Block vs Oil Pan Heater

[JRHill]

It's getting to be that time of year, isn't it? It's a good time to think about this topic. I am on the block heater side of the argument because it puts the heat where you need it to aid in startup. I'm in the PNW in the rain shadow of the Cascades and it can get chilly here but only into single digits a few times per winter. The other thing I do to aid in the winter is put a multi-tap on the extension cord where a BatteryMinder is connected constantly. When I need to use the verryy old B7100 I plug in the heater on the lower radiator hose for an hour or so. In other places it might be longer or even overnight. We live off grid so I am stingy with power consumption and I can tell you that you don't need to actually heat the diesel engine but only break the chill. After starting I keep the heater plugged in while it 'warms up' for a few minutes.

Why a radiator hose heater and not a block heater? On my rig, getting to the center frost plug, or ANY of them, to install the block heater is just nuts. The hose heater isn't as efficient but works.

Another thing is thick oil. I run Mobile1 (please, no oil wars) and that substantially solves the lube issues.

The Almanac is calling out a chilly and wetter than average winter in the PNW and at our elevation that probably means I'll be clearing more snow this season. I'm ready! Wishing y'all easy starting this winter!

 

[85Hokie]

Depending on the conditions of cold and where you live - the oil heater is almost a thing of the past.

Here is why- most of us run a multi-viscosity oil, like a 10w-30 or 5w-40 .or......

TO heat oil to gain the a lower viscosity is a noble thought - and while true a warmer oil will flow a bit better than a colder oil, the oils today, ESPECIALLY the synthetics already "flow well" in colder weather.

An oil pan heater will work - if a magnet style - best check your pan to see if it is aluminum or not.
A oil dipstick heater is a no-no = it will in certain conditions "cook" the oil.

Turning the KEY is were the wear is created, the more it is turned BEFORE starting the more wear will occur.
A warmer block, with of course GLOWING the combustion chamber will allow a much better start up and the correct oil will lubricate the parts.

 

[Swanny]

While synthetics have greatly improved the cold start situation, they are far from being the holy grail of wear reduction. Case in point-industrial emergency gensets which are still largely installed with lube sump heaters to “Maintain the oil in the sump in a warm condition to provide for a quick start capability and minimize wear during initial operation”. Yes-emergency gensets are an extreme example due to their requirement to start & be under full load within seconds, but it shows that no magical lubricant has yet to eliminate wear during a truly cold startup. This subject reminds me of the latest misinformation making the rounds that synthetics have eliminated the need to warm up your car in cold weather before driving. Clearly a notion NOT from an engineer, but likely from some tree huggers trying to reduce carbon footprints. It’s basic engineering: cold oil, synthetic or otherwise, does not lubricate as well as warm. That fact cannot be disputed. Synthetics have been an improvement, but have not eliminated the issue.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

While you're installing a 'heater' also put in a 'battery warmer'. It doesn't matter how warm the engine is when the battery's frozen ! Batteries can lose 1/2 or more of their energy when cold and don't like being recharged in that state either.

 

[The Evil Twin]

You have to pick the oil for your climate.
Cat power systems like the 3561s do not come with lube oil heaters standard. They do come with coolant heaters standard. Smaller sets like the C2 line have optional coolant heaters with no lube oil heaters.
Just food for thought.
IMHO, oil pan heaters are not really good at what they do. There is tremendous heat loss. They are on the bottom of the pan out in the breeze (in the consumer market) and waste a lot of heat. They are also small. A few hundred watts maybe. 1,000 btu. Unless the oil pan is insulated, I bet 30+ percent of that heat is contributing to global warming instead of oil warming. In contrast, coolant heaters (consumer market) are over 3,000 btu injected into the engine itself.

 

[Mowbizz]

My block heater (BX25D w/5455HD BLOWER in its “winter mode”) died a couple years ago…I actually bought a new one thinking I could swap it out myself…WRONG. Couldn’t get the bad one unseated from the engine block no matter how hard I tried. Had to quit before I busted a hole in the block.
So there it sits with a dead heater…so I rigged up a battery heater pad and a magnetic oil pan heater and actually used it a couple times but crawling under the tractor to remove and replace it got “old” quickly for a 74 year old man…went the rest of the winter (and some below zero temps) just starting it up as usual…

 

[TerryKing]

Hi, Just starting to COOL here in Vermont. But I KNOW what it will be in January.

New to me Kubota B7100HST-D and planning to use for some SNOWSTUFF..

I think the coolant lower hose heater would be my choice.

Can anyone point to a specific heater?? Any threads showing HowTo??

I put block heaters in Radio Station backup generators back in Ancient History but not gonna try that on this engine.. I Looked. I Chickened.

Thanks!

 

[GreensvilleJay]

curious, mowbiz, WHY did you crawl under the tractor and remove the mag pan heater ?
Install once, and you're done .

 

[JRHill]

Hi, Just starting to COOL here in Vermont. But I KNOW what it will be in January.

New to me Kubota B7100HST-D and planning to use for some SNOWSTUFF..

I think the coolant lower hose heater would be my choice.

Can anyone point to a specific heater?? Any threads showing HowTo??

I put block heaters in Radio Station backup generators back in Ancient History but not gonna try that on this engine.. I Looked. I Chickened.

Thanks!

