any thought on how to keep the oil/coolant warm over night?
not having a garage sucks and -7c is non friendly to 13b's starting.
Would a plug in heater actually work, like if I put one under the oil pan and turned it on over night? Is there better ideas?

who has some advice? thoughts?

 

hey aaron..i heard of people using those block heaters...where you plug it into an outlet and it keeps the oil pan a little warm..

 

aaron here is a link:

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...t=block+heater

someone on here just said you could put one of those lights with a hook on it that you can get at a hardware store and just hang it next to the oil pan. you would just need a long extension cord.

 

Seems like a fire hazard to me.

 

http://www.wolverineheater.com/faq.shtml

maybe this is the way to go. coolant is not as much a worry as the actual oil temperature.

 

looks good aaron

 

Even here in Texas I had to change my starting routine this morning. Usually 1 pump, pull the choke and she fires right up.

This morning 3 pumps, pull choke, turn over (cranking speed much slower than normal)....no start. 3 more pumps turn over and she fired right up!!!!

It was only 34 deg.... Hate to see if it was lower!!

 

plug in block heaters are safe and are used all the time in the Great White North. They are especially helpful as you get near and below zero F. Everyones car up here has a plug sticking out the hood in winter .

when its real cold , they speed up the time you'll get heat in the cabin as well .

 

I think you can find a type that just replaces your oil dipstick, too. Google "oil dipstick heater."

 

brrrrrrr. its cold in socal....brrrr

 

Hey Wacky, you be quiet or I'll drive down there with a cooler full of snowballs.

 

I used to use a more ghetto method when I lived in Pittsburgh. I would take my work light with a 100 watt bulb in it, turn it on and hang it down by the oil pan.

Worked like a charm down -10F or so. Should help at -7c easily.

 

Havent had any problems up here in canada starting my 12a with nikki. Got down to -30's and so far all I have had to use was the block heater and she will start up everytime second try after 2 pumps and some choke. Once it gets to the -40's though I will have to start using the spark plug heater.

 

[innocent] Or maybe a garage? [/innocent]

 

 

Mel, next time I'm in LA I'm bringing the cold with me. Last time I brought clouds and fog.

Aaron, just take one of your halogen lights and set it up under your car. You can feel how much heat comes off those things. That's what i used to do before I got a garage. It would get to like 60* undewr the hood with a light on all night. Even in this 20* **** we get every year.

 

Had to replace my battery this morning.. Went out to start her and it barely turned over.. Took the battery to Oreilly's and they said she was shot.

Installed the new battery and she really spins over good now.

 

Interesting subject, but I have to ask (please don't throw heavy items in my direction), are you sure you're not trying to accommodate an issue rather than correcting it? What I mean is, maybe there is an issue (carb tuning, timing, vacuum?) that is making the car harder to start than it should.

Even in the dead of a Michigan winter, well below zero, I've always been able to start my car without issue. And that's with a Sterling carb and no choke. I don't drive the car in the winter, but I do start her up every few weeks when I start missing her too badly. So, after sitting in the cold (outside) buried under snow for a month, she still fires right up. So that got me wondering...



.

 

well, I have a s5 T2 swap, apexi ecu, 1000cc inj, small *** racing battery.
5w20 oil in there at the moment. Some engines are cold blooded, some are not, this is what I have learned. People do certain amount of mods to a car and things change. My last fb which was almost stock was even less cold blooded then the fuel inj one I drive now.

The cold really affects the battery, which some of you say is the problem. Any other time of the year it works fine, over night it will drop to 11 volts when it is cold out (below zero C*). Last year I did not know any better and used 20w50 oil until about march when I was schooled about oil lol and that was really not the best for cold starts.

I guess, I feel bad for the car starting with such thick oil in it after reading this post http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/faq...=haas_articles I feel like it is very detrimental to the engine to cold start it. I worry about my car like its a pet, its weird...

I plan on trying this oil pan heater that I found online, christmas present to the fb time!!

 

I'm liking the sound of the dipstick-style ones. I had no idea they were so cheap. The magnetic ones sound cool, too, but they're quite a bit more expensive and seem like they'd be less convenient for lowered cars.

(Off-topic, but how is your oil pressure with the 5W-20, out of curiosity?)

 

yeha, i need a new battery too, one that sits out for 10 years doesnt seem to have the greatest turning capability in the cold, i had to jump start rx7 from the neon. haha.

 

Battery totally fixed mine!! Starts great now!!

 

when fully warm.
at idle 28-40psi
at 3k rpm 70-80 psi

on a cold start will be about 85psi at idle

why you ask?

 

I was just wondering because some of the RX-8 guys have been reporting accelerated bearing wear with 5W-20 compared to 5W-30. However, the Renesis also has looser clearances and sees higher oil temps, so that could be why they need a heavier oil to maintain high enough oil pressure.

 

i haven't noticed any sort of negitive effects of the 5w20 oil.