Are block heaters needed?

[Egon]

Morning Thomas; Im on the first cup.

I'm betting the dipstick heater did work well. Put some money in some fella's pocket it did.

Tarps with a light or small electric heater work just fine. Inline and block heaters work just fine too. They work even better as the temperatures get colder.

Farther north you will find almost all cars have an electric plug and cord hanging out front or under the hood. It leads to a block heater.

 

[RalphVa]

People here have mentioned use of a magnetically-attached heater for the transmission. I'd think 2 of them is what you need: one for the oil pan and one for the transmission.

I've started an old diesel Benz in Vermont with a heater hose heater, sitting outside the house at -22F. Started instantly, after glowing.

We have a heater in the newer (1983) Benz diesel here in the garage. Wife uses it when it gets really cold here, to have instant heat inside the car when she leaves.

Without a heater, you'll need to open the throttle 1/3 to 1/2 way, to keep the engine from stalling once started and to help it start. Make sure you glow it the required amount, very critical when starting cold.

My JD 4010 starts fine, given a bit of throttle opening, when cold here in Virginia. It rarely gets below about 10 F here though.

Switch to a 0wxx oil or at least 5wxx oil for the winter. This will help it start better and will protect the upper part of the engine better on startup because oil will start flowing up there much quicker.

 

[shvl73]

I haven't needed a heater yet on mine, starts great with one application of glow plugs. I think proper oil weight is important and I let it warm up for 10 minutes or so if its really cold out, easier on the hydro unit.

 

[George2615]

I live in Upstate NY where we get some cold winters. In winter I keep the tractor in an unheated garage. My tractor did not come with a block heater and I did have problems starting it the first winter. Slow cranking and not starting. I did not add a block heater but did add a lower radiator hose heater available through most auto parts stores. Plugging that in an hour or two before starting warms the coolant and engine to about 130-140 degrees making for easy starts. I also use Power Service additive in the fuel since I did have gelling problems in cold temps below freezing.

 

[patrick_g]

Both my diesel trucks came with OEM heaters and in really cold weather the heaters helped, especially with the Ford (needed more help.)

My Kubota tractor (Grand L-4610HSTC) has no engine heater and always starts OK. In really cold weather (below freezing and on down to about zero F.) I wait until the glow plug indicator lamp on the dash goes out and then I turn the key switch off and right back on to cycle the glow plugs a second time and crank it as soon as the indicator lights go off (the second time.) This seems to help. I also am using multi-viscosity oil rated down to 5W which reduces cranking effort. Thick oil will contribute to difficult starting as will any problems in the starting circuits.

A tractor may start with one or more marginal connections in warm weather but in cold weather the battery output is less and the energy requirement to crank is higher. A battery maintainer/trickle charger will help keep the battery topped off and better able to crank a cold engine. These are available at auto parts stores and places like Harbor Freight. I now have several and use them, especially in the winter.

I have considerable electronics background and can attest to the fact that the el cheapo (about $7 at HF) works just as well as the $25 name brand I bought when I needed one right away. They do not overcharge and "boil off" your electrolyte. You used to be able to buy battery warmers from places like JC Whitney. They were a flat plate that you put under the battery. A suitable substitute is heater tape like you use to freeze protect plumbing. Wrap the battery with heater tape ( I prefer the ones with a thermostat molded in) and wrap that with duct tape or similar. You can then wrap the battery with some insulaltion over the top of the heater tape. A warm and fully charged battery will crank way better than a cold battery and may eliminate the need to have a block heater.

I spent 3 years at Minot AFB in North Dakota where the winter temps were colder than -40F. every year. Cold weather (Arctic) operations teach you a lot of practical experience regarding starting equipment in cold conditions and the preventitive measures that work. Most of the enlisted men living in the barracks who had cars, took the battery out and took it inside with them to keep it warm and effective enough to start their car in the cold. (In more recent times they installed electricity in the parking lots (coin op I believe.) If you have a battery that allows you to add water and you don't mind having to top it off more often then you can put a stronger charger on it and the charging current will help warm the battery. Don't go crazy, just a few amps will git 'er done. I have even seen a heat pad from a second hand store used to cover a battery and warm it.

Dipstick heaters: I have never personally witnessed one that worked well. One I saw was pretty enthusiastic and heated the oil really well but it also scorched the oil in contact with the heater. Tank heaters that "percolate" hot water in the hoses do a good job. Heaters that replace a "freeze" plug heat the oil and block directly and they seem to do a good job (I'd look for one with a thermostat.) There have been heaters that replace the crankcase drain plug but I don't know how well they work. There were heaters that attached magnetically to the pan, block, or wherever a magnet would stick that you wanted heat. Sounds like a good idea but I don't know how well they work.