That lower hose - it's pretty tight in there for sure. I bought a new lower hose to start with and drained the system and removed the original lower. I bought the heater at NAPA, I believe, but it was a long time ago. I wanted the lowest wattage and there was only one option for that hose size which was 500 watts. I cut the hose so the heater would be as close as possible to the engine but not touching the inlet flange, then trimmed the rest of the hose to fit. Use new clamps. As mentioned before I don't want or need it more than an hour or so.

 

[TerryKing]

That lower hose - it's pretty tight in there for sure. I bought a new lower hose to start with and drained the system and removed the original lower.

THANKS! Looking closer.

Anyone know the Hose ID?? Before I buy one.. Thanks!

 

[TerryKing]

Turning the KEY is were the wear is created, the more it is turned BEFORE starting the more wear will occur.
A warmer block, with of course GLOWING the combustion chamber will allow a much better start up and the correct oil will lubricate the parts.

OTHER Question: Getting oil flow/pressure BEFORE starting?? When I have shut down a car or boat engine for weeks/months, I shut off / defeat the fuel system and crank the engine until oil pressure comes up. Usually takes 15-30 seconds. THEN enable fuel and start. My Kubota B7100HST-D can easily be cranked with injector pump in Stop position. I notice now the oil light takes 5 seconds or so to go out from cold start. So I'm thinking of doing that when it's been sitting weeks before The First Snow.. I AM planning a coolant heater and battery warmer and battery maintainer.

What's your opinion?

I have done this for the past 40 years on the 350 Chevy engine in the boat I built long ago. Engine rebuilders use a rod tool that goes in the distributor position down to the oil pump and run it with a cordless drill for a minute or two before first start.

Extremism in support of Lubrication is not a fault. (Think that was Barry Goldwater said that..)

 

[The Evil Twin]

OTHER Question: Getting oil flow/pressure BEFORE starting?? When I have shut down a car or boat engine for weeks/months, I shut off / defeat the fuel system and crank the engine until oil pressure comes up. Usually takes 15-30 seconds. THEN enable fuel and start. My Kubota B7100HST-D can easily be cranked with injector pump in Stop position. I notice now the oil light takes 5 seconds or so to go out from cold start. So I'm thinking of doing that when it's been sitting weeks before The First Snow.. I AM planning a coolant heater and battery warmer and battery maintainer.

What's your opinion?

I have done this for the past 40 years on the 350 Chevy engine in the boat I built long ago. Engine rebuilders use a rod tool that goes in the distributor position down to the oil pump and run it with a cordless drill for a minute or two before first start.

Extremism in support of Lubrication is not a fault. (Think that was Barry Goldwater said that..)

You dont need to do all that these days. Modern oil leaves a heavy layer on all surfaces for a very long time. The only time I will kill spark or fuel and start an engine to pre lube everything is a totally fresh build. Even then, the parts are all lubed as I put them in.
Case in point- every year I check the valves on race bikes. After not running for 4 months the cams are still completely covered in a thick film. So thick it will drip off if I stand them on end. Another case- 20 year old motorcycle that sat for 6 years before I bought it. Same thing. All internals are saturated.
Oh, BTW, me thinks that was Sean Diddy Combs you quoted

 

[steveh]

I figure the block heater would likely be more effective but the oil pan heater can work ok. I have them on my airplane engines [oil pan heaters] and over several hours it will not only heat the oil to about 110 F but I can put my bare hand on the top of a cylinder and it will be warm. So at the very least, they are better than nothing. [Note: airplane is inside an unheated hangar, thus out of the wind.]

 

[6869704x4]

This question may require the scientific 12 pack test.
The oil pan heater heats the oil. Warm oil is more slippery than cold oil. I learned that at this certain place in Thailand.

 

[RCW]

My little BX is stored in an attached garage. Use it for snowblowing in the winter

Gets cold, but not outside temps.

I omitted a block heater upon purchase by accident. Intended to get one.

Later intended to put one in but saw many instances of their failure.

I keep a battery tender on, and switched to Rotella T6 5w-40. The 5w certainly helps with cold starts.

Have run tractor and blower as low as -8 degrees F.

Don’t think I’ll put any kind of heater on it. Been 11 years without one.

Not saying that’s the right way to go, but it works for me.

 

[TerryKing]

I keep a battery tender on, and switched to Rotella T6 5w-40. The 5w certainly helps with cold starts.

YES on both of those! I switched to the Rotella T6 last time. I'm figuring out how to mount the Battery Maintainer under the top of the hood. I have those on 4 vehicles in the yard and I get very long battery life and easy starts.

IF I get a lower hose heater I'll wire that stuff so there's one short 120VAC plug coming out from under the hood, just like my other 2 cars and 2 trucks. Walking thru a cold parking lot in Vermont you see quite a few of those..

Thanks!

 

[Mowbizz]

curious, mowbiz, WHY did you crawl under the tractor and remove the mag pan heater ?
Install once, and you're done .

There’s a 6 foot 110v cord attached to it…I suppose I could cable tie the cord up to the tractor somewhere…? I’ll look into this…don’t know why I didn’t think of that before??? Maybe I thought it would fall off during snowblowing?

 

[GreensvilleJay]

why not ?? You were probably blinded by the snow and not the 'lightbulb' .
The one heater I used (for another project had a VERY powerful attraction to the steel tank,needed to kinda slide-pull to get it off