enigine heater

[Popke24]

I just move to a place without a garage and a city ordinance that says no warming up the car. before winter gets here I want to put an engine heater in the car because the mileage is horrible when the block is cold, you can almost see the gas gauge drop. I have a 6th gen celica with the 7afe engine. Somewhere I saw one that is electric, and not only warms the block but warms up the interior as well, of course now that I am looking I can't find it. has anyone seen something like this or know what I am talking about? thanks for the help...

[public]

Check http://www.jcwhitney.com they will have several types of block heaters. Any block heater will help with interior temp because the engine heat is what heats the car. Good Luck.

[Popke24]

I found the one I was thinking of, but it is a british company, so I am looking for one like it that works on good ol' american power... Here's the link so you know what I am thinking. I think the feature I want is one that circulates the coolant through a heater and also has a heater inside.

[SaabJohan]

There are several methods used to heat up the engine. You can heat up the oil (typically used in air cooled engines), you can heat up the coolant with a heater which sits in a hole in the block or a heater that sits on the block heating it up where the coolant is (used when there are no holes in the block like som Al-blocks).

A heater should be used when the temperature drops under 5-10 degC, don't remember the exact number but below this point the gain in decreased fuel consumption is greater than the power consumed by the heater.

The use of a heater is always good for the engine, in racing applications both coolant and oil can be heated.

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by Popke24

I just move to a place without a garage and a city ordinance that says no warming up the car. before winter gets here I want to put an engine heater in the car because the mileage is horrible when the block is cold, you can almost see the gas gauge drop. I have a 6th gen celica with the 7afe engine. Somewhere I saw one that is electric, and not only warms the block but warms up the interior as well, of course now that I am looking I can't find it. has anyone seen something like this or know what I am talking about? thanks for the help...

I know what you mean......here one used to be able to get an in-line heater. It fits to the rubber heater hose and warms and circulates the coolant through the heater core and the engine block.
Most modern cars seem to have coolant shut off valves that prevent the coolant from curculating through the heater core when the heater is off or the AC is on. Therefore, for this type to work you must know if the shut - off valve requires engine vacuum or electrical power to work.

IMHO go for the standard type of block heater that fits in the "freeze plug" found in most car engines. They draw about 100 watts of power and can warm a block in an hour or two, depending on temp.

[Popke24]

Yeah, so of course I found another one that I can't use... www.TDIHeater.com does half of what I want but only if I drive a VW. Lets be honest I can live without the interior being warm when I get in it so I just wish I could find one that will circulate the coolant and warm it up real quick.

[CBFryman]

ahh the joys of living on FL where it never gets below 10 F. but the air stays humid even in the winter so ehhh the cold feels colder than the cold up north, if that makes sence... trust me, if youve been in florida cold and cold up north you will say florida cold is just as bad or worse than up north dry cold...

[public]

Originally Posted by CBFryman

ahh the joys of living on FL where it never gets below 10 F. but the air stays humid even in the winter so ehhh the cold feels colder than the cold up north, if that makes sence... trust me, if youve been in florida cold and cold up north you will say florida cold is just as bad or worse than up north dry cold...

Ditto, and did I mention that hurricanes SUCK!!!!!!!!!!

[CBFryman]

amen.

[CBFryman]

wait wait...

public: 683 posts
CBFryman: 682....683!!

lol

[public]

No
public:686
CBFryman: 686

Damn it! now I gots ta post some more.

[Popke24]

O...K... so winter is much harsher in florida than northern ohio and hurricanes suck... oh and the guy above me has more posts than his friend.

Can anyone help me in finding this thing? I have tried local autoparts stores and all they sell is the kind that warms the oilpan. The dealer only has the frost plug type. I really would like to find a coolant recirculating type engine block heater for my '95 toyota Celica 7AFE... Any Love?

[public]

The freeze plug type warms the coolant. When you start the motor the warm coolant will circulate giving you warm air fairly quickly. It won't be instant but it will be a big improvement. As for the recirculating type, looks like a lot of parts to break for a few seconds of comfort. And they seem hard to find, I wish I knew where to point you to get one. Good Luck.