In X-treme conditions I always used a tank type "percolator" heater AND a trickle charger and a battery warmer or removed the battery to a warm location. I always got instant starts. I even drove an MG 1500 roadster in these conditions (for a while) and it started instantly but then cooled off when removed from the garage and would get so cold while running that its performance turned to s--t within 10 min.

Reader's Digest version: keep the battery fully charged and warm for better starts in cold conditions. IF that isn't enough add an engine heater.

Pat

 

[ovrszd]

Both my diesel trucks came with OEM heaters and in really cold weather the heaters helped, especially with the Ford (needed more help.) My Kubota tractor (Grand L-4610HSTC) has no engine heater and always starts OK. In really cold weather (below freezing and on down to about zero F.) I wait until the glow plug indicator lamp on the dash goes out and then I turn the key switch off and right back on to cycle the glow plugs a second time and crank it as soon as the indicator lights go off (the second time.) This seems to help. I also am using multi-viscosity oil rated down to 5W which reduces cranking effort. Thick oil will contribute to difficult starting as will any problems in the starting circuits. A tractor may start with one or more marginal connections in warm weather but in cold weather the battery output is less and the energy requirement to crank is higher. A battery maintainer/trickle charger will help keep the battery topped off and better able to crank a cold engine. These are available at auto parts stores and places like Harbor Freight. I now have several and use them, especially in the winter. I have considerable electronics background and can attest to the fact that the el cheapo (about $7 at HF) works just as well as the $25 name brand I bought when I needed one right away. They do not overcharge and "boil off" your electrolyte. You used to be able to buy battery warmers from places like JC Whitney. They were a flat plate that you put under the battery. A suitable substitute is heater tape like you use to freeze protect plumbing. Wrap the battery with heater tapes ( I prefer the ones with a thermostat molded in) and wrap that with duct tape or similar. You can then wrap the battery with some insulaltion over the top of the heater tape. A warm and fully charged battery will crank way better than a cold battery and may eliminate the need to have a block heater. I spent 3 years at Minot AFB in North Dakota where the winter temps were colder than -40F. every year. Cold weather (Arctic) operations teach you a lot of practical experience regarding starting equipment in cold conditions and the preventitive measures that work. Most of the enlisted men living in the barracks who had cars, took the battery out and took it inside with them to keep it warm and effective enough to start their car in the cold. If you have a battery that allows you to add water and you don't mind having to top it off more often then you can put a stronger charger on it and the charging current will help warm the battery. Don't go crazy, just a few amps will git 'er done. I have even seen a heat pad from a second hand store used to cover a battery and warm it. Dipstick heaters: I have never personally witnessed one that worked well. One I saw was pretty enthusiastic and heated the oil really well but it also scorched the oil in contact with the heater. Tank heaters that "percolate" hot water in the hoses do a good job. Heaters that replace a "freeze" plug heat the oil and block directly and they seem to do a good job (I'd look for one with a thermostat.) There have been heaters that replace the crankcase drain plug but I don't know how well they work. There were heaters that attached magnetically to the pan, block, or wherever a magnet would stick that you wanted heat. Sounds like a good idea but I don't know how well they work. In X-treme conditions I always used a tank type "percolator" heater AND a trickle charger and a battery warmer or removed the battery to a warm location. I always got instant starts. I even drove an MG 1500 roadster in these conditions (for a while) and it started instantly but then cooled off when removed from the garage and would get so cold while running that its performance turned to s--t within 10 min. Reader's Digest version: keep the battery fully charged and warm for better starts in cold conditions. IF that isn't enough add an engine heater. @#$%^&*()_)(*&^%$#$%^&*(---- Pat P.S. Anyone know what to do to be able to make paragraphs? Carriage returns are elliminated and all lmy formatted text is unformatted and run together.

Hit the enter key twice to create what looks like a double space.

Kinda like this.

 

[patrick_g]

ovrszd, Thanks for the thouught but the problem was not insufficient [CR] it was fixed by going to the last options in the "My Home" location and selecting a different level of editor. I had selected the most fully featured one and apparently it doesn't play nice with my system and seettings.

I have since selected the middle of the road option and it does paragraphs just fine. Unfortunately I still can't do smilies.

Also I edited and posted a test post and could not find a way to delete it.


Can we delete a post of our own? If yes, how?

Pat

 

[Doc_Bob]

I spent 3 years at Minot AFB in North Dakota where the winter temps were colder than -40F. every year.

You are qualify as an expert! Minot is darn cold.
Bob

 

[john_bud]

Patrick_g.

You sure hit all the high spots. There is one trick my dad taught me. If the engine won't start and turns over real slow, take the battery inside the house for a couple hours to warm up. Or put it in the tub with warm water. That warm battery at 70-80F has multiples of the juice of a battery at -30F.

This assumes that you don't have a battery heater...

jb

 

[jimmy1]

I am in Ontario Canada and have a new tractor ordered and did have a block heater included. Thought it would be easier on the engine if nothing else for winter starting.