I won't debate the merits of putting a 1000 dollar heater on a 20 plus year old diesel. I am doing it. A friend bought me the unit.

Here are my goals. 85 300SD. Currently running b100

1. Be able to start the car in ANY weather. The car will sit for up to 8 days in Maine. It can be as low as 10 below or so when I get home and need to start the car.

2. Use the espar http://www.espar.com/htm/Specs/water/D4Wspec.htm coupled with a fuel/coolant heat exchanger to extend the season of being able to run straight B100. I plan to install a hot fox heated pickup. Maybe a vegtherm and heated injector lines. All of that run by a 135amp alternator and a second battery.

Ideas on installation?

Do I make sure I thin my b100 enough to be able to run the espar? I was thinking that I would just install a small (3 gal) tank of k1 so I always have liquid fuel. The espar can be set up to 7 days in advance to heat up the fuel and engine.

Mount the espar in the trunk? Mount it underhood and run a fuel line to the trunk with the small k1 tank?

What coolant line to tap into? Run the hot coolant thru the hotfox first?

I know it's a strange project, and cant really be justified... but I'm doing it... will you help?

JP

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1985 300SD
2001 Toyota Tundra - soon to be replaced with diesel truck
2006 Honda CRV

I have no good advice but loads of encouragement - these things are awesome!

I am not sure how you plan to get B100 to work at 10 below but it has been awhile since I read up on biodiesel cold-flow tech.

In any case the Espar typically has its own electric lift pump at the tank. If you don't mind having a seperate, underhood kerosene tank that would probably work well to get the coolant hot. As for the B100?

Problem with the trunk mount is you'll need to add an exhaust vent for the combustion gasses and the coolant lines will be very very long.

Good luck and keep us posted!

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1983 240D automatic, Orient Red, 174K
1983 240D manual, Biscayne Blue, sold at 341K

I realize it would be a compromise, but you're talking about using K1 in the Espar unit, so you can't hate BIG OIL that much... so why not just set up a little two-tank system? Put whatever fuel you want to use to start the car on in the little tank. I guess you wouldn't need the Espar, then, huh? Just a plain, ole' block heater. Sell the Espar to cover the expenses of your second tank/plumbing!

I know it isn't what you were looking for, but the problem would be getting the fuel that is already in the IP and injectors warm AT STARTUP. Jelly doesn't atomize.

Jay.

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On the road, currently:
'83 300D (German spec.) 168k mi. - - Wolfgang (tucked snugly away for the winter!)
'87 300D 375k mi. - finally went over to "The Dark Side"
'87 300TD 225k mi.
Cannondale 66cm CAAD5 w/Campy/Jamis Aurora
Hujsak Custom Fixie/Landshark Track Shark Custom/Ahearne Custom 29'er

I was raised in northern Wisconsin, so I understand cold weather driving, but never had a diesel there. I did do some experiments with biodiesel, putting it in my freezer to see what happened at various temps. By +10F, biodiesel is the consistency of Crisco (the solid stuff, I mean). However, biodiesel is a liquid down to about +30F so you won't have to heat it that much.

Will the car be garaged? Will electricity (110VAC) be available to operate a block heater? That would make things so much easier. However, if your goal is to let the car sit out unprotected, your challenge is that much greater. A literature search might turn up something -- surely the Army (ours or theirs) has looked into the problem of starting diesel equipment in the dead of winter. Even dino diesel gels below about -30F; if you can find out how to operate a diesel at -40F on dino fuel, the same tricks should work at -10F on biodiesel. (Granted that most operators deal with cold by simply thinning the fuel and you don't want to do that. There still should be some learnings from the experiences of others.)

Diesels have a return fuel line to deal with the fuel not needed by the IP. If you could somehow modify that so that the Espar unit warms the fuel and continuously recirculates it through the fuel tank, you might be able to keep the entire fuel system warm. Insulating the fuel lines would help; the fuel tank is already somewhat insulated due to its location. If the block is also kept warm, you might be able to start the engine on B100.

Once the engine is running and warm, you could use its coolant to warm the fuel -- those are all standard tricks, I believe. Good luck with this project and keep us informed.

Jeremy in Santa Rosa, California
+100F here yesterday and more today but we keep the zinfandel cool.

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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

The issue is I need a micro two tank system for the espar, as my main tank will be gel, or somewhat jelled. I will cut the B100 some with K1 in the main tank for winter flow.

I realize that the fuel in the injector lines and filter will be the issue. I plan to use electric heat from a second battery for a minute or two to heat the fuel in the lines. www.fattywagons.com has the injector heaters, and filter heaters.

The coolant/fuel heat echanger and/or a hotfox coolant heated fuel pickup in the tank would make it so that the fuel coming into the IP is warm. The espar will have preheated some of it to 100deg.

The issue is no AC power. Car parked outdoors at the airport. Thus the espar. I might have one or two days a year below zero to contend with. much more likely in the 10 to 20 degree range.

JP

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________
1985 300SD
2001 Toyota Tundra - soon to be replaced with diesel truck
2006 Honda CRV

Did you complete this project? I have a question about the Espar fuel pump - can I use an aftermarket pump for a local parts shop?

It has a built in pump.