So I saw that honda makes an engine block heater... you just plug into an outlet and it keeps your motor warm. I thought this would be a great idea as i go snowboardin in vt a lot and i live in jersey where it gets cold. But when i called honda to see how much it is, the guy laughed and said its pointless to have unless you live in alaska.. i disagree
block heater
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Buy one, and use it, and be happy.
Or don't, and save some cash.
If your using the wrong weight of lube it could make a decent difference, if not, unless your in extreme conditions, it will not.
Or don't, and save some cash.
If your using the wrong weight of lube it could make a decent difference, if not, unless your in extreme conditions, it will not.
It is important for the engine block heater to keep your motor warm as it will allow for easier start, thus less stress on your engine. The guy at the dealership is seriously misinformed. NJ gets to be quite cold too!
Based on your location, I'd say buy it -- this coming from someone living in an igloo called Canada.
Based on your location, I'd say buy it -- this coming from someone living in an igloo called Canada.
You'll be fine. If it would give you peace of mind. Do it. In all sensibility though, you don't need one.
Originally Posted By: donny939
So I saw that honda makes an engine block heater... you just plug into an outlet and it keeps your motor warm. I thought this would be a great idea as i go snowboardin in vt a lot and i live in jersey where it gets cold. But when i called honda to see how much it is, the guy laughed and said its pointless to have unless you live in alaska.. i disagree
Most of the times dealerships give out wrong info. Your Honda running 5W20 Mobil 1 will live a long, long, life with or w/o the block heater. The block heater will aid in cold starts and possibly extend engine life.
Having said all of that I would get an oil pan heater, which is easiler to install. Visit the Wolverine oil pan heater website, and they will explain better than I can the advantages of warning up the oil. Either way block heater or pan heater you are doing a good thing for the engine! JMO
So I saw that honda makes an engine block heater... you just plug into an outlet and it keeps your motor warm. I thought this would be a great idea as i go snowboardin in vt a lot and i live in jersey where it gets cold. But when i called honda to see how much it is, the guy laughed and said its pointless to have unless you live in alaska.. i disagree
Most of the times dealerships give out wrong info. Your Honda running 5W20 Mobil 1 will live a long, long, life with or w/o the block heater. The block heater will aid in cold starts and possibly extend engine life.
Having said all of that I would get an oil pan heater, which is easiler to install. Visit the Wolverine oil pan heater website, and they will explain better than I can the advantages of warning up the oil. Either way block heater or pan heater you are doing a good thing for the engine! JMO
Originally Posted By: donny939
So I saw that honda makes an engine block heater... you just plug into an outlet and it keeps your motor warm. I thought this would be a great idea as i go snowboardin in vt a lot and i live in jersey where it gets cold. But when i called honda to see how much it is, the guy laughed and said its pointless to have unless you live in alaska.. i disagree
You and I both know Jersey can be a Winter Wonderland(albeit veeerrry cold). If its priced right go for it. Where abouts in Jersey are ya? I'm in Northern Passaic county.
So I saw that honda makes an engine block heater... you just plug into an outlet and it keeps your motor warm. I thought this would be a great idea as i go snowboardin in vt a lot and i live in jersey where it gets cold. But when i called honda to see how much it is, the guy laughed and said its pointless to have unless you live in alaska.. i disagree
You and I both know Jersey can be a Winter Wonderland(albeit veeerrry cold). If its priced right go for it. Where abouts in Jersey are ya? I'm in Northern Passaic county.
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
donny939 said:
Personally, I think you'll use it about six times before the hassle of screwing around with the cord in the coldest weather of the year gets to you.
Does your car start fine without it? I live in WI, it gets cold here too, and very very few people have block heaters besides diesels. It falls in the realm of the leather car bra.
Does your car start fine without it? I live in WI, it gets cold here too, and very very few people have block heaters besides diesels. It falls in the realm of the leather car bra.
I had a block heater in my old car (Buick Roadmaster w/GM 5.7L engine) and am getting one installed in my current car ('97 Sable, 3.0L OHV). I live in WI and while it doesn't get miserable bitter cold but maybe for a week each year, I really like having a block heater anyway. I pretty much use it whenever the temp dips below 40F.
I like it that the car warms up super fast, it's better for the engine, it is a substantial boost to mileage (there is a study from Canada that shows this pretty conclusively), and for me it's not much of a hassle.
