MGB: Dip Stick heaters

Anyone used these before? Any dangers or downsides to using them? For the guys down south its a heating element that replaces the dip stick and keeps the oil warm between starts. I know a block heater, heating pad or the ones that splice into the radiator hose are light years better for heating up the block but I don't want to install anything permanent for a few weeks use in the fall and spring.

Have heard they dont work well. just burn the oil around the dipstick itself.

I just drop down to 10/40 oil in the cool weather and it seems fine, and get good pressure on startup.

Always wondered about these, too. I lived in Colorado Springs back in the '70s, and they were popular even then. Guys that used them swore by 'em.

I used them for years in my TR3, Bug Eye and Spitfire. Living outside Boston, the oil was like molasses when I'd try to start up on winter mornings.

A great feature of the TR3 was a hand crank! Before I started using the dipstick heater I'd turn the engine over several times with the crank to loosen up the oil before trying the starter.

Paul, above, raises an interesting thought, but I can speak only from personal experience.

Having lived in the midwest before,,keeping battery warm is more effective.

When I was a kid my first car had two block heaters and an electric battery blanket. When I got real cold we plugged the cars in, covered their engines with old sleeping bags and banked the snow around the car's front end to keep the heat in.
Everyone had an electric in-car heater also. Back then there was no multi-grade engine oil so we used 10W.

Minus 50 F with a 40 to 50 MPH wind was common. It took about 10 minutes of driving to get the flat spots out of the tires.

I have a heater thing that sticks to the oil pan (it's magnetic). It heats the whole pan providing more warmth to the oil. I bought it when I had a detatched garage. I'd go out about an hour or so before starting the car and plug it in. On the coldest mornings whole the pan would be warm, not hot, to the touch.

Mostly trying to cut down the time it takes to get the car ready to drive in the morning. After the first run of the day its fine. The car is a daily driver till the salt flies. Its not so much of a starting issue as the car starts up easily even down to -15f (I wuss out at that point) and the oil pressure goes right up to 70 within a second of it starting however it takes 5 to 10 minutes depending on temp before the oil presure does not drop when the engine accelerates. I'd like to get on the road sooner so the car can warm up quicker and get off the choke. Plus its noisy letting the car idle at 13 to 1500 rpm for that amount of time.

they have on on a big magnet that will stick to the pan ..

alum oil pan.

I've heard that hanging a work light with a 60w bulb right near the oil pan will make a noticeable difference.
How do you like the aluminum pan? Is it the Moss pan that came out a few months ago?

Why not put in a real block heater? Can you still get them - I wonder? I have one in my car.

Well, it isn't electric, won't heat your oil but it will keep your dipstick warm.

[quote=ingoldsb]
Why not put in a real block heater? Can you still get them - I wonder? I have one in my car.[/quote]Will that help with the oil temperature issue? Block heaters do a nice job of heating the cylinder head and the upper part of the engine block where the coolant jackets are, but I'm not sure they get much warmth down to the oil pan.

I have a diesel International Harvester tractor with a water-cooled oil cooler. I've never monitored the oil temperature, so I can't vouch for oil cooler's performance, but I'm told that one advantage of a water-cooled oil cooler is that it becomes an oil warmer on cold starts because the coolant heats up quicker than the oil. For what that's worth.

[quote=Albert]
I used them for years in my TR3, Bug Eye and Spitfire. Living outside Boston, the oil was like molasses when I'd try to start up on winter mornings.

A great feature of the TR3 was a hand crank! Before I started using the dipstick heater I'd turn the engine over several times with the crank to loosen up the oil before trying the starter.

Paul, above, raises an interesting thought, but I can speak only from personal experience.[/quote]

Just heard them talking about it on 'Car Talk' a couple times. Seems to make sense what they said. Never felt a need for them even in our Boston winters.. I know if I DID use one, I would, at least once, drive out without disconnecting the cord!!

Heated garage works great:drinking:

I think my dad used to put a worklight under the car on really cold nights to keep it warm. This is in Michigan.

Mostly I stay away from cold weather :)

Engine block heater is the most economical to use, it not only heats the coolant but the heat rises and in time all coolant is warmed. This in turn warms the block which to some degree warms the oil.
There are also oil pan heaters that act as block heaters, a hole is drilled in the oil pan, heater is placed through hole and a seal on each side gives the pan a total seal. This type of heater requires oil pan removal.
Another system, briefly mentioned above, attaches to the outside of the oil pan, some are held by magnets, which wouldn't work for aluminum pans, but an alternative is a heater that is affixed to the oil pan with adhesive. This method has been used on smaller aluminum aircraft engines for many years that are aircooled (coolant block heaters do not work well with out coolant).
I have heard that the dipstick heater will work, but buy the higher end models with a decent thermostat, without the thermostat you will end up with a "Fry Daddy" or it you have a Midget then a "Fry Baby". :hot:

Here is a link to a business that I have no association with, but I used to deliver to them.

http://www.e-zheat.com/

What's wrong with a small space heater aimed underneath the engine? You could plug it into a heavy duty electric timer so it goes on every morning and will have been running for 15 minutes or so by the time you're ready to jump into the car. Might work.

And it's amazing how much heat is retained by a hot engine that is wrapped with a very thick quilt or a reflective blanket of some kind. Even in cold weather it stays warm for hours. Of course, you'll forget and drive off with the quilt still in there. That wouldn't be a pretty picture.

Increase you insurance coverage on the car and any nearby building if you are going to use a space heater. The loss of heat between the heater and engine would be massive, and any gas vapor leak could be deadly.

Is that thinking with your dip-stick Jimmy?

The dipstick will always stay warm, if you soak it in cider. :hot:

I remember Dad would take the hot ashpan out of the stove and slide it under the front of the Studebaker,I remember one time it got so cold the hot ashpan trick did`nt work so he added a bunch of kindling on top of the hot ashpan and that warmed the car fairly quickly.
Did I mention My Mom was a praying woman.:thumbsup::bouncing:

Block heaters are the way to go. Its very noticable how much easier the engine turns over on a cold morning if the block heater has been plugged in for a couples hour prior to compared to not.

Work lights put down next to the block or next to the battery do help as long as you are not using a CFL bulb.

There used to be a pump/heater that you could mount in the lower radiator hose. It would warm the coolant AND circulate it throughout the block. This did multiple things, including give you cockpit heat faster!

OK, since this post has taken a turn toward telling stories...

I showed up one cold morning to pick up a friend of mine and he and his wife were all in a dither.

Seems as though their cat had also discovered the value of a nice warm engine block on a cold New England morning and had crawled up into the engine bay to sleep off a long night of nocturnal wanderings...

My buddy jumped into the car to make a quick run to get cream so we'd have coffee on the road...

End of story.

For the poor cat, anyway.