How to choose and install an engine preheater
In cold winter conditions, it is more difficult to start the car engine. And the cold start itself does not increase the life of the engine. This raises the question, how to install an engine preheater.
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What are the types of preheaters
Before answering the main question of the article, need to be disassembled, what is a preheater, how it works and what it is for. so, this device, with which you can warm up the car engine without starting it or autonomously heat the cabin.
It is heated or by heating the air, or by heating the fluid in the cooling system or lubricant. Such heaters come in several types, differ in fuel consumption or require power. There are the following types:
- petrol;
- diesel;
- electric (standalone or rechargeable and powered by mains);
So it turns out, that the heaters are liquid (combine the first two categories) and electric. Depending on the type, they differ in their device.
Electric preheater
The electric type device consists of the following parts:
- Electronic control unit (equipped with a timer);
- Battery recharging unit;
- Heating element on 500 — 5000 W;
- Built-in pump (on some models), to warm up the engine faster and more evenly.
The whole point of such a device is, that the heating element is placed in a sealed heat exchanger. He, in turn, connects to the engine cooling system. The circulation pump expels the coolant through the exchanger and heats it. In cheap versions, the pump is missing. The fluid circulates according to the laws of physics (the heat rises, the cold goes down), although slower.
Powered by the solution or from the home network 220 volt, or from a stand-alone battery. Truth, the second option is not very popular due to limited battery life. There are also electric heaters, which are screwed into the drain hole of the crankcase and heat the oil, rather than coolant.
liquid heaters
Liquid heaters, because they use gasoline or diesel fuel as an energy source, have their own combustion chamber (sometimes called a boiler), fuel pump, coolant pump. in addition, some models may have a remote start system, as well as the heater fan control unit.
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Meals can be made either from the car's fuel tank (the heater fuel pump injects fuel into a special combustion chamber), or from a separate tank. Most often it is installed in those cases, when the engine itself is gasoline, and the heater runs on diesel fuel. so, after switching on the appliance, the fuel burns in the boiler, through which the heat exchanger passes. The engine coolant circulates through it with the help of a water pump, which is heated, transferring heat to the motor.
As for fuel consumption, then regardless, which engine preheater to choose, petrol or diesel, will be spent on average about 600-700 ml of fuel per hour. But it still saves money, as the total consumption of gasoline or diesel fuel by car will be significantly less, than then, when the engine without heating is constantly started cold and then warms up at idle.
Advantages of preheaters and their disadvantages
In the list of main advantages can be noted:
- Reduce the total fuel consumption of the car by reducing the cost of warming up the engine;
- Reduction of the amount and level of toxicity of emissions into the atmosphere due to the same reduction of the amount of burned fuel for heating. This is especially true of electric heaters;
- Extension of engine life, it's not a secret, that during cold start and operation of the motor before warming up the degree of wear of the internal combustion engine increases;
- Ability to start the engine in severe frosts;
If we talk about the disadvantages of this device, then them, in addition to the cost and complexity of installation, practically no in relation to branded quality products. It is not recommended to install the heater unnecessarily, when the car is in a mild and temperate climate, that is, in winter there is no significant decrease in outdoor temperature.
For this reason, it should be noted, that there is not always a general need to purchase and install this device. Example, when the car is placed in an insulated garage at night, and when the air temperature rarely drops below 5-10 degrees, there will be enough hood insulation, engine compartment or ordinary car blanket. These features should also be considered when buying a vehicle, especially in that case, when the heater can be included in the list of standard equipment of the car and is already included in its final cost.
Which car heater to choose
By and large, in this matter you need to focus, primarily, on the availability of power to the device. Example, in the case of electric heating, access to the household electricity network is not everywhere.
You may not be able to connect freely to the network in the parking lot or you may have to pay extra for electricity. And if the car owner, example, avid fisherman or hunter, then he really needs a stand-alone heater. But here, as already mentioned, there are problems with the capacity of the battery and the ability to recharge it.
So, more autonomous are petrol or diesel options. However, we should not forget, that in severe frosts diesel fuel can thicken. In this case, there will be a problem with starting the heater itself, that is, in some cases it is necessary to organize additional fuel heating, and not just the engine itself.
If you choose from different options, at purchase it is necessary to pay attention to such devices at the very beginning, in which there is a built-in pump, as well as take into account the complexity of installation in a given case.
How to install a preheater of the engine on 220v
Each factory-made heater is provided with installation instructions. However, in practice it is not always advisable to follow it from the first to the last letter, as the installation process may vary in some details, depending on the make and model of the car.
In order to install the preheater itself, the motorist needs to understand the device of the car, as well as understand, as performed regular engine cooling. Remember, that improper installation leads to failure of the device, and can also cause cooling system malfunctions. An inspection pit or overpass may be required for installation, as access to the motor is necessary not only through the top part of a motor compartment, but also from below.
so, below is the procedure, suitable for many makes and models of cars on the example of an electric heater:
- The battery is disconnected for safety;
- The working fluid drains from the cooling system (in winter, usually, it will be antifreeze);
- Disconnect the nozzles from the oven (innings) and engine cooling systems or cut;
- A heater is placed between the oven and the cylinder block (the connection is made through pipes or fittings). This is done in this way, so that the liquid from the unit at the beginning came through a hose into the intake hole on the device, and then through the outlet channel through the hose was fed into the oven;
- Antifreeze is poured.
Here are some points, which will be the same for any car, if the heater is not equipped with a pump:
- Heater, must be installed at the lowest possible point. Example, it is often attached to the spar;
- The heater inlet must be connected to the bottom of the cooling system, and the output is attached to the top. It is worth noting, that when choosing a stand-alone liquid heater, question about, where to install the preheater, should be decided based on the characteristics of a car. This can be done anywhere, where such placement will be as convenient as possible. The heater can even be behind the bumper. The only condition is a secure fixation of the device;
- The outlet hose must not have arcuate bends (they form an air plug or bubble), kinks or inflections. Before the first start it is necessary to remove carefully all available air.
Remember, you cannot turn on the electric heater, if there is no coolant in the system, the heating element will burn out. The same thing happens then, when there is an air plug in the device itself.
Now a few words about the installation of gasoline heaters. If you decide to choose a gasoline engine preheater, then in general, the installation will look like this:
- Installation and fixing of the heater;
- Installing the pump (electric motor with pump);
- Installation of air intake and exhaust system;
- Installation of fuel supply system: fuel intake, pump, fuel line;
- Installation of the heater mains (current is required for the operation of the pumps). The device is usually powered by a car battery;
- Location of the device control panel;
In some petrol heaters the pump is installed separately. In this case, it must be placed in front of the appliance, below the level of the expansion tank of the car's cooling system and below the heater itself.
Of course, air is needed to burn fuel. The air intake hose must be protected from foreign objects, garbage and so on. Also unacceptable, to remove air from the trunk or interior of the car. Similarly, you need to avoid getting exhaust fumes into the cabin. If the heater is not stand-alone, then in addition in a tank of the car the fuel intake is mounted. The fuel pump is installed as close to the tank as possible and as low as possible. He, who goes further the fuel line should not be tilted forward.
As a result
so, as can be seen from all this, as written above, if necessary, you can install a 220V engine preheater on any car. Gasoline or diesel autonomous version is a little more complicated, in this case it makes sense to contact a car service for professional installation.
It is also important to consider, what if you are not confident in your abilities, and even then, if the car is new and under warranty, then it is better to refuse independent or unqualified installation of heaters of any type. These devices of different types involve close integration with the electrical on-board network, engine cooling and power supply system.
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