I like it that the car warms up super fast, it's better for the engine, it is a substantial boost to mileage (there is a study from Canada that shows this pretty conclusively), and for me it's not much of a hassle.
How much is the Honda heater?
And what type is it [how does it apply the heat]?
I think the Honda guy was trying to give good advice. Since the heater is not needed except for a special circumstances, he was actually trying to save you money - [rare]. Modern cars with the proper oil are adequate to -20F or so - many go lower and are OK.
But sure, they can work and help in weather 10-15F and below.
Guys I know around here with diesel work vans love heaters in the winter around Chicago. 5 Am starts with a diesel left outside all night in a Chicago winter can be iffy.
BTW, batteries lose a LOT of their power when it's cold and you need them the most to start your car. This is as important to me, if not more important, than oil heat. There are battery heaters and insulators available to help with this problem.
And what type is it [how does it apply the heat]?
I think the Honda guy was trying to give good advice. Since the heater is not needed except for a special circumstances, he was actually trying to save you money - [rare]. Modern cars with the proper oil are adequate to -20F or so - many go lower and are OK.
But sure, they can work and help in weather 10-15F and below.
Guys I know around here with diesel work vans love heaters in the winter around Chicago. 5 Am starts with a diesel left outside all night in a Chicago winter can be iffy.
BTW, batteries lose a LOT of their power when it's cold and you need them the most to start your car. This is as important to me, if not more important, than oil heat. There are battery heaters and insulators available to help with this problem.
Originally Posted By: Jon
I had a block heater in my old car (Buick Roadmaster w/GM 5.7L engine) and am getting one installed in my current car ('97 Sable, 3.0L OHV). I live in WI and while it doesn't get miserable bitter cold but maybe for a week each year, I really like having a block heater anyway. I pretty much use it whenever the temp dips below 40F.
I like it that the car warms up super fast, it's better for the engine, it is a substantial boost to mileage (there is a study from Canada that shows this pretty conclusively), and for me it's not much of a hassle.
Got a link? I'd love to see that.
I had a block heater in my old car (Buick Roadmaster w/GM 5.7L engine) and am getting one installed in my current car ('97 Sable, 3.0L OHV). I live in WI and while it doesn't get miserable bitter cold but maybe for a week each year, I really like having a block heater anyway. I pretty much use it whenever the temp dips below 40F.
I like it that the car warms up super fast, it's better for the engine, it is a substantial boost to mileage (there is a study from Canada that shows this pretty conclusively), and for me it's not much of a hassle.
Got a link? I'd love to see that.
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Quote:
the guy laughed and said its pointless to have unless you live in alaska..
yeah ..the old "why would you want to do something like that?" syndrome. Smack the clown on the head with a cam shaft and tell him if you wanted his opinion on it ..you'll tell him what it is. There's tons of stuff that everyone does just because they want to. I don't see a bit of sense to most of it. I do lots of stuff that no one sees sense in.
"Just the price, please."
the guy laughed and said its pointless to have unless you live in alaska..
yeah ..the old "why would you want to do something like that?" syndrome. Smack the clown on the head with a cam shaft and tell him if you wanted his opinion on it ..you'll tell him what it is. There's tons of stuff that everyone does just because they want to. I don't see a bit of sense to most of it. I do lots of stuff that no one sees sense in.
"Just the price, please."
Originally Posted By: addyguy
Originally Posted By: Jon
I like it that the car warms up super fast, it's better for the engine, it is a substantial boost to mileage (there is a study from Canada that shows this pretty conclusively), and for me it's not much of a hassle.
Got a link? I'd love to see that.
Found lots of references to the study but not the actual study.
See point #9 in this Natural Resourced Canada web page.
http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/transportation/idling/faqs.cfm?attr=8
They also talk about how long to idle in the winter (another topic that pops up here at BITOG on an annual basis.
I do know one of the hybrid forums had done their own testing of a Prius (I think) and did find that FE improved when using a block heater.
Originally Posted By: Jon
I like it that the car warms up super fast, it's better for the engine, it is a substantial boost to mileage (there is a study from Canada that shows this pretty conclusively), and for me it's not much of a hassle.
Got a link? I'd love to see that.
Found lots of references to the study but not the actual study.
See point #9 in this Natural Resourced Canada web page.
http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/transportation/idling/faqs.cfm?attr=8
They also talk about how long to idle in the winter (another topic that pops up here at BITOG on an annual basis.
