Engine block heater

[DebbieKatz]

Well, color *my* face red!

A little over a year ago, after I'd had my FEH about 6mo., I mentioned to my husband that I was thinking of getting an engine block heater for it. He laughed & asked if I thought it wouldn't start. I tried to explain that I thought it would speed up the engine getting to operating temp, & therefore the time it took to go EV, but he still thought it was silly, so I finally dropped the idea.

Well, last week I was looking over my FEH's window-sticker (yes, I'm a pack-rat - I never throw anything away), & discovered that I've *had* an engine block heater all along! So when I took it in for my 20,000mi. service, I asked the tech, & they found the cord for me It comes out from behind the front license plate, has a neat little cap (so much better than a plastic baggie & a rubber-band!), & tucks back up behind the plate while I'm driving, so it should stay clean during the winter driving.

Sigh...to think I could have used it all *last* winter!

[tbaleno]

I like when those sorts of things happen. Its kind of like an unexpected birthday present.

[Green&Blue]

I just got one this last week for the Civic (~$45 plus shipping, from Bernardi Honda in MA). However, I don't know if I'm up to installing it - I might actually go to the dealer to have it done.

Besides the gas savings, there's also the factor of decreased wear on the engine - probably marginal, I know, but I think there's enough between the FE and wear factors to justify the cost + electricity. I wonder if there's one on the FEH we've been looking at? ::hopeful::

[RH77]

Originally Posted by Green&Blue

I just got one this last week for the Civic (~$45 plus shipping, from Bernardi Honda in MA). However, I don't know if I'm up to installing it - I might actually go to the dealer to have it done.

I can tell you from experience that it's quite a mess to it oneself. Basically you'll need a pan/bucket to collect the coolant, which will be most of the entire system's content. That is, after you get the drain-plug off (knuckle-buster). The rest is "plug" and play -- making sure to bleed the system of air. It's about a 5-6 on the 0 (putting gas in the car) to 10 (rebuilding an engine) scale.

It's a great investment, though. Open loop time is drastically reduced and is much easier on the engine during startup. I have a timer to have it run about 3-hours before my morning commute. The OEM verison, is the best IMHO.

RH77

[bruski1959]

I just got a 2008 FEH, and I knew the engine block heater was on the vehicle, but I couldn't find it. Called all my mechanic friends, and they were all out of pocket. The dealership is closed until Monday, so I did a google search and found this post. Lo and behold, there it was, right behind the license plate holder, just like you said. It is supposed to be -8 tonight, so I figured the best thing to do would be to plug it in.

Thanks!

[DebbieKatz]

Originally Posted by bruski1959

I just got a 2008 FEH, and I knew the engine block heater was on the vehicle, but I couldn't find it. Called all my mechanic friends, and they were all out of pocket. The dealership is closed until Monday, so I did a google search and found this post. Lo and behold, there it was, right behind the license plate holder, just like you said. It is supposed to be -8 tonight, so I figured the best thing to do would be to plug it in.

Thanks!

Glad I could help

[twolostminds]

Sorry to resurect an old thread but I was pondering..... Yes Brain? Are you pondering what I'm pondering?....

Was thinking about the block heater and how to power it in situations like ours where our condo does not have a garage or personal driveway, just a big parking lot.

Lightweight solar panel mounted on the roof running to a bluetop deep cycle marine battery to power the block heater. Digital timer remote relay to turn it off and on at predetermined times plus a keyfob sized remote to turn in on at other times. The digital timer remote and keyfob would be easy to get but what do you all think about the rest?

Figure costs would run about
$75 for a used low profile pv panel
$80 - 100 for the parts that my buddy would use to build the digital timer remote
$? what ever the cost is of the block heater and some wiring.

....would it also be beneficial to mount one after the first o2 sensor and before the cat? Might further decrease the cat converter warm up time and shorten the forced ICE run at startup.

[JimboK]

Originally Posted by twolostminds

Sorry to resurect an old thread but I was pondering..... Yes Brain? Are you pondering what I'm pondering?....

Was thinking about the block heater and how to power it in situations like ours where our condo does not have a garage or personal driveway, just a big parking lot.

