Understanding the cooling system in relataion to block heaters (video)

[greenjeepster]

In order to better explain the cooling system in relation to block heaters I went over my truck and made a video. This should help people make a more informed decision about what type of plug in heater to use and where to locate it.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6WtGSSigyY[/media]

 

[quarkz]

Nice video and opinions.

I am not taking either side of this hot or cold topic.

I do want to pose some questions.
This is my two cents.

Won't the water in the pump heat up to a point where the thrmostat pops open and the hot water of the pump will start mixing with the cold water of the water jacket?
Water has a great capacity to hold heat.
And the entire mass of water that is in contact will try to reach equalibrium.
So I am sure the 3/4" will work just may take time and make have some lower temp threshhold where losses to the metal and outside world null the wattage of the heater.

You would also want your heat source as low on the engine so that as the water heated it would rise and mix with the cold. adding from the top may stratify the temp layers.

Also some portion of the heat leaving the radiator will radiate on the engine block and help to heat.

The 3.4" method might also be better for those looking for a less mechanically involved method. Screw out and in. Frost plugs are more involved and more invasive if they go wrong. I have done a handfull on school buses with more woom around the block.

A lot more complicated set of thermal systems than just what you covered.

 

[greenjeepster]

Nice video and opinions.

I am not taking either side of this hot or cold topic.

I do want to pose some questions.
This is my two cents.

Won't the water in the pump heat up to a point where the thrmostat pops open and the hot water of the pump will start mixing with the cold water of the water jacket?

Yes if the thermo is in backwards On most trucks I would say that is not the case. If you leave it plugged in for a month straight it might generate enough heat to work is way around to the back side of the thermo and open it....I am betting not though because it will be much easier for the heat to work its way up into the radiator which is closer and diffuse into the air. I am also pretty sure that a 400 watt heater in the winter is not going to generate enough heat to open the thermo seeing as they open at operating temp of about 120-150 degrees.

 

[Divemaster920]

Forest Gump

I like his black friend he would be great on these threads..."how many ways can you heat a block", I think he went 4 days telling how to cook shrimp.

 

[quarkz]

To all those that have done the 3/4" mod, and to those that have done the freeze plug mod, if it cold tonite, go ot and read the temp gage in your truck and post the outside temp and your truck temp to this thread. There should be enough empirical results out there to prove or debunk this topic.

Also what size, brand, model#, and wattage is the freeze plug being commonly used?

Sorry, just saw divemaster920's thread.
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce/46540-way-i-install-block-heater.html

 

[kc5mzd]

Ok, where do I start? The object of a block heater on a diesel is not to heat the block it is to heat the combustion chamber (mostly in the head). Diesel has to get hot before it will burn and start your engine.

The thermostat on a multifuel is not like a car thermostat. The multifuel thermostat has a sleeve that completely blocks off the flow of coolant to the radiator when cold. This completely opens up a passage from the head back to the water pump. The big hose on the top of the water pump is the thermostat bypass hose. This is where people are installing the heaters. This allows the heat to go up (heat rises) the hose into the head.

The long hose on the other side of the block is going to the oil cooler, which is connected to the block.

The heater when installed in the water pump uses convection to circulate the heat up into the head through the cold thermostat. Where it flows across the top of the combustion chambers into the cylinder block. Then the coolant flows through the oil cooler (is now a oil warmer) and back to the water pump where it is heated and convection from the block heater makes it flow back up into the head and so on...

The stock thermostat in a multifuel will remain closed in 100% bypass mode until the water reaches about 165deg. It is fully opened at about 190.

Another reason people are using the threaded block heater is because it can be installed with a minimum of Antifreeze loss if you are fast and have everything ready. At $10+ a gallon this will offset the extra cost fast.

 

[G-Force]

"Another reason people are using the threaded block heater is because it can be installed with a minimum of Antifreeze loss if you are fast and have everything ready. At $10+ a gallon this will offset the extra cost fast."

WOW.....isn't that why God created buckets????

 

[Keith_J]

"Another reason people are using the threaded block heater is because it can be installed with a minimum of Antifreeze loss if you are fast and have everything ready. At $10+ a gallon this will offset the extra cost fast."

WOW.....isn't that why God created buckets????

Not to get into a theological debate...man invented buckets . Spot on with the coolant recovery, it should be reused unless rusty, oily or dirty. And there are plenty of drains where one can safely lower the coolant level with nary a spill.

 

[kc5mzd]

"Another reason people are using the threaded block heater is because it can be installed with a minimum of Antifreeze loss if you are fast and have everything ready. At $10+ a gallon this will offset the extra cost fast."

WOW.....isn't that why God created buckets????

Such hostility...
I was just trying to help people understand how the cooling system works in a multifuel. The video did not take into account the way the thermostat bypass causes the water to flow back into the head. It also didn't take into account the way the coolant can help warm the oil in the oil cooler when it circulates all the way through the entire system.

By the way
God didn't create buckets. God created man and gave him the since to make buckets.

 

[kc5mzd]

Keith_J,
I see you are also from San Antonio. What side of town do you live on. What kind of trucks or "stuff" do you have.
I am on the SE side

 

[Farmun]

So according to this video - my Kats recirculating heater shouldn't work. But it does. It heated the block, and the top of the radiator (forgot to feel the bottom of the radiator).

 

[Bighurt]

Since there is already arguments going on I just want to clarify "Heat" does not rise. "Hot" water or "Hot" fluid in this case does.

Heat radiates from the source in all directions unless acted upon by something else.

No relevance just a note.

I do like the fact that this thread has finally explained what the hoses and how the thermostat actually works in a Duece. Thanks!

Another issue is if a coolant heater for fuel is installed the port on the bottom of the water pump is being used.

 

[Snarky]

I guess this all really has no relevance for warmer climates I've never had any problems starting my deuce in cold weather here, not even when it was in the teens for a week here. I guess it has to be below 0'F for you to start thinking about heaters. My deuce fires right up on the first press, even below freezing.

 

[myJEEPisAfatty]

well i enjoyed the video..i dont have anything to argue about

 

[Divemaster920]

(Quote) Another issue is if a coolant heater for fuel is installed the port on the bottom of the water pump is being used.

I use one....Getto style. And I can tell a difference.

 

[Divemaster920]

I am not knocking what other guys are doing. I am just trying to get this big honking motor started as fast as it can with the stuff I feed it.

 

[greenjeepster]

So according to this video - my Kats recirculating heater shouldn't work. But it does. It heated the block, and the top of the radiator (forgot to feel the bottom of the radiator).

Didn't you say that you went from the back of the block where the drain is to the water pump? You have a system that circulates the coolant through with a pump. You completed the circuit by running from block to pump.....it then runs from pump back to the block through the oil cooler... One big loop with a pump forcing it through...of course it works.

 

[kc5mzd]

I think the video was a cool idea. As you learn more about your truck I hope you coninue. It seems every time I take a close look at something on one of my trucks I learn something new. For such a simple basic vehicle these trucks have very cool "little details" that are often overlooked.

 

[tm america]

kc5mzd you are 100% correct on how the block heater functions in the water pump .

 

[ctmustang]

Who has the Tylenol?