About a month ago it was -17F. MINI was NOT happy starting. I installed an engine oil pan heater (Kats model 24150). 4"x5" 150 watts. That is a perfect size for my 2007 Cooper. I can confidently report that it is working very well. MINI was much happier this morning at -16F. I followed the install instructions to the letter. Sanded the paint off the oil pan to bare metal. Cleaned with mineral spirits. Used a high temperature silicone to seal the edges (I used a high temperature 'copper' gasket silicone). I can definitely notice a difference in how the car starts. I have posted some photos in my gallery.

 

Makes a lot of sense. These last 2 weeks have made those of us in Atlanta better appreciate winter. It is going to drop into the teens again tonight - I know that's nothing to many of you but we are spoiled down here!

I'm with you - I'd have an oil heater if I encountered those temps. Neat install!

 

Pretty cool stuff.

Been real cold out there I heard.

They used to make an engine block heater that replaced freeze plugs in the block, and left you with a three prong plug out the grill of the vehicle....and your right, car starts up so much easier as the oil and engine is pre-warmed up.

Really a great idea. Should save some gas during warm up times too.

 

Somthing my dad used to do for cars without a block heater, put a trouble light with 100w bulb under the hood of the car and gently close the hood. You can leave it all night. The heat from the bulb will do wonders for starting.

 

I bought one from Wolverine.com for $49 two winters ago. 125 watts, 3 inch round. I don't use it every night...only when it's going to get below 10 degrees. I also run 0W30 oil in the winter. Works like a charm.

 

Even colder this morning -23F. No problem starting. Did notice that steering felt stiffer for awhile though. Those heated seats felt good!

 

How long does it take til you start to feel real warnth in the heater at those temps? It's been 0* here and it seems to take about 10 miles at hiway speed before I really start feeling any heat out of the vents.....I'm thinking I might have to get a block heater for the cooling system rather than for the oil, so I can get heat right away....

Oh, and 2nd the heated seats!

 

I had one of those installed while I was still living in Manitoba, it was made in Canada, can't remember by who, but MINI Canada had a part # for it. Because it heated the coolant, when you started the MINI the temp gauge showed about a 1/3 of the way to normal operating temp. so there was warmish air right away, even at -40.

Problem was is that they would start to leak coolant, and not just a drip or so, but fail completely, which happened to mine 2 years after it was installed after I moved down to St.Louis. The local dealer here could not find the part through MINI USA, and a search of MINI Canada's part list showed it had been discontinued. So I just had them install the OEM frost plug, don't need the heater here anyway.

I think the problem was the rubber gasket wore out from the heat of the element. It's too bad, because the whole block was warmed, you could feel warmth in the engine bay, it even melted snow off the bonnet.

Mark

 

Another option.
There are dip stick heaters you can buy, but from what I hear you need to pull them out and put the OEM one in when driving, as they don't seal the top of the tube very well. But if you only have a few cold days a winter, this may be an option.

Or you can do what we did when I worked close to Hudson Bay, leave the vehicles running 24/7. The mechanics would also start small controlled fires under large equipment to thaw them enough to get them running.

Mark

 

My MINI is in the garage :-) but I have my truck outside and have years of experience with this cold starting problem.

The light bulb is a great idea and works well. Most people have problems with the temp of the battery (low temp, low cranking power) and so the bulb keeps the temp up in the compartment for the battery as well as the engine itself.

You cana also buy an insulated cover for the battery and even a "heating pad" that surrounds the battery to keep it warm so it cranks at full power.

Also heated dipsticks are available that just replace the one normally in the car but I'm not sure if anyone makes one that fits.

As for the car warming up, the old trick is to block the air flow to the radiator when it is sub-zero. (Just don;t forget to remove it)

Also, don't turn on the heat and blower til the engine is up to temp., use the recycle air option or, if you are in a really cold climate, to put in a thermostat with a winter heat range. (Remember that when a car overheats in the summer, you turn on the heater to drain heat away from the engine. If you are pulling in cold air from outside at 0* across the heater coils you are cooling the engine further.
So, block air, allow to warm and use recyle to warm your tootsies. (heated seats or a heated pad wouldn't hurt either.)

 

What I did before I had the block heater installed was install a smart charger to the battery, that way the battery was always ready to go. Did nothing for the heat issue though.

Mark

 

I've had block heaters on a car or two....in places colder than NH.
In my experience, the modern synthetic oils (than can flow down to -50F ) do wonders to help cars start in extreme cold.....I would caution you to use the oil pan heater on a timer...set it to turn on 2 hours before you need to leave....if it is left on, it will heat the oil to the point that the moisture in it evaporates, and condenses on the colder parts of the motor...up high....and can cause rust. Not good. But used correctly, they can make starting easier on the car....though with synthetic oils their use is now a bit redundant and dubious. but if it help ya....great. Battery blankets are also a huge help in extreme cold....they are insulated and heated. They can be hard to find in the lower 48, but even K-Mart used to carry them when I lived in AK..........

