Block Heater

[apridge]

I woke up this morning with about an inch of snow on my car and it got me thinking..

Winter is coming and I am dealing with the issue of too many cars, and not enough garage space. I have heard and read very little about engine block heaters. From what I understand, it is a heating unit that plugs in and warms the block (and oil) while the car is sitting in freezing temperatures. The benefit seems fairly obvious. Warm (thinner) oil would cause less stress on the engine as it circulates after sitting through a long cold night. Rumor also has it that that it increases the rate in which your car reaches operating temperature- that i'm still curious about because the temperature gage is related to coolant, not oil...

Anyway, I'm hoping to draw out of the mafia's pool of knowledge here with a few questions...

Does the use of synthetic oil solve the problem making a block heater obsolete?

Because Utah winter only occasionally reaches down into the negatives does that make such an accessory profitless?

Besides an increase in my electricity bill, is anyone familiar with negative side effects? Can they cause harm?

Any further knowledge or experience would be helpful!


Thanks in advance.

[quikryptonite]

You got an inch of snow? Gross. We'll have to wait for the weather to clear up to take the ZHP's out for a spin.

[danewilson77]

I used to run a block heater, battery charger and light a pie pan of "Heat" on fire and slide under my engine block, when I lived in Butte and worked in the mines.

I don't think a block heater can harm the oil.

I think a great resource maybe to do some searching over at www.bobistheoilguy.com

[danewilson77]

Quick read saying a 0W oil should have no issues. Have you had cold start issues with this car before?

Last post does pose an interesting problem perhaps?

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...2364409&page=1

[ranger]

I am so glad that I have no useful information to provide (southern boy!)

[danewilson77]

Quick read saying a 0W oil should have no issues. Have you had cold start issues with this car before?

Last post does pose an interesting problem perhaps?

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...2364409&page=1

EDIT:Last post, FIRST PAGE....

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

[apridge]

Have you had cold start issues with this car before?

The car is from a warmer climate, and this year will be its first really cold winter. Mechanically its in great shape, so I doubt it will have serious trouble starting in the cold. I'm just considering the long term effects on an engine due to continuous cold starts over time. If a block heater will ease that stress, and promote a stronger engine in the long run, thats what i'm interested in finding out.

Do we have any Canadian members? I know that block heaters are practically mandatory for their cars up there..

[strz0001]

Minnesota member. I moved 4 hours drive south to this warmer climate many years ago - it's frequently sub zero here Dec-Mar. I keep the cars in a non-heated garage and have not used a block heater. My recommendation is to have a good battery and a well tuned car and forget about the block heater. I'd also make sure your driving habits allow the engine to fully warm up to prevent condensation and keep a good charge on the battery by avoiding repeated short trips. Consider investing the effort in the CCV to be sure it is working properly as that seems to be more of a cold weather issue than a block heater.

[zj96sc]

My F-250 has a built in block heater, cord hanging out the front of the truck. More critical with diesels with our 15W-40 oil and tight tolerances, especially given the tendency of diesel to gel below like 12F or whatever it is....and, you know, that whole no spark plugs thing.

The short and simple of it is, it will only be good for your car. 90% or whatever they say of wear occurs at startup and shutdown - if you can get parts closer to their happy operating temperature before that first start every time its very cold out, this will only prolong the life of your engine. It will help it warm up faster too - as you said, engine temp is coolant, but keep in mind coolant and oil jackets are adjacent all throughout your engine.

Using properly weighted oil would probably mitigate a large portion of the problem though.

The caveat here is I wouldn't want some ghetto installation. My truck's is OEM so it is obviously well done - if you're going to do it, do it right.

Also, never warm your car up by idling.

[apridge]

Just a quick update:

In locating a heater (standard part in Canada dealerships) I gathered that the cold I'm dealing with here won't cause any substantial damage to the engine when starting cold. Also thanks to Dane for the references on some reading material. Our Castrol Synthetic Oil reduces the stress as well when cold starting the car. I toyed with the idea of putting a lighter weighted oil in for the winter months but my mechanic seemed confident that doing so was unnecessary.

The best solution? Put the ZHP away for the winter. haha

On that note, I just picked up a set of ZHP 135s to mount my snow tires!