Engine Block Heater for Trooper

[Rob Dwyer]

I am looking into installing an engine block heater in my Trooper.

What does anyone know about these things? I am likely moving to Montana
soon and would like some options/opinions. How much $$$? How difficult to
install yourself? Where does it go in the engine? Is there one type of
heater that is better than another? Is there a "generic" available for
Trooper?

Thanks.

[walt woytowich]

"Rob Dwyer" <Do&Not@&Spam&.com> wrote in message news:<SdZib.776954$uu5.134856@sccrnsc04>...

In my biased opinion the heater produced by Pinedale Products
of Chalk River Ontario is the best choice for ANY vehicle.
The heater connects into one of the heater hoses so one of them
must be accessible for about 10". They're made in two versions,
for 5/8" hose and 3/4". In addition to being easily installed it
is thermostat-controlled: on at 32F,off at about 70F, engine temp.

I installed one in a Crown Vic two years ago, last Feb. I checked
its performnce by letting the car cool for a few days when the
overnight
temperature averaged -22F. The engine temperature was -18F when the
heater
was plugged in,after 75 minutes the engine temp had reached 32F which
is considered a "safe" starting temp i.e. lower levels of pollution
and
engine wear. The heater is rated at 600 watts @120 v,during this test
the line voltage was low so the power drawn was only about 540 w.

Leaving the heater plugged in brought diminishing temp increases,
due to increased losses (Stephan- Boltzman(?)law).

walt

[Rob Dwyer]

Thanks, Walt. Any thoughts on grade of motor oil for the cold climates,
other than synthetic?

"walt woytowich" <walt.wo...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:728934fc.03101...@posting.google.com...

[rnf2]

What engine is yours? the 3.1TD and 2.8TD Japanese market models have them
as standard here in New Zealand, it's a little switch on the dashboard that
looks like an enging block with a helix inside.

"Rob Dwyer" <Do&Not@&Spam&.com> wrote in message
news:SdZib.776954$uu5.134856@sccrnsc04...

[walt woytowich]

"Rob Dwyer" <Do&Not@&Spam&.com> wrote in message news:<tPfjb.566845$cF.243396@rwcrnsc53>...

> Thanks, Walt. Any thoughts on grade of motor oil for the cold climates,
> other than synthetic?
>
>

Bob-I should have mentioned that the heater used in the Crown Vic
pumps the coolant around the entire engine block at the rate of about
1 gallon/minute. A conventional block heater would take considerably
longer to distribute the heat and would do it unevenly.
I've found that warming the engine also warms the oil in the pan,
even if it didn't, the oil pump is warm and one pass of the oil through
the engine will warm it up. I've been using 5w 30 Tech 2000 (WalMart) in
GM and Ford products all year round and have no reason to change.
One word of caution, if your battery is allowed to cool to -40 your
car isn't likely to start even if the engine is warm.
Walt

>
> "walt woytowich" <walt.wo...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message

Walt> news:728934fc.03101...@posting.google.com...

[Rob Dwyer]

No TD available in the US, so I have the 3.5 gas/petrol V6.

"rnf2" <rn...@waikato.ac.nz> wrote in message
news:3f8f...@news.iconz.co.nz...

[rnf2]

A petrol really shouldn't need heating, unlike a diesel which fires due to
heat and compression, a petrol has a spark to set it off. rather than a
heater I'd be looking at putting in a second battery as is found on some of
the Jap editions from the cold parts of over there.

with the 3.5 you know to watch you oil tho? they drink it down pretty fast.
I've heard plenty of horror stories, even more than the 2.8 petrols tendacy
to crack heads.

Your American GM engines don't seem to stand up very well. the 2.2 is
anemic, the 2.8 V6 cracks, and the 3.5 has oil probs.

"Rob Dwyer" <Do&Not@&Spam&.com> wrote in message

news:o4rlb.840272$YN5.951366@sccrnsc01...

[Rob Dwyer]

I've been lucky -- I don't really have the oil problem many complain of.
Occasionally I'll be down about 1/2 quart, but I can go between the 3k-4k
mile oil changes with little oil loss.

As for the 3.5 engine, it's all Isuzu, and a good thing, too. It should be
the same petrol engine available elsewhere in the world.

The heater will be used to keep the engine "warm" during cold nights
averaging zero here (approx. 16-17 below zero, celsius) to ease both wear
and emissions during morning starts. Apparently emissions can be reduced by
as much as 70% when using a heater for about 3-4 hours prior to start when
the temperature drops below 20 degrees F (about -6 C or so, I think).

Thanks for the feedback.

So, you're headed into summer down there... Beautiful part of the world.

"rnf2" <rn...@waikato.ac.nz> wrote in message

news:3f9652c3$1...@news.iconz.co.nz...

[rnf2]

Yep, summers beautiful, temps are into the low 20s *C, sun is out, the
beached are covered in Bikinis.

if it's just to keep it warm that way, just open the bonnet at night and
toss over an electric blanket connected to a timer set to start in the
morning a few hours before you normally start it up.

As to the 3.5 in NZ, it's sold, but it's rare, NZers just don't buy petrol
SUVs much, only Jeep with their big Wrangler and Cherokee V8 petrols sell
many, and those aren't common either, thier diesels are more popular than
their petrols.

rhys

"Rob Dwyer" <Do&Not@&Spam&.com> wrote in message

news:OSzlb.1268$HS4.1936@attbi_s01...

[skotmac]

replying to rnf2, skotmac wrote:
Hi. I am based in Christchurch and am trying to get the engine block heater
working on my 95 bighorn. I don't have a manual (can't seem to download one,
frustratingly!!) and I don't know how it works. Is there an external cord /
plug? If the block heater relies on the battery, and the battery is not at
optimum charge after a cold night, isn't this counter-intuitive? Besides
which, the switch lights up when the engine is running, but otherwise not.
Help!!! Snowing!!! GAAAAHHH!!!!

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