So i was wondering if anyone had interesting ways of quickly heating up their engine. I was humouring the idea of having an inverter that would be hooked up to the block heater so you could switch it on when you first start in an attempt to warm the block quicker, but this of course may not be the best approach.

Anyone with some ideas?

High idle hooked up through command start and a cold front.

Problem is no command start or high idle at the moment.

Am looking for something were it will heat it quicker that just my cold front and idling after i go out and start it for the day.

one word, espar!

Buy a high idle kit and get it done. Doesnt take long to hook up.

Let it run for 10-15 minutes before you leave... Doesnt cost much in aftermarket parts.

:funnypost

take a stick and put it on the pedal and against the front of the seat, use the power seat adjust to idle the engine up. did it for a whole winter before I discovered the hi idle kit.

:funnypost:lol:

brick, color matched of course!

Just plug in the block heater into a timer that will turn on 2 hours before you are to leave, then it will be warm and ready to go.

high idle kit but I bet the brick or stick are cheaper

block heater does not warm it up enough to be comfortable...just makes it easier to start...

high idle kit but I bet the brick or stick are cheaper



High idle kit is nothing but a couple of wires, and a few minutes of time.

block heater does not warm it up enough to be comfortable...just makes it easier to start...


But you are closer than a COLD start!

1. Drain all motor oil out
2. Start engine
3. Place stick between seat and accelerator pedal and push pedal to the floor and wedge the stick to hold pedal down.

This warms my engine up quickly

1. Drain all motor oil out
2. Start engine
3. Place stick between seat and accelerator pedal and push pedal to the floor and wedge the stick to hold pedal down.

This warms my engine up quickly

:exactly:

take a stick and put it on the pedal and against the front of the seat, use the power seat adjust to idle the engine up. did it for a whole winter before I discovered the hi idle kit.
Write that up with some pix and we can maybe get it moved to the DIY section! :)

THis thread is hilarious.

I used to use a brick on my 6.5. Now on the other trucks(no high Idle yet) I use bottle jacks or cattle prods.


As for warming up my interior I have a diesel space heater inside it at night. This keeps it nice and warm. And I have the nice smell of diesel in the moring. Of course I have to drive with my windows down for ten minutes to get rid of the exhaust so it kind of defeats the purpose.

As for keeping the engine warm Im sure you could rig up a similar approach.


On a more serious note.

The block heater only heats to 100* but thats plenty.

DO NOT RUN YOUR ENGINE WITH THE HEATER PLUGGED IN. If your engine gets warm supposedly it will damage the block heater. Never had it happen, but Ive been told.

Set a timer for 3 hours before you start it. This is all that is needed. Remeber these things dont last an eternity so dont overuse them if you dont have to.


The high idle cost me a whopping $10. And I used a fancy $6 switch.

I have a timer and also a high idle with an indicator to let me know i forgot to turn it off. between the switch (4.95) and the LED (1.49) at radio shack, its a life saver in cold weather.

ever try the welder trick hook the ground on one bumper and electrode clamp on the other.similar to thawing pipes,works on the inverter theory

Write that up with some pix and we can maybe get it moved to the DIY section! :)

not sure it is worth it. lts of time to get those pics taken:D Cut a broomstick in half and press it betwen the seat and the pedal. May sound stupid but with power seats it works nicely

On a more serious note.

The block heater only heats to 100* but thats plenty.

DO NOT RUN YOUR ENGINE WITH THE HEATER PLUGGED IN. If your engine gets warm supposedly it will damage the block heater. Never had it happen, but Ive been told.



It happened to me I was plugging in the truck and starting it with command start, I did it all the time with gassers. when the local parts store ordered a new block heater from G.M. they told them that idling while plugged in will burn it out. And of course I did not notice untill -40 :damnit1:

Has anyone used a Zerostart Coolant heater? Seems to me that warming the coolant may be another good approach.

I am just trying to minimize the effects of a -40 cold start, not sure how good it is to high idle immediately after starting it, plus then I'm creating a lot of fog on my street. I also don't have any plug ins where my truck is parked.