Since the dip in temperature round these parts, the only way I can get my motorbike to register anywhere near normal on the water temperature gauge is to use the old trick of blocking off half the radiator with a piece of cardboard.
That got me wondering if owners of modern cars with big power outputs and bigger air intakes have to do similar in winter to get any heat into the engine ?
Not sure if this is miscellaneous or green motoring.
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I've noticed no difference. That includes an Impreza with one huge scoop that warms up really quickly.
The diesel Grandis we have must anticipate a problem getting up to temperature, it has a booster heater for cabin that we can switch on and off.
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Same here, I assume the thermostat maintains operating temperature. In winter all the diesels I have owned have taken about three times longer to reach normal temp.
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RE: "the only way I can get my motorbike to register anywhere near normal on the water temperature gauge is to use the old trick of blocking off half the radiator with a piece of cardboard"
Shouldn't the thermostat stayed closed until the engine's up to temperature? Perhaps it's faulty?
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Checked the thermostat, everything is fine. Runs normal except when the temp drops below zero then it takes AGES to get above the cold zone. I had a similar experience with my FIAT Coupe which had pretty big air intakes for the intercooler, brakes as well as the radiator.
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In the depths of winter, my old Focus TDDi simply would not warm up unless the engine was doing some work. It could idle for an hour and the gauge would sit on cold, and I'd get cold air out of the heater vents.
It was a nightmare if you got stuck in traffic within a mile of the house on a -5° morning.
Cheers
DP
--
04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
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>>That got me wondering if owners of modern cars with big power outputs and bigger air intakes have to do similar in winter to get any heat into the engine ?
Quite a few of these people enjoy the extra lift in performance that comes from cold denser air as it allows more fuellling (ECU permitting). I used to own a Fabia vRS remapped to 170 bhp and the performance on very cold days was noticeably better.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 25/10/2007 at 11:18
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Oh for an edit button - that should have been ECU permitting!
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You were probably right the first time NeilS.
The EU probably have something to say about fueling...
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When running in winter I wear reflective vests and take care to face the oncoming trffic on country roads. 6 miles this am .. chilly but no frost. tracksuit and gloves not yet required. 20 years ago I used to come back from a long winter run and warm up my delicate bits in the shower - days when it was -10C in the mornings. Don't have those cold mornings now...
On cars:
In winter my old Audi TDI would take 4 miles for heater to warm up.
Yaris diesel has some clever system as heater starts to blow warm air after about 1.5 miles.
madf
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Once the car is up to temperature, the coolant thermostat should take care of everything but the large intakes necessary to cope with air-conditioned, intercooled, high powered cars means that the warm up time is prolonged unneccessarily in lower temperatures.
In the time-honoured way, I block half of the lower grill on my Astra-G (mk4) which substantially shortens the warm-up time in the winter 4 months. If I thought we would actually get a proper, old-fashioned, cold winter I'd block all of the lower grill but there's no need with climate change.
Find out where the ram-air intake is, most cars have them, and don't block near there.
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Oh for an edit button - that should have been ECU permitting!
You now have one that is operational for 5 mins or until someone has replied to your post.
DD.
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In the depths of winter my old Focus TDDi simply would not warm up unless the engine was doing some work. It could idle for an hour and the gauge would sit on cold and I'd get cold air out of the heater vents.
This is what I would expect from a diesel. The higher efficiency of a diesel means there is a higher proportion of the fuel's energy going to the wheels and a lesser proportion going into the coolant. You don't get owt for nowt. The long warm-up of the coolant (and consequently the heater) is one of the reasons I won't buy a diesel.
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L\'escargot.
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Can't get my head around this our new toyo diesel on the last few frosty mornings has been blowing warm air within a mile of home, its euro 4 and a new model for the uk but been available as a grey for some 2 years.
The grey import of the same model has an aftermarket heater which is way undersize and takes ages to warm up.
My non technical conclusion are some makers cutting down on the size of heater matrix to cut costs?
Maybe the makers have been reading todays episode of globalwarm/climate change/next tax reason and believe winter is a thing of the past, so are gearing their cabin systems towards cooling not warming.
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Our Volvo is diesel, D5, and does not take any longer to warm up than our previous 206 1.6 petrol.
The difference is the Volvo has heated seats so I can leave the heater off until the temp gauge starts to move.
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A lot of diesels nowadays have an electric aux heater due to longer warm up times. This heats up the cabin before the coolant has come up to temperature.
Not to be confused with a diesel stand-alone heater that can run with the engine off and warm the car up before you get into it.
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My Saab TiD has a diesel-fired auxiliary heater, standard fit, which operates automatically if the engine is cold and outside temp. is below 5'C. You can get a timer to set it to start before you get in the car but Saab want about £350 for the kit.
I'm now using the heated seats every morning - toasty; what I could do with for the really cold mornings are a heated steering wheel or some electric gloves. (only joking).
Edited by Rich 9-3 on 25/10/2007 at 13:48
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Luckily, one has a chauffer with paraffin stove to warm the engine.
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My W124 diesel has an electric block heater. I've never used it, and in our climate, I don't really see the need. But, the element's there, and I think all I would need to do to use it is to obtain a power lead with the right fittings, and plug it in.
Number_Cruncher
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I've just moved to Sweden, and here nearly all the cars have a 240v electric engine heater that you plug in outside your house or at most work places. The box on your house (or at work) has a little timer in it so you can set the start time. The passenger footwell also has a 240v socket into which you can plug a fan heater to come on at the same time as the engine heater, warming the inside and defrosting the windows.
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..."The passenger footwell also has a 240v socket into which you can plug a fan heater to come on at the same time as the engine heater, warming the inside and defrosting the windows."....
cool!
Edited by Espada III {P} on 26/10/2007 at 08:44
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I have used a fan heater in the uk, no fancy 240 volt supply, mines on the end of an extension lead. Extremly effective. Some cars in Canada have a device which starts the engine at a preset (low) temperature and stops it when warmed to a preset (high) temp. This is used where there is no access to 240v. Untill you get used to this it is most disconcerting to have a car start itself as you walk past.
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..."The passenger footwell also has a 240v socket into which you can plug a fan heater to come on at the same time as the engine heater warming the inside and defrosting the windows.".... cool!
...or warm, hopefully!
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Your Toyo may well have the same feature as Honda diesels, where the aircon is run backwards to act as a heat pump, warming the engine and then the cabin before the engine has come up to temperature. I get warm air within about half a mile.
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