Block heater question

[JayTheCPA]

I still wonder if using the cummins wire heater would be a better way to go.

That is one of my pie-in-the-sky projects. If I can find an adapter that will make it fit on the intake, I will definitely play with it.

But this is a different topic for another thread . . .

Even if the Cummins heater grid does work, I'd still pre-heat the block.

 

[ditchpig]

This is not cheap but works

http://www.kussmaul.com/automatic ejectors index.html

 

[Jorge6.5]

I have also used the cord over the mirror trick. Way to go, saves some headaches

 

[Steve83]

How long before I leave in the morning should it be on? Couple hrs?

That depends on the ambient temperature, how well your truck starts & runs at that temp, how long it takes the coolant to get to a comfortable temperature...

I zip-tied my truck's cord to the inside of the bumper, tied the X-cord to something in the house, and always parked nose-in if I was going to use the block heater so it would simply unplug if I backed out. I also hung the X-cord on the side mirror.

Remember that the X-cord & the truck's plug WILL corrode over time, so clean the prongs & apply electrical grease (NOT dielectric, or thermal, or chassis greases) to keep them that way. If the brass terminals turn black (and you won't see the ones in the cord's socket), they can develop more resistance than the heater, and you'll only heat that connection - not the truck.

 

[ditchpig]

I went with the big rig plug (unplugs easily) and a HD 3 receptacle cord connected & treated to it. Block heaters/oil pan heater/batteries maintainer so I can pick & choose and when it sits for many days only the maintainer.

 

[SmithvilleD]

That's what I did was start hanging ext cord an my mirror.

I still wonder if using the cummins wire heater would be a better way to go. Maybe 2 side by side so there's a lot of air flow. I know they used to remove the set up for more air flow and a bigger inlet pipe.

I was given the intake heater/element from a 7.3 Powerstroke. I'm planning to either weld a bung/mount in the 3" IC piping just before the intake inlet, or possibly drill/tap the Peninsular inlet (easier & faster than welding bung into aluminum IC tube) to mount it. Figure the heater needs to be mounted where it's a restriction to effectively transfer its heat to the air charge. This intake heater has the same diameter/thread pattern as the 5.9 Cummins oil pan plug, so easy solution to take heater out & eliminate the restriction except in the coldest winter weather.

My ~19:1 engine starts reliably well below zero, but at the coldest temps takes ~5 seconds to have enough heat in the chambers to fire cleanly with no smoking out the tailpipe. I'll try this intake heater to see if it will clean that 5 seconds up. Also see how noticeable any performance difference is from the added restriction.

 

[79jasper]

For what you want, I think it'll work fine.
It wasn't made to help starting, just as a "emissions device" to clear smoke faster on cold starts.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[SmithvilleD]

Agreed these heaters were added to pickup diesels to help with cold start emissions. They showed up on some diesel tractors many years ago - before much concern over offroad diesel emissions; don't know if these were moving as much air as the 6.5?. So I don't know if this heater will output enough btu to raise the air charge temp enough to make a big difference? Hence why I wanna try it - not a lot of cost beyond a bit of fabrication time & the wiring/relay stout enough to feed the intake heater.

 

[JayTheCPA]

I was given the intake heater/element from a 7.3 Powerstroke. I'm planning to either weld a bung/mount in the 3" IC piping just before the intake inlet, . . .

It wasn't made to help starting, just as a "emissions device" to clear smoke faster on cold starts.

X-2

So I don't know if this heater will output enough btu to raise the air charge temp enough to make a big difference?

Maybe, but personally I'd play with the Cumins grid prior to messing with the AIH.

I can see the appeal, but a common mod for a 7.3 is to *remove* that thing as it serves as an airflow restriction for 99.9999% of the time. Also, if the CDR is routing to the intake, not sure I'd add the AIH to the stream over concerns of oil vapor collecting on it.

If not already done, consider getting a tune that extends the glow times and / or add a relay to manually trigger the glow plugs for extra time.

 

[Will L.]

I never thought about CDR oil stream hitting the element. Honestly I had the grid heater thought from back in the burning up glow plug days when I thought the best thing out there was instafail-to-heat plugs.

The duratherm is so reliable and I'm so short of time anymore that idk if I will bother with playing the experiment game on the heater. Ya, the heaters are designed for emissions, but does the task at starting fast instead of cranking forever- but still the question lingers if it would work better than the glow plugs.

