I have a 610 up here in Minnesota and have been good about keeping a trickle charger on the battery to help it get started on cold winter mornings. I thought warming the oil would make it even easier to get past its sluggish cold weather starting. Anyone had experience with a dipstick heater to keep the oil warm? I don't have easy access to the oil pan afor a magnetic heater and she's air cooled so a block heater isn't an option. Are there other options available that I'm not aware of? Steve
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My late father had a dip stick heater ,I was amazed that the thing acually worked on the C-5 tree farmer,That is a small line skidder.We have tried it out and it works just fine here in northern part of Alberta Canada.The oil grade is 15-40 Diesel.And that's -28 Feriendhit.
Well I got to thinking about all the different ways to heat an engine to make starting it easier in the cold. I even went and bought a block heater and decided not to put it in. Too messy and PITA to get to those rear freeze plugs. Stickon pad heater? Too pricey. Tank heater - pricey too. Dipstick heater? Has it's pros and cons. Skillet heater? WTF is that? I'm gonna rummage thru the kitchen tomorrow and see if the wifey wants a new electric skillet. If so, I'm going to take the old one, cut off the legs and sides and wedge it up under the oil pan on my 743. I figure 250°F on the control knob should be about right... Whatdoyathink?
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Heat is heat and it all helps. Block heaters are the best because they heat internally and the coolant circulates around the engine to spreading the heat out. Heat underneath help greatly too, but takes longer.
The onan on our welder used to get a forced air contruction heater up against the flywheel fan forcing warm air through the cooling shroud and over the jugs, those fins pick up heat as fast as thgey disapate it.
Even a heat lamp and a tarp.
Also synthetic 0-30 or 0-40 oil.
Remove any drag on the engine if possible.
Wow a C5 running with just a dipstick heater at -28, must of had a Deutz in that one!
Ken
My experiance with the distick heater is they are cheap and will only last a season, if that. The ones I got from Napa seem to fail pretty regularly when plugged in all the time. In your case you don't have many other options since its air cooled. I guess its worth a shot. If it doesn't work you will probably need to blast some hot air at it for a while. I did this with my 743 until I installed a coolant heater.
This won't help the chap with an air-cooled rig, but I had terrible difficulties starting my 742B in the winter, until I installed a block heater. It is a freeze-plug heater from Bobcat, inserted into the rearmost freeze plug on the block. It's the easiest plug to access, but still PITA. Machine now starts in January as easy as in July.
Thanks to all of you for your input!
the block heater is the best, but I have a magnet heater that I can put on the oil pan that works pretty good. I would think that the best thing a person could do that is the cold north part of the country is use syn. oil. Merry christmas dennis