I do know one of the hybrid forums had done their own testing of a Prius (I think) and did find that FE improved when using a block heater.
Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
Quote:
the guy laughed and said its pointless to have unless you live in alaska..
yeah ..the old "why would you want to do something like that?" syndrome. Smack the clown on the head with a cam shaft and tell him if you wanted his opinion on it ..you'll tell him what it is. There's tons of stuff that everyone does just because they want to. I don't see a bit of sense to most of it. I do lots of stuff that no one sees sense in.
"Just the price, please."
Seriously, some people....
Quote:
the guy laughed and said its pointless to have unless you live in alaska..
yeah ..the old "why would you want to do something like that?" syndrome. Smack the clown on the head with a cam shaft and tell him if you wanted his opinion on it ..you'll tell him what it is. There's tons of stuff that everyone does just because they want to. I don't see a bit of sense to most of it. I do lots of stuff that no one sees sense in.
"Just the price, please."
Seriously, some people....
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When there's no down side to the effort, there's no reason NOT to do it. It's different if someone says that they want to ingest AOX media blast through the brake hose since they liked how good a finish it put on parts in the blasting cabinet and figured it would clean things up nice.
I can't imagine there not being benefit to this devices use. Whether you can grasp tangible value out of it is debatable. You'll 100% eliminate the fuel enrichment stage of warm up. That will translate to fuel savings and wear reduction. That has to be countered by the cost of the electricity to perform the task and the likelihood of you reaching some point in ownership where the avoided (otherwise unavoidable) wear comes into use. Timing will be the key to making it pay on the $$ end of things. You also have to recover the cost of the heater.
..but ..for the cost of a couple of pizzas or whatever ..why the heck not??
I can't imagine there not being benefit to this devices use. Whether you can grasp tangible value out of it is debatable. You'll 100% eliminate the fuel enrichment stage of warm up. That will translate to fuel savings and wear reduction. That has to be countered by the cost of the electricity to perform the task and the likelihood of you reaching some point in ownership where the avoided (otherwise unavoidable) wear comes into use. Timing will be the key to making it pay on the $$ end of things. You also have to recover the cost of the heater.
..but ..for the cost of a couple of pizzas or whatever ..why the heck not??
I would agree with Gary on this one. Being in Canada, most cars up here come standard with block heaters (although that trend is seemingly coming to an end now as well).
I use my block heater whenever the car sits overnight in sub-freezing temps. I will tell you one thing... The coolant warms up much faster, there is nearly instant heat in the cabin, the fuel economy does increase slightly, especially if you do a lot of short trips (I don't), and it really doesn't use all that much electricity.
At 300W, for 4 hours of use (with a timer), you're talking about 6-7 cents per night - not much (assuming 5.5 cents per kWh). If you leave it on all night, you're going to use a wopping 12-14 cents of electricity. Doing this 5 days a week only during the parts of the winter when it is substantially below freezing (let's assume 15 weeks), you're looking at approx. 5 bucks, or 10 bucks if you don't use a timer.
Not having the engine running in the fuel enrichment stage also prolongs oil life (reducing fuel dilution), and reduces warm-up time (in turn using less fuel).
If its a good price, buy it and be happy. Run the cord so that it's right behind the bumper and easily accessible, and it only takes a second to plug it in and unplug it.
I use my block heater whenever the car sits overnight in sub-freezing temps. I will tell you one thing... The coolant warms up much faster, there is nearly instant heat in the cabin, the fuel economy does increase slightly, especially if you do a lot of short trips (I don't), and it really doesn't use all that much electricity.
At 300W, for 4 hours of use (with a timer), you're talking about 6-7 cents per night - not much (assuming 5.5 cents per kWh). If you leave it on all night, you're going to use a wopping 12-14 cents of electricity. Doing this 5 days a week only during the parts of the winter when it is substantially below freezing (let's assume 15 weeks), you're looking at approx. 5 bucks, or 10 bucks if you don't use a timer.
Not having the engine running in the fuel enrichment stage also prolongs oil life (reducing fuel dilution), and reduces warm-up time (in turn using less fuel).
If its a good price, buy it and be happy. Run the cord so that it's right behind the bumper and easily accessible, and it only takes a second to plug it in and unplug it.
I have an oil heater on my truck which is probably overkill. But even now with the temps at around 38F in the morning I can tell the difference in starts between when its plugged in or if I have forgotten (with Rotella 5w-40). For $23 why not?
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