cold weather help needed

I think maybe there is confusion here on the term "heater." There are two different items being discussed.

The engine "block heater" is an externally powered electric unit run on household voltage. An aftermarket add-on, it is used to pre-heat the engine before starting, in cold weather.

The cab "heater" and defroster is essentially a small radiator core heated by circulation of the engine coolant. Provides passenger comfort but only after the engine is running and warmed up. Standard in most all vehicles.

The first item will give the second a "head-start" and allow immediate heat output on a cold morning.

 

AHH! Thats the problem! I thought we were talking about a magic block heater that didn't need power, and warmed you up as soon as you fired up! I wanted one!! I'll take my dunce cap off now....

 

Question?! Where does the freeze plug style block heater install on an F-Head? This thread got me all excited of not having to deal with sitting around for 15-20 minutes, listening to my poor 'ol Jeep stutter and cough until things warm up. This particular one is very cold weary. So I went and purchased a Zerostart freeze plug coolant heater, 1 1/4" & 600 watts style. THEN went out to look at the Jeep, and noticed the coil is mounted right over one plug, and the oil tube over the other! Suggestions?
Thanks! Aaron

 

Bump:
Anybody?

 

Move the coil? Make a bracket to move the coil away from the core plug.

 

Can one still buy headbolt heaters? We had them in all our old Jeeps. Whether block heater, radiator hose heater, tank heater, or headbolt heater, IMO, getting the block warm is more important than warming the battery. Unless you are running 5 weight oil, that lube needs some warmth when starting if you don't want a lot of accelerated wear on rings and bearings.

Like Warlock, I would opt for a lower radiator hose heater or a tank heater on a F head. Block heaters are more efficient and should be used on engines with accessible freeze plugs.

 

Many models of German made cars do in fact have a device built in that causes the cab heater to blow cold air as soon as the car is turned on. It does not use external source for power, but instead use electricity from the car for about 15-20 seconds after that car has been cranked. They are very powerful and it makes it feel like you have instant hot air, even though there really is a very small delay.

 

Cold air?

 

Assuming they blow WARM air utilizing an electical heating element, that feature may be good for comfort but it is also more loading on the battery and you need all the battery you can get for really cold weather starting. IMO, just more crap to cause problems and if you can't take a minute or two before you get warm air from a conventional heater, perhaps you need to move-or at least have the chauffeur start the car sooner.

 

Lol - I meant hot air, from the vents

 

Been used in the extremely cold weather envirnoments around the Alps for decades without problems, and you get warm air through the heater in about 20 seconds as opposed to the 15-20 minutes it normally takes in those temperatures.

My Golf GL Touring had it when I bought it, and it was easily the best heater I have ever had in a car, it also never once had problems cranking, that was a 30 years old car with a normal battery. No garage car sat outside

Here in Texas, I can definitely wait but it is a thought, if those old German cars have it, must be easy to do - they did not have any real fancy technology built in

 

Great! It warmed up to 24 below (F) here today.

I prefer to use a block heater over a circulating (tank) heater but both do a great job of prewarming the engine. I only had one lower radiator hose heater and it didn't work well (burned the hose - coolant leak).

On my V6 I put the block heater on the drivers side, closer to the back than the front. Don't know about the 4 cylinder.

Aside from a block heater, an oil pan heater would be the next item. These are electric, flexible, silicone pads usually installed using high temp (red) RTV on the bottom of the oil pan.

A battery blanket is good but I prefer a battery trickle charger. The battery blanket or battery plate could boil the water off your battery which is not good (note - this could be an old wives tale). The charger both charges and heats the battery.

Next would be putting one of the silicone heating pads on the bottom of the transmission.

Next, throw an old blanket over the hood to retain some of the heat from the various heaters.

If you really need to get going and you don't have the heaters installed hot coals from the wood stove works ok. Charcoal works better. A coleman stove works in a pinch. Around here we have sheetmetal pans that slide under the engine and direct heat from a kerosene or propane master heater. Buts that's usually for a special case when a rig has been sitting for a long time or is otherwise froze up.

 

cool! somehow the word cole man got replaced with a graphic.

 

Go on over to the UofA, either campus. All the parking slots have poles with electric plugins on them so you can plug in your block or hose heaters and be able to drive your car home after how ever many hours in class or labs.
At least there were back in '69 and '70 when I was still in high school over at Austin E. Lathrop.

 

Yes. Most places are set up to plug in so your vehicle will start later. I sometimes wonder if the rest of the world will some day catch up to us and have plugins in the parking lot. Only most people will be plugging in their car for a different reason . . . .

Well, I guess you're still a good guy even though you went to Lathrop. I'm from the other side of town and went to West.

 

I've used a 700 watt coolant heater with excellent results...one end splices into a heater hose using a " tee" fitting, and the other end goes to a fitting into the cylinder block...plugging in the heater before going to bed and letting it do its thing all night will let you start the engine instantly and you will have heat inside the cab immediately...I used 10W-30 engine oil during the winter...you might also,in addition to the block heater, put a mechanic's work light next to the battery and cover it with an old tarp to retain the heat generated by the 100 watt light bulb...batteries love heat and you will start as if it were July.

 

West didn't exist when I graduated back in '69. The year after they went to shifts with half the kids going for 6 hours in the morning and the other half for six hours in the afternoon. Bet that didn't last very long! I lived out about 15 miles northwest of the University complex. Stayed with my uncle Eb Rice out there. He was the Dean of Engineering at the U of A. Both campuses.

 

Oil. We used to use 10W-40 in everything during the summer and switch to 5W-30 for winter. I don't know if 5W-30 would be the best for the old Jeep 4 cylinder but it's the best option I can think of.

We once cut the top out of an old can with the heavier oil during a cold snap. The oil came out like jelly. Reminded me of the way the cranberry stuff comes out of the can at Thanksgiving. Remember those old oil cans that you used a bottle/can opener on?

1960willys - yes, I remember your uncle Eb. I graduated from the UAF engineering school in the 80's. Cool - it's a small world.

 

"Remember those old oil cans that you used a bottle/can opener on?"

My dad use to buy two-gallon metal cans of "recycled" oil to use in our old flathead V8, since it burned so much It was cheaper.