Cummins mounted them close to the cylinders as possible, I thought about mounting 2 inside the intake. NA Hummers use plastic all the way till there, then the same lower intake as trucks, so I was going to mount in there kind like Leroys square spacer block fits, with them slung into it.

So many of us thought about this on our own that somewhere out there it seems somebody would have tried it. They just haven't found the forum yet?...

 

[SmithvilleD]

The CDR oil vapor is a good consideration. I'm just finishing up fitting a DMax IC. After all the fabrication time that took, crankcase vent will be road tube until I get to the homebrew vapor coalescer/catch can plumbed

I've got the starting system bases well covered: AGM batteries, heavy gauge batt cables, Powermaster starter, Duratherms, PT wiring systems glowplug harness, manual glow cycle extension, etc. All done to compensate for the 19:1 comp ratio's somewhat lower compression heating available at cranking to light the fire. And the system works reliably starting down to -14 F (coldest I've had to fire it up w/o power availability to plug in block heaters (1 in each cyl bank).

Adding glowplug time manually absolutely gets it started. Thinking glowplugs are the most common primary cold starting aid for diesels b/c they are a point source of heat - getting a finite area hot enough to start combustion.

If I try the intake heater, it will be to see if it adds enough heat to clean up that first ~ 5 seconds of smoke during the initial seconds idling - while the (IDI chambers, cylinder, & pistons) warm up & cease sucking down the compressed charge temp below where it will fire cleanly.

As to the last line of Will's post above, I'd like to try it & see. May do some good, may not?

If it did clean that smoke up, then I could see how much it affected performance. Might could tolerate the additional restriction for the coldest month of the year? Will see if I get to it. Not my highest priority as no shortage of projects.

 

[ak diesel driver]

Been contemplating trying this.

 

[SmithvilleD]

Think that's the one I've seen on some Ford tractors & I think some combine engine but can't recall which. I'll get a pic of the 7.3 Powerstroke heater. Getting back closer to the original thread subject, I'll get a pic of a marine 120V plug I picked up to mount inside one of the bumper nostrils to clean up the block heaters pigtail.

 

[JayTheCPA]

The CDR oil vapor is a good consideration. . . . After all the fabrication time that took, crankcase vent will be road tube until I get to the homebrew vapor coalescer/catch can plumbed

This might help, but mine is still letting vapor get into the intake.

If I try the intake heater, it will be to see if it adds enough heat to clean up that first ~ 5 seconds of smoke during the initial seconds idling - while the (IDI chambers, cylinder, & pistons) warm up & cease sucking down the compressed charge temp below where it will fire cleanly.

It depends on how cold the ambient air is. I still get white smoke in the DI rig on very cold (teens F) starts. The Burb belches on start-up no matter what the temperature.

In any event, not sure that a little smoke on start-up is not a big issue as driving it normally. Also, periodically loading the motor should clear anything out.

Been contemplating trying this.

That thing is *puny* compared to the AIH . . .

 

[ak diesel driver]

That "thing" uses fuel more so than electricity.

 

[JayTheCPA]

And here is the 7.3's AIH

http://www.dieseltechmag.com/Images/gallery/13_1600.jpg

 

[SmithvilleD]

That "thing" uses fuel more so than electricity.

Yeah, was thinking that - It's been many years back when I was around some older Ford tractors. Was it used to aid vaporizing fuel? Or actually fire it? Seems like I recall a tradename like Thermostart? or something along those lines.

 

[ak diesel driver]

yep Thermostart. I believe it actually fires.

 

[SmithvilleD]

Here's a pic of the intake air heater Ford used on the 7.3's,& a Cummin's 5.9 oil pan plug to fashion a block off plug so the heater & the restriction it'd cause could be removed for the majority of the year.

I just spoke with the guy that gave it to me who has several modified Ford diesel trucks. He said the heater made a noticeable difference - which is enough to make me want to try it & see. His 7.3 made a hair under 500 hp on the dyno so understand why he removed the heater/restriction.

Here's the plug I intend to use to mount the block heater pigtail hidden off to the side in a bumper nostril.

 

[Will L.]

I like he thermostart idea, except iirc you have to bleed the fuel for it. They do get a little flame action, unless you feed if unlead- then you get a GOOD flame action and no need to bleed. Heh heh- memories...