I get my new clubman s in about 3 weeks(just crossed the canal yesterday) My mini will be an outdoor car in the northwest where winter temps are often below zero. Are ther block or recirculating heaters available for minis?
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,MINISV

 

You're supposed to bring them inside and let them sleep next to your bed .

(being a native Texan, I don't know what those things look like).

 

I am not clear on block heaters for clubmans, but I know that for the mini cooper s and standard there are absolutely no block heaters straightr from mini for 2004 and newer. Below 20C you should get some heating on that engine to reduce on wear and tear on the pistons. It is a real shame that there are not anymore products available to mini owners in the frigid north. Mini has truly crippled us without more heating options. You can look at Defa Heating, but I could never figure out how to buy their products. Indeed a disappointment! I bought a Canadian block heater off of minimania.com. I live in Fairbanks, Alaska with a 2003 mini s and around here we heat our cars religiously. I would advise on getting a heating patch on to your oil pan (even though you may be using synthetic oil), and whatever else you can do in the meantime. Keep that engine warm!!!

-Peter
illig.ak@gmail.com

 

illig.ak

Should the "below 20C" be 20F?
20 deg. C, is 68 deg.F

The oil pan heater you suggested, and maybe a heat blanket would be options, I don't think a dipstick heater will make it. There are also heat blankets for the battery.

I could tell you about a friend that used to slide a lit hibachi under his dads car to warm the engine , but there isn't enough clearance under a Mini. It can get really cold in Minnesota.

 

Hm. I hadn't thought about this before. I live in the north, but it pretty rarely gets below 0F and I can't remember anything below -20F.

Subscribed!

 

when I lived in Wyoming I placed a shop light with a 60 watt bulb directly under the oil pan of my Toy PU when it got below O F. Worked pretty well, but then the truck was parked in an unheated garage.

Ive been wondering about block heaters as a possible solution for the cam chain tensioner cold start clatter issue that plagues so many 2nd gen cars.

 

Last time I looked www.newminimania.com had engine block heaters for about $100.00

 

Yes, thank you for the correction. 20F is what I meant.

 

This may be a possible solution, and if it is outside you may be able to put a blanket over the engine to try and trap in the heat (we do that with our airplanes up here). I doubt it would work in the sever cold ie. -20 and below, but it is worth a try. The key is insulating the engine to trap the cold, or else the heat will be sucked out immediately.

In case someone is wondering why it is SO important to heat your engine below 20F, it is not because of start up issues. Minis will start well below zero, but the issue is piston wear and tear. The space between the moving piston and the shaft it rides in are incredibly small, and when the block gets cold these metals shrink just enough to where if the engine starts (which it will), these metals will rub against one another a few times until they warm up. It is simply bad overall for an engine over time.