Homemade Engine Heater

[EvhCo]

Scandinavian winters (hell, summers too) are cold, and since I heard that cold starting is a killer (both for me and the engine), I built an easily portable engine heater. All I needed was a sock, my mom's sewing kit, a switch and a Peltier module.

Here is the heater before sewing it:

And here it is after the work:

After that, I added some fur to the heater, to sum up the winter "outfit".

Thanks to the fur, I dont even need to turn on the heating, unless it's really cold.

Now, my engines shall be warm and cozy for the winter.

 

[olds97_lss]

As soon as that fabric gets snow on it, it's going to melt and hold cold water against the cooling head. I found that out when trying to use a sock. Now, when I run in the winter, I use a piece of a bicycle innertube around the head to block air from passing through it. It doesn't hold water any more than the head itself does, so the temps stay fairly stable.

I just make sure that on the way to the bash area, I put my truck on the floor under the heater outlet in my 1:1 with the heat on max the whole time. Usually, by the time I get there, the engine is above 80F. I also fill the tank before putting it there so there is very little cooling time once I pull it out of the car to start it.

 

[EvhCo]

As soon as that fabric gets snow on it, it's going to melt and hold cold water against the cooling head. I found that out when trying to use a sock. Now, when I run in the winter, I use a piece of a bicycle innertube around the head to block air from passing through it. It doesn't hold water any more than the head itself does, so the temps stay fairly stable.

I just make sure that on the way to the bash area, I put my truck on the floor under the heater outlet in my 1:1 with the heat on max the whole time. Usually, by the time I get there, the engine is above 80F. I also fill the tank before putting it there so there is very little cooling time once I pull it out of the car to start it.

That is, you won't see me outside when it's snowing, since I'm a racer. If snow somehow does get in the fur, I'd try and counter the cold water with the Peltier module's heating. This heater aims to keep it warm until startup, or warm it up quickly if it'd been in the cold for too long.

Chances are, I'd be patient and wait until it stops snowing

EDIT: This heater is to be used when it s too cold for starting, and shouldn't be kep

 

[olds97_lss]

That is, you won't see me outside when it's snowing, since I'm a racer. If snow somehow does get in the fur, I'd try and counter the cold water with the Peltier module's heating. This heater aims to keep it warm until startup, or warm it up quickly if it'd been in the cold for too long.

Chances are, I'd be patient and wait until it stops snowing

EDIT: This heater is to be used when it s too cold for starting, and shouldn't be kep

I see. Thought it was a "keep it warm while running" solution, not just a "get it started" thing.

I've bashed nitro in snow and it's hard on the engine regardless what you do due to the cold air being so dense and going through the engine anyway. Combine that with melting snow (as you will definitely get snow on it if ran when snow is on the ground) and the engine temp fluctuates a lot constantly.

I do enjoy bashing in the snow though. Far easier to find some jumps in the winter in the snow than it is in the summer. This is partly why I started running brushless last year. My first brushless run was my revo when there was 6" of snow on the ground and to be honest, some of the most fun snow bash sessions I have had in 20 years of RC!

I have run nitro in the snow though, regardless how annoying it was.

I have found that small blocks were less temperamental in the winter. Ran my old 2.5R and 3.3 revo in the snow a few times.

 

[EvhCo]

I see. Thought it was a "keep it warm while running" solution, not just a "get it started" thing.

I've bashed nitro in snow and it's hard on the engine regardless what you do due to the cold air being so dense and going through the engine anyway. Combine that with melting snow (as you will definitely get snow on it if ran when snow is on the ground) and the engine temp fluctuates a lot constantly.

I do enjoy bashing in the snow though. Far easier to find some jumps in the winter in the snow than it is in the summer. This is partly why I started running brushless last year. My first brushless run was my revo when there was 6" of snow on the ground and to be honest, some of the most fun snow bash sessions I have had in 20 years of RC!

I have run nitro in the snow though, regardless how annoying it was.
View attachment 92408

I have found that small blocks were less temperamental in the winter. Ran my old 2.5R and 3.3 revo in the snow a few times.
View attachment 92409

Thanks for the pics! They look like Santa used them to spread gifts during a snowy night lol. Don't the plastic parts also take damage from the cold water? I bet it's also kinda hard to control on the more icy portions of land.

 

[olds97_lss]

Thanks for the pics! They look like Santa used them to spread gifts during a snowy night lol. Don't the plastic parts also take damage from the cold water? I bet it's also kinda hard to control on the more icy portions of land.

The parts do become a bit more brittle, but I run RPM arms on almost everything (except the savage) and it holds up ok. I don't air it out 20 feet at a skate park like I do in the summer. With snow, the lack of grip tends to limit top speed quite a bit. Wintertime bashing is 90% about not getting stuck in places you don't want to walk in.

 

[WoodiE]

I like the creativity @EvhCo! I remember the old days when some people where using a Peltier for computer cooling since one side gets very cold while the other very hot. Never thought about using one as a heater!

 

[EvhCo]

I like the creativity @EvhCo! I remember the old days when some people where using a Peltier for computer cooling since one side gets very cold while the other very hot. Never thought about using one as a heater!

I initially thought of having the Peltier strapped to the fuel tank to cool the fuel. "Rumours" had it that cold fuel might increase performance somehow, but the heatsink and the fan that were required to dissipate the heat on the hot side (since it won't get cold otherwise) were just not worth the money.