TDI heater good idea for Michigan winter?

Thought that i would get some input on this subject!

Would investing in a TDI heater (from http://www.tdiheater.com/) be a practical idea for michigan winter? Its not as frigid as canada and/or washington; but it can get pretty cold. Anyone from michigan with experience in this matter? I would just rather get some advice before sinking about 100 bux into something. thanks a lot guys!

edit: sorry; forgot vehicle info. 1998 VW Beetle TDI (A4)

It's the first upgrade I did here in NH. Gets pretty cold here, around 0 degrees frequently. It's a nice thing to have for those really cold mornings. Just put it on a timer and have it turn on a couple hours before you leave for work and your golden. Anyways, it's very useful and I rocommend it plus it's fun and easy to install.

Have had mine for two years with no trouble. They really start nice, which is what I do it for, within 100 feet all the warmth is gone, it warms up quickly after that, but at
-20 it takes me 12 miles or more to heat up to full operating temperature anyway, heater or not. You do it for quicker warmups and it does save wear and tear on your engine when starting.

Chicago winters are pretty close to what you'll see in Michigan, so...
Yes the heater really helps for quick starts, quick heat delivery, and saves wear and tear internally - car and body(human). I set the timer two hours ahead of my alarm clock. Works great.

I think block/engine heaters are a good idea whether you live in an area that only gets as cold as 20*F or -20*F. I would think it saves a lot of stress on the engine during warmup if the parts are already a little bit warm. The oil will flow through the engine a little faster, etc. My project for the weekend is to install my heater. I'm tired of having to scrape the inside of my windows on a cold day after work. After all, I'm not driving a '65 Beetle.

anyone know of a link for diy
installation of a tdi heater.

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Well if you buy the complete set up from Terry at www.tdiheater.com it comes with directions. If you are a diy no matter what with lots of time on your hand, then you can buy a heater and search for the hoses. There was a post that described someone doing just that but I can't find it.

tdiheater.com kit is a 15 minute install, or 30 minute install if you drink a lot of beer or can't find your tools.

Yep, the TDI Heater is great! The change from heater-less NH mornings and heater-ful mornings is impressive. On the coldest mornings (-15 and below) it has to be plugged in for 3+ hours to get the heat flowing at start-up.

anyone know of a link for diy
installation of a tdi heater.

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Click to expand...

Snowman is the man!
Snowman's installation instructions.

I live in Michigan also and I would hate owning my TDI in winter without a "TDIheater" or "Monster Mats"

It depends... Is yours garaged at night or does it sit outside?

Where in Michigan? It doesn't get Siberia-cold here in scenic Allegan County, but if I were still living in Harvey (near the Marquette State Prison) I would have some type of auxillary heat source for ours. I'm beginning winter #4 with mine (#2 for Mrs. V's) without additional heat. No problems, but both stay inside at night, get good oil & fuel with a healthy shot of PS/DFS. Good battery maintenance along with use of that solar charger is beneficial, too.

Chilly this morn...fired up the seat heat for the first time in a long time...

here in lansing, my car was ungaraged for two years... started every morning - never a problem. Even on a morning that was so cold half of the lot at the apt building wouldn't start.. the Diesel did. No problem

However, last year or the year before or whenever (might have been this year - they all run togehter) i put the heater in and even with a garaged (unattached uninsulated one btw) it is a heavenly bit of luxury. To come out to the car and have it warm, and it starts like a hot summer day. then the temp slow drops until i get on the highway where it starts climbing again.

The heater, going with TDIheater, or your own kit. VikF has foudn that he can put together a kit from Canadian tire for under $75 bills canadian IIRC. Might be less than that even. Finding a heater other than TDIheater.com's is tough, finding one big enough... 1000 or 1500 watts are nice...

i just wish i could plug it in at work. The heater cuts way down on wear metals as well. Really makes a difference in that department for the winter.

and its about time to start plugging it in!!! At least after the last few mornings!!!

Hi Folks

I am considering purchasing a TDI Heater. I have a unique coolant pathway in my vehicle however since I have a tank for vegetable oil (as fuel) in place of the battery (which is now in the trunk). The coolant line comes out of the oil cooler, is wrapped around a fuel filter and then proceeds thru a copper coil inside the veg tank before going back in line. Need to heat that veg!

My question-

Is there anything about the function of this heater that requires the inflowing coolant to be located below the outflow?

In other words- could the coolant line into the bottom of the heater come from above (battery area- out of veg tank) and then have the normal pathway out the top of the heater to block?

This is a great product for folks who drive on vegetable oil since this type of heater serves us the dual function of preheating our fuel on those cold morning allowing for quicker switch-over time!

Thanks!

I live in Colorado, but not in the mountains. I am from Michigan and some days start off VERY cold in the morning. I asked someone in the service dept at my local VW dealer and he said he drives a TDI and in the winter he told me the following: "I drive a TDI and in Diesel fuel there are things that have the consistency of wax when it is really cold, so I just add a fuel additive with every tank fill up in the winter and I never have any starting problems." I thought I would share this, hope it helps.

This being said, I am going to add the heater to mine anyway, I dotn trust my wife to add a additive every time she fills up.

Wow, holy thread from the past.

#15 x2
And I'll add my 0.02, really just re-hashing the above.
There are really two discussions that get lumped together in this topic:
[a] Can I expect my TDI to be startable in cold weather
Prompt heat, easy warmup, less stress on the engine when started cold.

From what I read, I understand that diesel fuel can gel in cold temperatures, wherein its consistency changes and becomes waxy or too thick to pump properly. I also read that diesel fuel sellers supposedly start to include winter additives beginning late fall, designed to combat that, and people often feel like it's also a good idea to run some additive. The bottom line there seems to be: Yes, you can expect your TDI to start reliably in cold temperatures. It has glow plugs to assist cold starting. There could be some issues if you encounter fuel gelling. Adding extra additive to the fuel in winter probably helps to safeguard against that. (but probably doesn't guarantee it could never happen, if the temperature gets so low....)

On the convenience or longevity side, I'll offer my endorsement of the item linked above- the 110V coolant heater known as Frost Heater. I installed one. They make a big difference in how comfortably the engine runs at first startup. The car will make internal cabin heat sooner. I also have to believe the engine is happier (ie. better for longevity) if the engine oil can be warmed to something more than frigid temps on startup. So, in extremely cold temps, the presence of an engine heater could make the difference between a no-start and successful start. But I think most of the time, the difference is in convenience and promoting longevity of the mechanicals by pre-warming them. To me, that's worthwhile. A TDI started from dead cold in low temps... can take quite a while to develop any substantial cabin heat. Having it plugged in for a couple hours ahead of time.. gives a big head start on that. And I can recommend Frost Heater (linked above) as the way to go. They are tested specifically on TDIs, and come with properly pre-bent hoses and decent instructions. The install is not too hard. There can be some difficulties with small leakage where the hoses clamp to the heater device if not tightened properly. I recommend the coolant heater is worthwhile even if the car sits inside an unheated garage.

I agree, for me it is all about having heat sooner.

The engine is also more efficient when warm. Especially at idle since cold coolant temperatures cause the ECU to load the alternator by cycling the coolant glow plugs. This increases the injected quantity to help stabilize the idle. But it burns more fuel.

FYI for everyones knowledge our TDI's were designed to run in extrem cold temps. The higher compression and glow plugs help with the starting and the fuel geting directed to the fuel filter after it gets hot from the engine to prevent gelling. Gelling in a tdi is almost a thing of the past unless you have some really bad fuel. No so on other vehicels out there including the CAT's we ran at the mine but our cars are fine. But I still like the frost heater a lot.