumb if I crack the head without the car running. And yes I am CRAZY. I think you'd be better off teeing into the heater hose connections to get proper natural convection through the block. They are right near where you mounted the heater too. Make sure you plumb it so the inlet of the heater is on the hose coming from the discharge of the water pump. If it gets warm enough, the engine thermostat will open, but I wouldn't think there'd be much benefit to heating up the radiator. Wouldnt work for me, my electric fan would come on and try to cool down the engine that I heated up... I felt that by introducing the hot water into the inlet It would make a more natural progression through the motor. I need to change the water outlet so I'm going to just remove the thermostat and run the heater. If I get water flow then I'll drill the hole in the thermostat and button it up. If not I'll reroute the hoses into the heater. Derek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nizm0Zed Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 perhaps you could use something with a little more heat output to warm your engine? like thermite? may affect other subsystems, like your drivebelts, or paintwork, but hey, it'll make it nice and hot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdsk8ter Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 just throw a space heater out under the hood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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