Lightweight solar panel mounted on the roof running to a bluetop deep cycle marine battery to power the block heater. Digital timer remote relay to turn it off and on at predetermined times plus a keyfob sized remote to turn in on at other times. The digital timer remote and keyfob would be easy to get but what do you all think about the rest?

Figure costs would run about
$75 for a used low profile pv panel
$80 - 100 for the parts that my buddy would use to build the digital timer remote
$? what ever the cost is of the block heater and some wiring.

....would it also be beneficial to mount one after the first o2 sensor and before the cat? Might further decrease the cat converter warm up time and shorten the forced ICE run at startup.

Are you getting the battery for free? How about an inverter?

I moved into a townhouse last year that, like you, doesn't have easy access for my block heater to plug in. I have a Prius, not a FEH, but assuming the power requirements are similar (400W for the Prius), it makes no difference. I wondered then about a battery and inverter to power my heater. Not having the electrical background of many here, I wrote this in another thread:

Bear with me while I "think out loud" here for a moment. Some simple math suggests I would need an absolute minimum of 100 amp-hours, assuming a 12V battery: 400(W) ÷ 12(V) * 3(hours). That then gives a complete discharge, and with daily cycles I suspect even a deep cycle battery wouldn't last a year. With 100AH, I'm sure it would take a pretty big -- and heavy -- battery, not to mention the added weight of one with greater capacity. Even so, I'm guessing it would have to be charged daily. You folks correct me if my (mostly uneducated) assumptions are wrong, but it seems that the cost of battery(s) and inverter, conversion losses partially limiting the energy consumption advantage, and the hassle of lugging the battery back and forth would make this expensive and impractical.

No one validated my thought process, but no one refuted it either, there or in a similar post on a Prius forum.

In your setup, of course, you wouldn't pay for the electricity cost. But assuming my energy calculations are in the ballpark, would your solar array have sufficient power for recharging the battery(s)?

[twolostminds]

Originally Posted by JimboK

Are you getting the battery for free? How about an inverter?

I moved into a townhouse last year that, like you, doesn't have easy access for my block heater to plug in. I have a Prius, not a FEH, but assuming the power requirements are similar (400W for the Prius), it makes no difference. I wondered then about a battery and inverter to power my heater. Not having the electrical background of many here, I wrote this in another thread:

Bear with me while I "think out loud" here for a moment. Some simple math suggests I would need an absolute minimum of 100 amp-hours, assuming a 12V battery: 400(W) ÷ 12(V) * 3(hours). That then gives a complete discharge, and with daily cycles I suspect even a deep cycle battery wouldn't last a year. With 100AH, I'm sure it would take a pretty big -- and heavy -- battery, not to mention the added weight of one with greater capacity. Even so, I'm guessing it would have to be charged daily. You folks correct me if my (mostly uneducated) assumptions are wrong, but it seems that the cost of battery(s) and inverter, conversion losses partially limiting the energy consumption advantage, and the hassle of lugging the battery back and forth would make this expensive and impractical.

No one validated my thought process, but no one refuted it either, there or in a similar post on a Prius forum.

In your setup, of course, you wouldn't pay for the electricity cost. But assuming my energy calculations are in the ballpark, would your solar array have sufficient power for recharging the battery(s)?

Hiya Jim,

I am still trying to figure out all the details, was hoping someone already thought of this idea and could tell if it was worth going any further researching it.

Unfortunately the battery would not be free, but it wouldn't be retail either. The batteries I was looking at were part numbers:
SC34DU SC34DA SC31DS SC31DA
Specs found here
Inverter wouldnt really be expensive either, not like I need filtering to run electronics or anything like that.

[twolostminds]

Took a real close look at this idea and get a lot of help from the guys at the solarpanel forums.
3 Batteries @ 58.6#'s each = 175.8#'s
1 Rugged Solar panel to handle vibrations of driving and mount kit. 80#'s
1 Invertor 5#'s
Total 260.8 pounds. The FE gained by the warmer engine does not justify the FE losses due to the added weight.
Looks like us condo/parkinglot people have to figure out something else to boost FE on initial startup.

oh....and even at my battery wholesale pricing the 3 batteries would total just over $300