Schattenjager
Expedition Leader
I visited the stealership up here and and they quoted ~$345 for one block heater. That included a mandatory coolant flush, despite the fact I just did it myself. Considering the part is about $25 and that they did not inspire confidence as far as getting a careful job done, I passed. Good prices seem as rare as quality workmanship around here, but I digress.
So, as a super cold front is coming in with temps going from the 20's to a bit below zero, I decided to try the lightbulb trick that many up here extol. I went to the Depot and spent about $15 on a metal incandescent drop light and a box of 75W (drop light max rating) cheapie bulbs. Right after getting home last night, while the motor was still nice and toasty, I placed the light under the exhaust heat shield near the front of the motor where the thermostat housing lives and ran the cord out the bottom so I could shut the hood completely.
I broke out the trusty pyrometer this morning to test this seemingly hair brained notion and to gather empirical evidence. The outside temp is 12 with a slight breeze. To baseline the measurements, I read the front ARB bumper which was a predictable 12 degrees. Popping the hood I first took a reading of the oil pan, just above the heat pad and it showed 93 degrees. The exhaust heat shield above the light was 44. The thermostat housing was 37. The block well aft of the light was 28. The metal air filter housing was 33. The backside of the radiator was 29. The other side of the motor was cooler, but everything was above 25.
While not heated garage temps, this is far superior to ambient 12 exposure. The fact that the motor was hot when I plugged in the light surly helped. That the temps were all above 12 tells me that this is in fact a very inexpensive way to knock the chill off a cold night. There is no way the guts of the motor would cool off more than the surface temp, so the newly changed 5-30 Mobil 1 would seemingly have a slightly easier time circulating around at cold start, which is my primary concern. I might go all out and try draping a blanket over the hood to cover the edges which obviously vent a little warmth to the atmosphere. Might be good for another degree or two!
:bike_rider:
So, as a super cold front is coming in with temps going from the 20's to a bit below zero, I decided to try the lightbulb trick that many up here extol. I went to the Depot and spent about $15 on a metal incandescent drop light and a box of 75W (drop light max rating) cheapie bulbs. Right after getting home last night, while the motor was still nice and toasty, I placed the light under the exhaust heat shield near the front of the motor where the thermostat housing lives and ran the cord out the bottom so I could shut the hood completely.
I broke out the trusty pyrometer this morning to test this seemingly hair brained notion and to gather empirical evidence. The outside temp is 12 with a slight breeze. To baseline the measurements, I read the front ARB bumper which was a predictable 12 degrees. Popping the hood I first took a reading of the oil pan, just above the heat pad and it showed 93 degrees. The exhaust heat shield above the light was 44. The thermostat housing was 37. The block well aft of the light was 28. The metal air filter housing was 33. The backside of the radiator was 29. The other side of the motor was cooler, but everything was above 25.
While not heated garage temps, this is far superior to ambient 12 exposure. The fact that the motor was hot when I plugged in the light surly helped. That the temps were all above 12 tells me that this is in fact a very inexpensive way to knock the chill off a cold night. There is no way the guts of the motor would cool off more than the surface temp, so the newly changed 5-30 Mobil 1 would seemingly have a slightly easier time circulating around at cold start, which is my primary concern. I might go all out and try draping a blanket over the hood to cover the edges which obviously vent a little warmth to the atmosphere. Might be good for another degree or two!
:bike_rider:
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