Parkheating....

[Patrik]

I think you missed my point. I remain completely open minded about block
heaters. However, I do not have one in my car and it started at the cottage
in January when the temp read
-32. It didn't like it but it did start. This was not my point though. My
point was people are looking for solutions to problems that either don't
exist or are not consistenet enough to warrant the effort. They are finding
solutions to inconveniences but not problems. And as I mentioned, at least
in Toronto, I would imagine you would garner a ticket for having a parking
heater idling away.
FWIW, if I lived in Alaska I would definitely have a block heater because
the climate dictates that I need one if I would like to use my car.

PS: Was Northern Exposure really shot in Fairbanks? I loved that show....


Jordan 1999 S70 Loaded (but no block heater)
--

Hi Jordan

I also have a S70 (with a parking heater).

Parking heaters and block heaters have been around since the sixties
and they make perfectly good sense. Even more so today with cathalytic
converters! The point is not that they heat the coupe but the engine.
A coldstart is very stressful to an engine. The oil is cold and at the
bottom of the crankhouse, so there is very little lubrication at the
first revs. The start engine have to work very hard to get the engine
going since the oil is cold and thick. And the cathalytic converter is
not working when the engine is cold. A cold engine is very polluting
and consumes much more fuel. A common reccomendation is that you use
the block heater down to +10 degree celcius

To sum up - a block heater decreases the wear tear on your engine
significantly, it reduces your fuel consumption and the environmental
impact of your car. It saves money AND the environment!

A parking heater is a different story since it uses the cars own fuel.
It does all the things a block heater does but at the cost of burning
fuel. My guess is that is about 1 to 1 with an efficient parking
heater - The fuel it costs for the parking heater to warm up the
engine is about the same amount you save on avoiding a cold start.
So a parking heater is more of a convenience equipment, like an AC. I
park on the street so I dont have access to a power outlet for a block
heater.
But I still enjoy a warm car on a cold morning, just as I enjoy an
AC-cool car on a hot day.

/Patrik 1999 S70 Fully Loaded ;-)

 

[Mike F]

How would anyone know the park heater is running to give a ticket? It's not
an engine, it's more like a gas fired water heater, I would guess it's
virtually silent, and quite efficient since all the energy is going into
producing heat, rather than rotating the engine and other parts when it's
cold.

Since when is it bad to look for solutions to inconveniences? I'm not a
monk, I rather like modern conveniences.

Around here we have an anti-idling bylaw. However it's suspended when
temperatures get too hot (above 25 Cº, 77º F, I think) or too cold
(below 5º C, 40º F). And it's not really enforced anyway. I don't
think that this device would violate the bylaw anyway.

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

NOTE: new address!!
Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)

 

[Patrik]

Hi,

I have some questions about the parkheating system in general.
- in what temperature the parkheating is activated?
- is it only activated when outside temperature is low enough?
- if so what is this temperature and is it possible to change it?
- also it looks that even if the motor is already warm, and I stop shortly
it will start the parkheating again, can this be stoppped?

My car is S80 year model 7/2001, and it has the Volvo parkheating
system. It starts even if in outside there is maybe +8 - +10C,
I think the motor own heat would be enough in this temperature
anyway, no parkheating needed.

Also, it causes A LOT OF SMOKE!!!! I understand that there is
some smoke from parkheating, but when it starts to look that
cars engine is in fire, or other people on the road start to
blink lights on me, that there is something wrong with my car
(most propably they think that my engine is in fire), it is
not nice, and I do not think that it is normal?!?!?!

Any experiance or knowledge about the subject in here?

Best regards,

MK

Hi marco

I dont think this is normal behaviour. I have a 99 S70 with a parking
heater, and it does not produce any noticable smoke. It is however a
bit loud. I suggest you have it checked with your garage.

I'm not sure about your heater but I can tell you how mine works
It has three buttons - One for instant start, and two that you use to
set a start time.
If i push the instant start button the heater starts regardless of
outside temp or motor tempature as far as I know, but i never use it.

With the start time buttons you set the time when you want your car
warm. If I plan to use the car 08.00 I set the timer to 08.00. When it
starts and how long it burns depends on the outside temperature (its
about 30-45 minutes)

/Patrik