opinion on stick on oil pan heaters

[puddinboo]

as the title says.I`m thinking of getting one, just wondering if anyone has used them. this -46c weather is hard on vehicles with no block heaters. so the only thing i have been doing is trickle charge the battery overnight to start the x

[Vonbimmer]

No actual experience here but I have to think its better than the engine / oil being at that crazy low ambient temp.

[admranger]

My old Toyota Celica turbo all trac had one from the previous owner (he was a ski-bum). It worked really well, according to him as he parked outside a lot up at the mountain ski resorts.

As Vonbimmer aludes to; it's gotta be better than low temp oil. Heat transfer through the aluminum pan will be good. Just have a heavy duty outlet timer, a good extension cord, and let it rip!

[puddinboo]

what wattage would be good for the 3.0i?

[audiophool]

This one: https://www.wolverineheater.com/Mode...-p/16csace.htm

I was planning on one for my E60. Don't know if the E53 has a heater already. Doesn't really matter though - park in a garage overnight which we keep at 12C since the dogs live there too.

And heating the oil give the best 'bang for the buck' since that's where your friction, and hence wear, is reduced to best effect.

[Gregory891]

Those in the Nordic countries swear by engine block heaters (they heat engine coolant, which will transmit heat to oil and the rest) rather than oil heaters. Engine coolant heaters benefit that a rampant heater will be offset by the car's radiator. An oil pan heater (at the extreme) has less of a damper and could (at the extreme) cook your oil.

THE brands that are highly respected in the Nordic countries (also Switzerland & Austria) is Defa (Norwegian) and Calix. Their systems are well thought out, they can use the power inlet to the car to add (your choice) a battery trickle charger and a thermostatically controlled cabin heater. Defa only makes 230 VAC versions (most of the world but not US or Canada). Unknown for Calix. I've used Defa with success.

You (naturally) would need to check your model & engine. Many are external heaters that are plumbed into a coolant line (the case for my X5 with M57 engine) rather than a replacement for an engine freeze plug. Defa gives you a pre-heat recommendation time based on your outside ambient.

BMW E46 330d -29C cold start, Finland - YouTube

For those in the 110 VAC world, other brands to check (I can't speak for their products, no personal experience) would be Hotstart / Kim Hotstart and Webasto.

Large industrial diesel engines (I work for Caterpillar) favor the same approach but the cooling systems are considerably larger.

As the old advertisement goes, this is the only way to fly. Engine coolant heater with a handy external socket nicely mounted in (or below) your bumper. Plug & play.

[audiophool]

It's 250W. Not likely to 'run away' and cook the oil. Certainly far fewer BTUs than the engine makes when running.

Kettle heaters installed into core plugs in the engine block are typically 400-600W and really put the heat where you don't need it if your main goal is quick starts and reduced wear. Oh, and they leak and can blow out during high RPM - happened to me on my E30 325is back in '95.

Cheers from the Great White North.

[JCL]

I haven't installed one on an X5, but we used to use these on diesel engines in the far north. I remember the brand name Wolverine, I'm not sure what other brands are like.

I would recommend an external oil pan heater over a coolant heater. They are far more efficient. Don't use an oil pan heater where the heating element contacts the oil, they can cook the oil at the immersion element. I used jacket water block heaters from 400 to 1200 watts on road vehicles. These oil pan heaters work fine with 125 or 250 watts, depending on the oil sump capacity. Remember that you are not heating anything except engine oil, so all other systems are completely cold. Just because it starts easier, doesn't mean that PS fluid, trans fluid, etc are flowing any better.

Last discussed a year or so ago. See this thread. I think it was a Canadian Tire product:

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ating-pad.html

When it is below -40 (the safe point for 5w-30) you could be using a 0w oil. Where is it -45 C ambient? Last time I dealt with that was the Yukon. I do recall one month in northern Alberta where it never got above -40 C.

Jeff

[knucklebuster]

you could always go this route oem aux heater set up http://www.realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/y/f/244.png

[RFaber]

My old standby was a couple trouble lights, some 100w bulbs, and an old horse blanket draped over the hood and front end! that worked for me in a pinch most cold northern nights back in the day!! now that i am on the wet coast, i dont worry much about the 4 or 5 days a year where its below freezing!! I would opt for the stock "bmw block heater" then second i would go for an "inline coolant heater" then i would attach the pan heater to mine.
had a brother in law in winterpeg man-its-cold-out have his two bimmers quit in the cold -38 one was a ccv, and the other was cracked and failed injector seals. i feel his pain! even with block heaters in they still failed!
best of luck all, stay warm people!!