Intake Air Heater

[wallybanger]

So with my 2L-T being such a whore to start in the cold I am trying to find some solutions. The biggest problem is when she gets chilly and I'm not rear a plug.

Has anyone tinkered with adding an intake air heater? Doesn't look like there is ANYTHING available aftermarket but I was thinking maybe a cummins or duramax intake heater could be mashed into the intake ducting. Or perhaps something could be made from an old heat gun coil....

Any ideas? I was even thinking a Wabasto would be great but they are super expensive.

 

[Towpack]

If you can find someone breaking a late 1HD-FT powered 80 they have an intake air heater which replaced the glowplugs on the earlier 1HD-T. Unlike the 24v starter it runs on 12v and pulls around 40-45amps.

 

[Dougal]

Hand held gas torch?

 

[slowandsteady BJ]

This sounds like a great idea. I have a tired and turbo'd 3b which hates the cold mornings.

I seem to recall that my old man's 93Cummins has an "Air intake Warmer thingy". Now going off of memory, the warmer screen sits in the intake, right before the intake manifold. I believe its a square plate that more or less bolts in. It has a heavy gauge wire going to it. It would be easy to incorperate the system into nearly any intake given a modest amount of fab skills.

I am by no means a diesel expert, but if its possible and by no means detrimental to an engine not originally designed for "Air Pre Heating" it could ease the winter starting problems.

Sure would pull some amp's though if timed with the glow cycle.

If you proceed with this mod, PLEASE take pictures and post on this thread! I'm interested in the results.

Cam

 

[gerg]

My uncles tractor has a neat set up. It injects a small amount of fuel in a chamber that communicates with the air intake. You then light it on fire and suck in the hot air. Its an old tractor.
g

 

[Radd Cruisers]

They are available in the aftermarket - Temro. But I suspect they are all for large diesels.


~john

 

[100 TD]

They have intake heaters on the 100 series diesels, would be hard to find someone willing to sell one without the manifold I expect, toyodiy says they are approx $328
The pull 150 amps in the cold, about 70 amps warm, IIRC they don't come on until the engine is running (probably triggered by the "alternator good signal"). In the cold they stay on for about 2 minutes IIRC.

"An intake heater has been adopted to heat the intake air at low temperature to improve the cold starting
performance of the engine. The intake heater continues to operate for a prescribed length of time even after
the engine has started in order to reduce the generation of diesel knocks and white smoke immediately
following the starting of the engine.
The intake heater uses a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) element and is controlled by the engine ECU"

 

[Squash]

Have you checked the glow plugs and or the relay?????

Both are easy to check.

 

[seapotato]

I installed a Perkins part in a small marine yanmar a few years ago. Essentially it was a glow plug that went on the intake, but as well as 12v, you plumbed it into a small reservoir of diesel, so when it was turned on and getting hot, the diesel would drip onto the element, and fill the intake with white diesel smoke.

it made a yanmar that was old and sacked and damn near impossible to start, fire right up. at the time ( 8 years ago maybe) it was reasonably cheap, 40 bucks or so.

 

[Towpack]

"An intake heater has been adopted to heat the intake air at low temperature to improve the cold starting
performance of the engine. The intake heater continues to operate for a prescribed length of time even after
the engine has started in order to reduce the generation of diesel knocks and white smoke immediately
following the starting of the engine.
The intake heater uses a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) element and is controlled by the engine ECU"

Exactly the same setup as used on the earlier 80 series. Mine starts fine without the heater down to -10c but the warm air provided by the heater gives a more complete combustion when the engine is cold preventing exccesive bore wetting and oil dilution and so is beneficial for extended engine life.

 

[Squash]

A good set of glow plugs will fire up any one of our fleet 1HZ's to -30C without being plugged in, same for my HDT.

We had some days at -35C and though some required a boost and their block heaters plugged in they started.

Sometimes one needs to add fuel via the skinny pedal for a proper cold start especially if you see no smoke.

Try this: remove the power bar which connects all of the glow plugs, then with a test light touch the threaded top of each glow plug and your positive post, those which light up are good the bad ones are dead...replace them all at the same time.
If you suspect the relay then start by jumping the glow plug power bar via the test light and have someone cycle the key. If your test lamp lights up the relay is good.

In an emergency You can bypass the relay by applying power directly to the glow plug power bar via the battery positive post and a length of stout wire, start with 5 seconds of power, wear gloves in case the wire starts to heat up!!!

See wilson switch under search

I spent from 1979 to 1987 at the Arctic Circle and we still started our diesels, in those days the big underground units used air starters...permafrost to 1600 feet below surface... you made sure your glow plugs worked.

 

[Adam R]

Here is what I did on my turbo'd 2L. Cummins Grid heater works like a charm.

Adam R.

Here are some teaser pics of my latest project. - ToyotaDiesel.com

 

[slowandsteady BJ]

Here is what I did on my turbo'd 2L. Cummins Grid heater works like a charm.

Adam R.

Here are some teaser pics of my latest project. - ToyotaDiesel.com

Sweet. I'm adding this one to my "to do list"