When temperatures plummet, cars often get hard to start. With modern fuel injection systems, this is not as common as it used to be but when vehicles get really could it can still be an issue. An excellent way to make it easier on your engine is to keep it heated up a bit during the night.
The issue goes back a long time ago. Back in the early 1900s in Northern Canada, flight engineers, who were responsible for preparing an airplane’s engines for operation, would drain the engine oil out of the engines on cold nights. Then, before flights, they would pre-heat the oil before pouring it back into the engines. It was messy, time intensive…but it worked.
Even though the oil formulations today are better than they used to be, oil still gets thick when temperatures drop. That means that cold engines can be difficult to start and when they do, they wear more quickly and pollute more.
This can be avoided with a block heater. Block heaters are devices that are designed to keep engines warmed up whenever the mercury drops. They are very common in cold climates such as the northern U.S. and Canada. In regions such as this, block heaters are often standard equipment in new vehicles. And you may find electrical outlets in public or private parking lots to plug block heaters into. It’s part of the culture of driving in regions that have really cold winters.
The most common type of block heater is an electric heating element installed directly in the cylinder block. These are typically connected to a power cord which is routed through the vehicle’s grille. The service department at www.zeiglernissangurnee.com explains that his sort of block heater usually replaces one of the engine’s core plugs (often called freeze plugs). Another popular model is installed in line with one of the car’s radiator or heater hoses.
Block heaters are available for purchase at most auto and part stores and on the internet. The ones that are permanently installed in the block or in radiator hoses generally require a professional mechanic to install them. Contact the professionals at www.zeiglernissangurnee.com to learn more about block heaters and what models they recommend.
Source: Ziegler Nissan