 

Zippy, good point about the timer. What I used to do when I lived where the temps. got down to the -40's was set a timer to go on and off every 1/2 hour. Won't cause any problems, car is always ready to go, and costs less to operate. Just remember, you need a timer that can handle the wattage a block heater draws.

Mark

 

That's a good point Zippy on the moisture.

I prefer the engine block heater, but interested in the dip stick style as I remember seeing them some years ago in JC Whitney Catalogs.

I have had the block style plug heaters in 3 other cars and never an issue. But it was not something I abused either, only plugged in when the forecast was for temps below 10*.

 

Block heaters are great....great for the car and great even for the driver since the heat starts to come out the vents soooo much quicker!!!

 

Looks good. These heaters are pretty much found on all vehicles where I went to college - Fairbanks, Alaska.

Most vehicles over there also have a block heater, battery pad, a transmission pan heater (automatic trans), and a 3 or 4-way plug. This is pretty much part of the standardized 'winterization' package that dealers install on new vehicles there. Arctic climates are no good for vehicles and equipment.

I wish the oil pan on my R53 wasn't ribbed - I'd consider installing one of these heaters on it, as well as a block heater if they're available. My other vehicles are fully winterized for Fairbanks winters...would be nice to have the MINI prepped just in case I ever moved back over there...

 

Kind of along those lines, are there any cars with an electric cabin heater that would operate independently of engine temp? Could something like that be retrofitted into a MINI? A space heater with a cig lighter adapter would probably draw too many amps and be a fire hazard.

 

I've seen 12v electric heaters that plugged in through a cigarette lighter. While they work fairly well at higher temps (20* or warmer), they didn't work worth a crap at subzero temps...

 

I knew guys who would fish an extition cord through the fire wall so they could plug a 120V heater in when the others were plugged in. While 1500 whats or so did not do a lot at 20 below....it made the cars a bit less chilled. AkIndMini...you at the Coast Guard Station at the airport? I used to fly into there all the time from Kenai...flying boxes for SouthCenteralAir..the old SCA..."scare air" as the locals used to call it!! Brings back memories!

 

Nope, I'm not in the Coast Guard...but I used to work out at the base with the base contractor as a mechanic.

My dad is a retired Coastie...my family originally ended up here as the result of my dad getting stationed here.

 

-23!!!!

That wouldn't be a problem for me, either, as I wouldn't get out of bed that morning!

 

I can assure you that we wouldn't be aloud to place heating pads on the engines and gear boxes of helicopters it moisture was an issue. I have never found moisture in the Turbine engine oil or gearboxes. after -10c the oil is only warm to the touch anyway. And at -30C the gear boxes are cold to the touch, just not -30c cold. I assure you, you can trust stick on heating pads on a $30K car if I can trust them on a $5m helicopter flying people around.

 

Real men do not use blankets or block heaters, we just drain the oil and bring it in at night!


In all seriousness that is the old-school way we treated our aircraft engines years ago and it is still done by many in cold/remote areas. Just drain the oil and bring it in to a warm area, pop it in the oven, over a campfire, etc. But in civilized areas I use a simple pad-heater and/or forced air to get things up to temp. In cars when I used to live in the north-woods I used a wool blanket and drop-light in the engine compartment and a trickle-charger for the battery.

What I would love to know is what exactly is the deal with Mini supposedly recommending no warm-up period for the motor, just get in, start, and go. That is completely retarded if true

Lycoming pad-heater:

 

Best part of working in aviation, thats about as dirty as it every gets. The wife enjoys a clean man after a long day replacing an Aircraft engine.

 

Simple fact is, moisture is present in CAR engines due to the type of combustion...many turbo-prop and piston motors on planes I fly have had "tannis" pad heaters, usually on the pan and the gearbox...(when/if present).
In a car, with short trips, and being liquid cooled motors may fail to reach "normal" operating temps...allowing moisture to build up...even a short hop in a plane in rather extreme conditions will result in "normal" temps...and be professional matained....
Lol...on "real men" not using blankets and block heaters...I guess you never flew Garret/honeywell motors...below freezing we used blankets, block heaters, intake/exaust plugs and would often have a/c genorators parked on ramps at locations we would overnight if we could not get mains power (we carried about 100+ of extention cords and preplanned our parking with the FBO so we could plug in when possible)....GPU or not...different story with a PT6...great starting in the cold!!