mishikwest Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Anyone install an aftermarket block heater /water heater on a Pathy? 94 v6. I don't live in the artic, but it sure would be nice for the morning commute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 i don't think i have heard of anybody doing that on this forum but maybe some of our canadian friends have.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPath88 Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 There are two types of them, the replacement freeze plug models and an inline unit that goes in the lower radiator hose. I have considered the inline one for the same reason to mentioned. It would make it nicer when leaving for work at four or five in the morning during the winter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 is this the same thing as a wabasto but for gas engines? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPath88 Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 These are the two that I was refering too... Looking for the pcitures of those, I found these as well... I also found an "Oil Dipstick Heater" (No Picture) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 doh im an idiot...i know what a block heater is...i donno what i was thinking...i think i saw a pathy the other month that had one built in or at least it looked like it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96SE Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 I always thought that a block heater attached to the engine block/oil pan and kept the oil warm and therfore thinner/more fluid. Apparently not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mishikwest Posted October 3, 2006 Author Share Posted October 3, 2006 (edited) I've heard that the dipstick units can burn the crap out of the oil. Not sure if it's true or not, but could make some sense I suppose. Heating the water makes more sense to me- there is alot more of it in the engine passages and radiator, thus getting more "stuff" hot. Where did you find those units? I'm gonna check napa tomorrow. Edited October 3, 2006 by mishikwest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPath88 Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 I got those images from partsamerica.com (aka Schucks, Checker, Kragen) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxbaby Posted November 1, 2006 Share Posted November 1, 2006 I have used the inline heater before on a car I used to have... not on my pathy. They don't tend to last as long and I don't know why. It seems like after a couple of years the internals just wear out. I replaced the one on mine and pulled it apart out of curiosity and noted that the impeller had simply corroded a very little bit, just enough to impede turning. But while it worked, it was nice. A block heater just seems to last so very long, maybe because of its simple design. Contrary to popular opinion, it does not superheat your coolant so that it's super hot when you get in. It does heat it up and cut down on the length of time to when you get into your vehicle in the morning. It might save you 2 minutes. If your heater is working properly, you'll have heat quick enough. An old mechanic friend steered me away from it years ago and got me to spend some extra time flushing my heater core at the firewall every fall. That has always made for nice heat pretty quickly. The magnetic block-type heater in that bottom picture is great for heating the oil pan itself or the transmission in the ultra-cold climates of the north, but probably overkill for anyone else. I have a friend in Iqualuit where the average daytime temperature is -50 C... they need to use something like that if they turn off vehicles overnight. My mechanic friend said the oil dipstick-type heater is more of a gimick than anything. Oh, and he was a heavy duty mechanic working in the oilfields... out in the bush... where they don't have garages... he was very cranky too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliver Posted November 4, 2006 Share Posted November 4, 2006 So that last one is magnetic eh? Think I could utilize that in the winter since my starter likes to freeze up? It seems that something like that on the inner fender would to the trick. Am I mistaken? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxbaby Posted November 5, 2006 Share Posted November 5, 2006 The heating element is underneath the magnet itself. It emits heat in the direction of the magnetic bottom and not simply in all directions. If you stick it to the fender, you'll be heating up the area of the fender that you've attached it to. If you were to stick it to the starter, then it would heat up the starter.... I'm not sure how well that would work... I don't know enough about the construction of a starter to know if a direct source of heat like that would be good or bad. I know that up north they will throw one onto the bottom of a transmission, a transfer case or the oilpan if there is a need. In some cases, you'd stick one or two on either side of an engine in the area of the cooling jacket to assist in warming the engine that way. Sometimes they are used on the bottom of a differential. The purpose is to warm up fluids or lubricant inside. I don't think it would hurt, but I don't know..??... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxbaby Posted November 5, 2006 Share Posted November 5, 2006 ... further to the above, I used to work for a helicopter ambulance service. The mechanic there used to keep a couple of in-car warmers that he'd use on the engines of the helicopter by simply blowing warm air onto the components he needed to warm up. He'd just position them within the engine cowling and then plug them in. He didn't need a lot of heat but just enough to take the edge off of a couple of components in the extreme cold. Maybe a simple heater blowing on your starter overnight might do the trick (instead of a heating element up against it)?? Just a thought... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliver Posted November 6, 2006 Share Posted November 6, 2006 Good points. I'll have to try some stuff to see what works. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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