Where to place magnetic heater

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My truck has been sitting in subzero temps for over a week. I plan on getting a magnetic heater. Would it be best to place it on the oil pan or on the block? 1991 hevrolet K1500, 4.3 TBI V6.
 
Oil pan, lowest part because heat rises. If the heater sticks down too much and might get clipped by snow or road debris, side of the pan as low as possible.
 
Magnetic heaters don't transfer heat very well,and need to be on the bottom of oil pan to be effective. Silicone pan heaters are way better, with less watts,but need to be permanently mounted.
 
Would not just installing a permanent block heater via a frost plug be the best option?

I have no idea, personally, but it seem like that would be the best solution, and I honestly don't think it we be that expensive, would it?

I am disappointed my wife's new Impala didn't come with one so I am going to look into it further to see if it's a reasonable possibility to get one installed?

Her last Olds Intrigue had one as does my 13 Ram. It is just something I am use to having on my vehicles.
 
For this application id say lowest point on the block possible. I just found one on amazon for my exterior heating oil tank, 200 watts did a good job of getting the temp up a few degrees, so after a few hours itll definitely work well on your engine.
 
Originally Posted By: slowrench
Magnetic heaters don't transfer heat very well,


That has always been my #1 gripe with them as well.

Almost no one has an oil pan that is perfectly flat!
 
I would slap it on right below the pick up tube. For heat transfer, get a 5 dollar tube of arctic silver from any computer supply place, newegg comes to mind.
 
Originally Posted By: irv
Would not just installing a permanent block heater via a frost plug be the best option?

I have no idea, personally, but it seem like that would be the best solution, and I honestly don't think it we be that expensive, would it?

I am disappointed my wife's new Impala didn't come with one so I am going to look into it further to see if it's a reasonable possibility to get one installed?

Her last Olds Intrigue had one as does my 13 Ram. It is just something I am use to having on my vehicles.


This.

I bought a block heater for about 55$ and installed myself in under an hour. Works great.
 
Originally Posted By: yugrus
Block heater does not warm up engine oil though.


Just curious here about what is better, warm oil spilling over an ice cold engine block or colder oil spilling over a warm block?
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My take is, and I could be wrong, but if you have the right type/weight of oil, IE:, 0W or 5W, then my thought is it is much better for that cold oil to be spilling over a warm engine block than it is warm oil to be spilling over an ice cold engine block.
I would assume, and I could be wrong again, that the warm oil spilling over an ice cold engine block will turn the oil cold rather quickly, or quicker than, comparatively, the cold oil spilling over a warm engine block.

Thoughts?
 
Thermodynamically it should be the same within first moments after start-up. However, warm oil will be picked up by the pump and initially flow better then cold, regardless of its grade.
If the battery is bad, it will spin the engine with ease.
 
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Originally Posted By: yugrus
Thermodynamically it should be the same within first moments after start-up. However, warm oil will be picked up by the pump and initially flow better then cold, regardless of its grade.
If the battery is bad, it will spin the engine with ease.


I agree with that but if you are using a 0W or 5W oil that flows quite well in the temps we are currently seeing, then flow shouldn't be a problem and therefore should be relatively easy to pump.

I can't help but think, that somewhat warm oil will chill/cool rather quickly, slowing it's progress down, when it hits that ice cold engine block compared to chilled/cool oil hitting a warm engine block.
It would take far more than a bit of oil to take the heat out of the block than it would be for the block to take the heat out of the oil, imo.

Not disputing an oil pan warmer,(just how hot do those things get?) I just happen to think a block heater would be the better choice, is all.
 
In my experience the magnetic heater attached to the flat bottom of the oil pan will give the quickest and most effective results for heating cold oil. It is more effective for the engine because the heated oil is directly under the oil inlet screen that restricts the flow to the pump. Once the oil gets into the pump it will be quickly circulated to the engine components. Now if you are talking about having a warm heater for the owner,the block heater will do a better job.
 
I eliminated the necessity of this choice by installing the block heater AND oil pan heater pad in my Tahoe. And transmission heater pad for a good measure.
At ambient -20C my transmission fluid temperature was showing +12C at start up after three hours of being plugged in. It would drop to +5C as soon as it mixes with ATF from the torque converter, and then it goes up from there. With engine oil it's trickier, because the reading is taken from the top of the engine. However, indirectly one may conclude that the oil temperature is substantially higher then ambient, by the way the cold engine cranks and how fast the oil temperature rises.
I have small 150W heater pad on the engine pan, and 100W on the transmission. Although heaters are controlled by the timer, I'm not taking the risk of cooking the oil..
 
I just did a search, and I am still searching, but it looks like this has been debated before with the general consensus that a block heater is better due to the fact that it heats the whole block, which also somewhat heats the oil/oil pan.
https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=978975

One is certainly better than having nothing at all, like my wife's Impala, so I was just trying to determine what route to go?

With oil heating and transmission pads, how do the pads attach and is there any fear of them coming off or snagging something?

I am going to look into this further, but I am hoping installing a block heater on her car isn't too difficult.

Thanks for the advise/comments guys. I think this is another one of those debates that will never end until it is proven beyond a reasonable doubt, which one is significantly better?

LOL, and not trying to be a smart*ss, but I just read this on another forum from back in 2010 from someone who lives in Alberta, I believe?
"Block heater, no question. Block heaters heat the entire engine slowly and from the inside out and can be left plugged in for long periods of time -overnight. Pan heaters only heat the oil which will then cool down rather quickly once its cycled through the cold engine and should only be plugged in for short intervals (according to a mechanic friend). I've had both on vehicles in the past and definitely saw better results with the block heater. It still amazes me that they're not considered standard equipment in areas like ours!"

I also read where someone, I believe in Northern Ontario or out west again, ran both. Like he/they said, he had the best of both worlds.
 
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I'm not sure how the oil would be heated by the block hearer, as the oil rests well below where the coolant is.
Heater pads just stick on. The surface has to be cleaned well and de-greased. In my case, the oil pan surface needed some grinding disk labor.
The small roller, like the one that is used for Dynamat installation, is useful to actively promote adhesion.
The pad edges are sealed with high-temp red silicone, the one that smells like vinegar.
When wires are properly routed, I don't see how the heater would come off or catch something...
 
Originally Posted By: yugrus
I'm not sure how the oil would be heated by the block hearer, as the oil rests well below where the coolant is.
Heater pads just stick on. The surface has to be cleaned well and de-greased. In my case, the oil pan surface needed some grinding disk labor.
The small roller, like the one that is used for Dynamat installation, is useful to actively promote adhesion.
The pad edges are sealed with high-temp red silicone, the one that smells like vinegar.
When wires are properly routed, I don't see how the heater would come off or catch something...


I assume they are thinking about some type of convection or radiant heat from the block helping?

Thanks for the info/tips.
cheers3.gif
 
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