Block Heater and Battery Blanket
- Thread starter Jjakimiak
- Start date
jettawreck
Top Post Dawg
There is no "block heater" available as there are no typical frost plugs to install one. Coolant heaters such as FrostHeater using a ZeroStart heating unit work great. Oil pan heater with a proper coolant heater install is not needed as the warm coolant circulates thru the oil cooler and oil delivered to the vitals is warmed. It will start just like summer time and depending on how long it's plugged in can it have some noticeable cabin heat upon start up.
Do a search, it's common stuff.
Do a search, it's common stuff.
Lightflyer1
Top Post Dawg
scooperhsd
Top Post Dawg
Technically, with proper oil (5wX / 0wX speced for your car), proper local winterized fuel (perhaps treated with an antigel product such as PowerService White), and a good battery, and a good set of working glowplugs - neither a battery blanket nor a frostheater should be necessary. They can't hurt, however.
Lightflyer1
Top Post Dawg
2011 Golf tdi cold start -30 degrees
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DwzA8WP1W0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DwzA8WP1W0
Last edited:
Abacus
That helpful B4 guy
They make a WORLD of difference. I've started mine unaided at -35°F before but it wasn't happy. Years later, with everything plugged in, it started at -25° F like it was a 40° day.
red16vdub
Veteran Member
Abacus
That helpful B4 guy
After working on B4's with Frostheaters, my preference is to rim them off and throw them in the trash. They are nothing but a nuisance.
jettawreck
Top Post Dawg
Over 10 years with my ZeroStart unit and no issues.
Perhaps if everything is "perfect" the ALH will indeed start in -30F but for the most part, few cars being used by the majority have everything perfect ALL the time and a poor time to find that out is after the fact.
Driving off after a pre-warmed engine is a totally different experience than a really cold one and it's certain that many have never experienced a -30F (and colder) weather much less such a cold start.
I've plugged mine in relatively few times, but being able to and not ever worrying about being able to get started effortlessly is a comforting haughty in severe cold.
I see a lot of questions and comments from many that live in places where it never/seldom gets actually cold enough to worry about it, so for those it's a "comfort" factor or a "damage control" (real or imagined-you choose/debate) effort for the vehicle's sake.
But, starting is just getting going. If the fuel isn't good and/or properly treated you aren't going far. If maintainence isn't kept up it will rear its ugly head somewhere unfortunate when you least want it. A lot of those places I travel are relatively remote and void of help or cell signal. Plan accordingly.
Perhaps if everything is "perfect" the ALH will indeed start in -30F but for the most part, few cars being used by the majority have everything perfect ALL the time and a poor time to find that out is after the fact.
Driving off after a pre-warmed engine is a totally different experience than a really cold one and it's certain that many have never experienced a -30F (and colder) weather much less such a cold start.
I've plugged mine in relatively few times, but being able to and not ever worrying about being able to get started effortlessly is a comforting haughty in severe cold.
I see a lot of questions and comments from many that live in places where it never/seldom gets actually cold enough to worry about it, so for those it's a "comfort" factor or a "damage control" (real or imagined-you choose/debate) effort for the vehicle's sake.
But, starting is just getting going. If the fuel isn't good and/or properly treated you aren't going far. If maintainence isn't kept up it will rear its ugly head somewhere unfortunate when you least want it. A lot of those places I travel are relatively remote and void of help or cell signal. Plan accordingly.