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What temp does oil get to with engine block heater turned on?

Yahoo Message Number: 55131
Hi folks

While in Prescott, AZ I used my engine block heater and after 6 hours, Silverleaf reported oil temp at 48F with 18F ambient. Not sure what the oil temp was before I turned on the block heater. The next day, I didn't turn on the block heater and Silverleaf reported 48F in 30F weather. This makes me wonder if the block heater ever came on at 18F ambient? Has anyone checked their oil temp with the block heater on? Thanks for your inputs.

Larry 03 Allure, 30856 370 ISL

Re: What temp does oil get to with engine block heater turned on?

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 55132
Huummm!! Block heaters are for the cooling system, oil heaters are for the oil. In really cooled places, they have both, along with battery heaters. Would be very surprised if a block heater could have any effect on the oil temp.

Leonard
97' Magna

Re: What temp does oil get to with engine block heater turned on?

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 55160
Heard a report two days ago of 80 degrees in 18 ambient.
Most block heaters insert in place of a freeze plug, so the heating element is in the coolant. Mike

What temp does oil get to with engine block heate

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 55133
My block heater raises the engine temperature to about 90 degrees, according to the Silverleaf, after 3 hours. The ambient temperature was in the 30s. Once the engine is started it drops 10-15 degrees due to the transmission being considerably colder.
Larry, it sounds like yours is not engaging. Have you checked the circuit breaker panel in the bedroom? It should be noted that because the blocker heater switch is lit, does not mean the heater is working. It only means the switch is on. The same holds true for the Hydro Hot switches.

Chuck Penque

03 Intrigue 11673

Re: What temp does oil get to with engine block heate

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 55146
Ya know, I think I'm confused. When I bought my coach used, in 2004 I was told the "block Heater" heated the oil. But now I wonder, does it heat the coolant? The switch in the BR is labeled "Block Heater" and when I turned it on the other night, the light inside the switch illuminated even though, as I just noticed, the 15 AMP breaker in the BR was OFF. Thanks Chuck! So the question remains, does mine heat the oil, or the coolant. Living in Florida, I never had the Block Heater on before and didn't pay much attention to it until the other day. Hmmm! Thanks to all for the inputs.

Larry, 03 Allure, 30856

Re: What temp does oil get to with engine block heate

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 55149
A block heater heats the coolant. The purpose is to aid in starting in cold weather, since a diesel depends on compressed hot air to ignite the diesel spray. Heated coolant make a big difference in cold weather starting. With todays synthetic oils, oil heaters are only needed in extreme cold environments. So you have a block heater.

Leonard
97 Magna

Re: What temp does oil get to with engine block heate

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 55151
Larry,

Below taken from Ehow.com. The reference is for diesel engine block heaters.
Normally, block heaters are installed in one of the factory freeze-plug locations. This allows them to most effectively heat both the coolant and the oil at the same time. They run off of normal house 110V AC outlets, and many times the plug for the block heater can be seen hanging out of the grille. These heaters are very popular in the Midwest, where winter temperatures regularly dip low enough to actually freeze the fluids in a vehicle's engine. It is recommended to have a qualified shop install your block heater, but if you're an experienced do-it-yourselfer who knows your way around an engine compartment you shouldn't run into too many problems.
Don Seager

2004 Allure 31046

Re: What temp does oil get to with engine block heate

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 55156
Let's see, coolant is all connected in the engine block and keep from circulating by the thermostat, making a closed system. Place heater in side of block inside cooling jacket and it heats the coolant. Now, the oil in in a very thin, unusually light metal, pan, compared to engine block, quite a distance from the cooling system. There is an interconnection area called the oil cooler where the oil and coolant can interact. BUT the oil does not circulate when the engine is not running. It just seats in the bottom of the pan, all 10 gallons our so, another couple of gallons rest in the oil filters. The little oil left in the block is extremely minor but it does get warmed by the heat in the block, but not the rest of the oil. The major amount of oil will remain at air temperature because of the air moving around the thin oil pan. The warm block will aid in the engine and the oil warming up faster then without a block heater. By the way, most oil cooling is done while the oil in in the pan. Heat is picked up by the oil on it's trip through the engine. When the oil returns to the oil pan it sets there long enough to loose the major amount of the heat it has picked up, this is by design and one reason diesels hold so much oil.

In the old days, before block heaters, we used either to start diesels in cold weather. Diesels have improved a bunch and the injection systems as well along with starters and batteries, anyone remember the 24 volts starter systems? Diesels are much easier to start today. Also the early block heaters required 220 volts. One could literally blow a diesel apart with either, if not very careful. Guess I'm just thick headed but I cannot see how a block heater in a diesel will put any heat into the oil. Maybe in a lot smaller engine some heat might carry over, like a gas engine, but the physical size of an over the road diesel would make it very hard for the heat to reach the oil and not be carried off by the cold surrounding air. In very cold climates, regular engine oil can become so thick it will not flow, then engine oil heaters are used. Even the battery acid will freeze in a fully charged battery, that is why a battery heater is used.

According to the information in my Manuel, if one runs the Webasto unit it heats all the water in the engine coolant system as well as heat water in the water heater and supply hot water for coach interior heat. This seems to make an engine heater very seldom needed, not sure if the newer units are connected in this fashion or not. Bottom line: block heater heats the block, oil heater heats the oil, battery heaters heat the battery. One cannot expect the battery heater to heat the engine oil, etc.

Leonard

97 Magna 5418

Re: What temp does oil get to with engine block heate

Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 55183
Leonard,

Heat does not need circulating fluids to transfer from one material to the other. Basically heat energy seeks to equalize differences in temperature. Cold cannot move anywhere because it is a non-existent quantity. It is a human term to describe a degree of absence of heat.
With the block of an engine heated to 80 degrees and an outside ambient of 18 degrees, I struggle with the idea that in attempting to equalize the difference between the block and the 18 degrees below the oil pan that some heating of the oil would not happen. We could argue about how much but with that temperature differential I think that it is more than one might think. The heat transferring to the outside air below the pan must first transfer through the oil. Heat transfer rates are not linear with respect to temperature differentials.
Speaking of starting diesel engines in the old days, a lot of the early applications of diesel engines were in construction equipment. Remember the pony motor, a small gas engine that was started first then applied to the big guy with a hand clutch. Sometimes the big old guy would puff white smoke for 5 or more minutes before it would catch. Then there were the specialty diesels by AC for instance that had a port valve to open a chamber above the cylinder complete with spark plugs and an ignition so that it could be started on gasoline. Then once it was running you closed the port thus picking up the compression from bout 8:1 to about 14:1, quickly switched from gas to diesel and you were and running. Most of these engines were stationary.
Then there was a period of time when the 18 wheelers used an air compression start motor. Worked great as long as you had air in the tanks. Ahhh for the good old days but I don't think that I would want to start my coach with a pony motor.
BTW my coach has a HydroHot heat coolant circulating pump to heat the block and does not have an electric block heater. The HydroHot is a lot faster and better.

Don Seager

2004 Allure 31046
 

Re: What temp does oil get to with engine block heate

Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 55184
Good story Don, although you are starting to tell your age .
Our posts this past week have been about 3 items nainly . Can you believe how many replies.
All this when we have heated tiles. 3heat pumps, furnaces propane or hydro.
Give it a break ITS NEW YEARS

Larry Wilkens
05 Inspire 51309