|
|
|
|
|
#1
11-23-2010, 10:35 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Red Neck Engineering block heater
My block heater went on me during some of the coldest weather we have had in a several years. It doesn't help that I just lost a couple glow plugs either. So whats a Mercedes Diesel owner supposed to do?
No No No ... You don't take it to the dealer.... You go buy a cheap hairdryer  1500 Watts of engine heating goodness
__________________
green 85 300SD 200K miles "Das Schlepper Frog" With a OM603 TBO360 turbo ( To be intercooled someday  )(  Kalifornistani emissons  )white 79 300SD 200K'ish miles "Farfegnugen" (RIP - cracked crank) desert storm primer 63 T-bird "The Undead" (long term hibernation) http://ecomodder.com/forum/fe-graphs/sig692a.png 
|
|
#2
11-23-2010, 10:41 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Back in the VW days I often wondered why no one ever hooked up a hair dry as a heater.
|
|
#3
11-23-2010, 10:52 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Yes, winter of 08-09 was unusually cold here. Below 10F, I needed a couple hours of hairdryer or 20-30 minutes of torpedo heater prior to starting. At -11F, the torpedo heater wouldn't start until I preheated it w/ the hairdryer.
I never got beyond the tinker stage, but saw the potential of a hairdryer as an intake air heater as well. You need a flap that lets air flow out before you crank it. If deadheaded, a hairdryer overheats pretty quickly.
__________________
CC: NSA All things are burning, know this and be released. 82 Benz 240 D, Kuan Yin 12 Ford Escape 4wd You're four times It's hard to more likely to concentrate on have an accident two things when you're on at the same time. a cell phone. www.kiva.org It's not like there's anything wrong with feeling good, is there?
|
|
#4
11-23-2010, 11:01 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
LOL might I suggest you use a heat gun. You can probably get one from Harbor Freight cheap.
Back in the 80s I worked for the Canadian equivalent of Consumers' Union. We tested hair dryers and got quite a scare over how easily some overheat. And I don't just mean hot to the touch, I mean between meltdown and road flare. Another interesting idea is heating the intake... which is what the Cummins use, if I understand correctly. I've seen used units on eBay. Cheers
__________________
 Mac 2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d “Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22
|
|
#5
11-23-2010, 11:07 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
well 10 to 15 bucks is hard to beat even by harbor freight
__________________
green 85 300SD 200K miles "Das Schlepper Frog" With a OM603 TBO360 turbo ( To be intercooled someday )( Kalifornistani emissons )white 79 300SD 200K'ish miles "Farfegnugen" (RIP - cracked crank) desert storm primer 63 T-bird "The Undead" (long term hibernation) http://ecomodder.com/forum/fe-graphs/sig692a.png
|
|
#6
11-24-2010, 12:38 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
temporary but cheap & better than ether
If you can blow with the hairdryer into the intake while cranking you have it made. Hot air = ignition. My 15kw Onan diesel marine genset has air heaters in the intake, It is manual start so you have to hold the heater switch on for a minute or so while they get red hot , this energizes the glowplugs as well. I guess when you have a marine generator it really, really has to start. Cheers Dan
__________________
It's always something simple 91 300D 603.960 (from japan) 194K 92 Toyota Diesel Landcruiser HDJ81-t 116K 02 Golf TDI new head courtesy of PO 87 300D 97 BMW 525 TDS Wagon 5spd bunch of Onan and other diesel generators
|
|
#7
11-24-2010, 12:45 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
I do not know if this will work or not but I met this guy who had been stationed in Alaska when he was in the Army. He said they Ran a 40 watt Bulb so it could be place insde Air Filter Housing or on the Intake manifold and coverd the whole Engine with an insulating Blanket (fire proof?).
They left it there until the Vehicle was ready to be run. He did not say if the Vehicles they did this to were gas or Diesel. Never gets cold enough here for me to test it to see if it works or not.
__________________
84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel
|
|
#8
11-24-2010, 01:07 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
__________________
1980 300TD(euro non turbo): Eng: 617.912 /Tran:722.118 1985 300SD: Eng: 617.951/Tran: 722.416
|
|
#9
11-24-2010, 01:19 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
This Harbor freight heat gun list for $19.99 now on sale for $12.99.
http://www.harborfreight.com/1500-watt-dual-temperature-heat-gun-572-1112-96289.html some times this gun is on sale for $7.99, and I picked it at this price but also with the 20% off coupon. thing put out some heat. with the cold weather in the NW now, you better replace all 5 GP. Charlie
__________________
there were three HP ratings on the OM616... 1) Not much power 2) Even less power 3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast. 80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works
|
|
#10
11-24-2010, 03:38 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Not to get off subject, but at what temp do you all start to plug your heaters in? -for those who have functional block heaters
__________________
Thanks, Mark in NC "Spark plugs?...We don't need no stinking spark plugs!" 1985 300SD "Der Silberne Schlitten" 420,000 mi Wish these were diesel: 2003 Ford Club Wagon 130,000 mi
|
|
#11
11-24-2010, 07:22 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
I usually start plugging mine in when airtemps are regularly below 30*. I have it on a timer to run a couple or three hours beforehand
__________________
1981 240D 143k 4 spd manual -SOLD 2004 VW Jetta TDI 5 speed 300k -still driven daily
|
|
#12
11-24-2010, 07:43 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
yeah, timer. Starts at 4 and I leave at 8. 3 hours isn't enough but 4 seems to do the trick. The car will start all the way down past zero but it makes for a happier sounding engine if the heater has been on. I imagine much less wear too.
__________________
 77' 300D, "Cartman" SOLD @ 150K (didn't know what I had) 83' 300SD, "The Superdon" 325k+ @ 28mpg 95 E320 wagon, "Millennium Falcon" 231k+ @ 24 Mpg 95 E300D, "Sherley" 308k @ 33.69 Mpg, currently anticipating a head 99 Suzuki Intruder "Trudy" @ 45 mpg
|
|
#13
11-24-2010, 11:26 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
What about one of those plug in cords that keeps household pipe from freezing? Do they get hot enough? If there were some way you could attach it to the engine.
__________________
'85 300SD (formerly california emissions) '08 Chevy Tahoe '93 Ducati 900 SS '79 Kawasaki KZ 650 '86 Kawasaki KX 250 '88 Kawasaki KDX200 '71 Hodaka Ace 100 '72 Triumph T100R
|
|
#14
11-24-2010, 11:36 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
 my car starts fine after a single glow in single digits. To the OP, why not replace the glow plugs? It isn't that hard and NAPA had Bosch plugs in stock behind the counter. In the summer, my poor car had one dead plug. Even then the poor car did not want to start. I can't even imagine what single digit weather would be like with a non working glow plug system.
__________________
-Typos courtesy of my mobile phone.
|
|
#15
11-24-2010, 12:05 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
__________________
Strelnik Invest in America: Buy a Congressman! 1950 170SD 1951 Citroen 11BN 1953 Citroen 11BNF limo 1953 220a project 1959 180D 1960 190D 1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr 1983 240D daily driver 1983 380SL 1990 350SDL daily driver alt 3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5 3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6
|
 |
| Bookmarks |
|
|
Linear Mode
