4LikesHomemade engine heater
01-24-2021 | 07:57 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Tech Lord
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 14,044
From: Holland
Homemade engine heater
We all know the pre heating of an engine helps to make a quicker start and get some more lifespan. Common used are hair dryers and paint guns and popular are the SkyRC and many other likewise heaters with a velcro mount system.
These things do work pretty well upon when you take it off and leave it powered on or when the velcro gets weak and snaps itself loose. Then it will smoke itself beyond repair.
My idea had to be a rocksolid and foolprove. So because all my engine heads are 50mm in diameter I made an aluminum cup with a 52mm inner diameter and construct a heater on it. A friend was so kind to make a 3D drawing.
Arround the tube a resistor wire will be winded as an heater.
The tube on my lathe:
On top of the tube some compartments to lead the wires and place the temperature sensor.
A cheap temperature controler from Aliexpress
The height of the case could be made smaller by more than half by taking out the relay and used a FET as a switch
The heater wire comes from a biljards shop. It had the right resistance and it was the only wire to find with an isolation arround it and sold per meter. I bought 3 meter but needed 2 to make it fit. A small test with the wire wrapped arround the head.
An 2nd test with the temperature controler.
Made the controler fit to a plastic piece that will fit on top of the aluminum tube. With temperatures above 100 degrees (celcius) there are not much plastics to find that will withstand these temperatures but only PTFE and Lexan. PTFE is way expensive so I used lexan as a layer in betreen the cup and the controller. And because the clear lexan I decided to add a bling factor and will add a LED ring with 9 LED's
One end of the wire is clamped to the cup and on top of the cup a wire clamped with a screw will re-connect that end of the wire.
On the outside thick/solid shrink wrap and on the inside a layer on 0.75mm lexan to prevent scratches on the engine head.
A small test on an engine at max temperature of the controller
The shrink wrap is getting soft and sticky at these high temps so I adjusted it at 95 degrees this seems to work fine. At last the LED's in back order came in and added the bling factor:
Now it is rock solid, you can even leave it powered on while taking it off and the engine itself is heated up to 60 degrees (celcius)
These things do work pretty well upon when you take it off and leave it powered on or when the velcro gets weak and snaps itself loose. Then it will smoke itself beyond repair.
My idea had to be a rocksolid and foolprove. So because all my engine heads are 50mm in diameter I made an aluminum cup with a 52mm inner diameter and construct a heater on it. A friend was so kind to make a 3D drawing.
Arround the tube a resistor wire will be winded as an heater.
The tube on my lathe:
On top of the tube some compartments to lead the wires and place the temperature sensor.
A cheap temperature controler from Aliexpress
The height of the case could be made smaller by more than half by taking out the relay and used a FET as a switch
The heater wire comes from a biljards shop. It had the right resistance and it was the only wire to find with an isolation arround it and sold per meter. I bought 3 meter but needed 2 to make it fit. A small test with the wire wrapped arround the head.
An 2nd test with the temperature controler.
Made the controler fit to a plastic piece that will fit on top of the aluminum tube. With temperatures above 100 degrees (celcius) there are not much plastics to find that will withstand these temperatures but only PTFE and Lexan. PTFE is way expensive so I used lexan as a layer in betreen the cup and the controller. And because the clear lexan I decided to add a bling factor and will add a LED ring with 9 LED's
One end of the wire is clamped to the cup and on top of the cup a wire clamped with a screw will re-connect that end of the wire.
On the outside thick/solid shrink wrap and on the inside a layer on 0.75mm lexan to prevent scratches on the engine head.
A small test on an engine at max temperature of the controller
The shrink wrap is getting soft and sticky at these high temps so I adjusted it at 95 degrees this seems to work fine. At last the LED's in back order came in and added the bling factor:
Now it is rock solid, you can even leave it powered on while taking it off and the engine itself is heated up to 60 degrees (celcius)
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
