Mountainman wrote:
TURBO-DIESEL-FREAK wrote:
Excellent replies from all posters. I think a reasonably thorough understanding of the role of the viscous heater has been discussed here. I really like what was written by Green Diesel Engineering about the operating parameters of the VH; O.E. specifications vs the lower numbers offered through a GDE tune.
In real world terms, the installation of a Webasto heater will do an end-run around all of this, and in conjunction with a hot thermostat and a grill cover in the coldest temperatures you should never see your engine temperatures fall below 195 degrees Fahrenheit. Yes, I know it is expensive, but the cost/benefit ratio makes this an excellent thing to do. Your engine WILL thank you for it.
Mountainman, I just telephoned my Amsoil Representative, (a chemical engineer and the guy who sells oil spinners locally here in Edmonton), to see if there is a manufacturer of a high quality, (100% duty cycle), belt driven oil pump of the correct size for a spinner for the 2.8L CRD engine. He knows of none, because the volumes and pressures required for this application are so small that it falls below industrial quality parameters. I will still try to look for one.
Thanks again, it's definitely still one that I'm considering. It might save my frozen butt when I climb off the mountain sometime while elk hunting. I throw in a spare battery, have the grid heater, but these are some cold blooded diesels.
I have news for you Mountainman... diesel engines are all cold-blodded beasts.
I just purchased a brand new 2017 Chevrolet Colorado with the Duramax 2.8L because I could not get anyone locally who owns either a Colorado or a Canyon diesel to co-operate in developing a Hot Diesel Solutions Model 002 engine thermostat assembly. The Colorado starts easily in cold weather without being plugged in, (-10 degrees Celsius; and where I have it parked there is no means to plug it in), but it takes FOREVER to heat up, just like the Liberty CRD.
I know the Colorado is running too cool, just like the Liberty CRD. The highest I have seen the needle on the O.E. temperature gauge is half-way between the 1/4 mark and the 1/2 mark, (the 1/2 mark is vertical, just like the CRD), and that is after running on the freeway. There is less than 1000 km rolled up on this vehicle, and ALREADY there is milky crap accumulating under the oil fill cap of the engine.
The first thing I am going to do is some bodywork upgrades to the Colorado, at which point I will be installing a Webasto heater. Then the Colorado is going into the machine shop to begin development on the Model 002.