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Old 02-04-2017, 01:35 PM   #1
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Wolverine heater

Rather than hijack a thread I thought I would start another.

I have wanted to do an oil pan heater for a while and now seems like a good time. Tony Athens discusses them well at sbmar.com.

I checked the pan on my Cummins QSB 5.9L 380hp. It was built in 2008 and placed in service in 2010.

The bottom of the oil pan has indented ribs that run longitudinally along the shallow portion of the oil pan. The deep portion of the pan has the oil drain line in it. I'd like to figure out how to install this. Here are some photos. It was very hard to try and get a photo since there is only a few inches clearance to get the camera there.

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Aft, port side of the oil pan.

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Forward side of the starboard side of the oil pan.

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Aft, starboard side of the oil pan.

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Bottom of the shallow section of the oil pan on the forward 2/3's

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Bottom of the pan looking aft towards the deep portion of the pan.
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Old 02-04-2017, 02:09 PM   #2
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David, I have a Canadian Polar pad on mine. Same idea as the Wolverine. It is 250w and about the size of an index card or cellphone. They are made out of silicone and are quite compliant to attach to larger radius bends. They self-adhese, but the trick is getting it on. I actually did use an index card to test to see if I can get it on, and smooth it out. This would have been a lot easier to do had I thought of it when I repowered. You appear to have plenty of room, but your forearm will have a few scratches when you are done.
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Old 02-04-2017, 02:23 PM   #3
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I should add that the reason I went for a Canadian Polar is because it is CSA certified. My insurance policy states that all heaters on board need to be ULc or CSA certified. Just something to keep in mind when purchasing. All of the quality units will be UL approved.
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Old 02-04-2017, 03:18 PM   #4
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Thanks Mike. It looks like I have three different size options. Wolverine's 6.75" x 2.75" and their 3.5" x 4.5", and the 3.5" x 5.125" by Canadian Polar.

I tried your idea of checking size with some pieces of paper.

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Those are on the starboard side of the oil pan, but right up near the top.
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That is hard to interpret but is on the transition from the shallow to deep portion.

Wolverine says that the surface needs to be absolutely smooth and I take that to mean flat. Not sure how much curve these things will accept let along my ability to stick it on the bottom in exactly the right position.
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Old 02-04-2017, 06:40 PM   #5
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Tony Athens made a great suggestion, consider two 125w pads. It would be a little more expensive but I think I could put it relatively low on the deep part of the pan on either side.
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Old 02-04-2017, 07:27 PM   #6
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Dave,
Both on one side would promote circulation.
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Old 02-04-2017, 07:38 PM   #7
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Dave,
Both on one side would promote circulation.

I see what you are saying. The issue is being able to fit both of then n the same side.
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Old 02-04-2017, 07:52 PM   #8
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Proheat (who claims to have invented them) makes a two 125w on one plug pad. They actually take quite a bit of bend. If you Google photos of oil pan heater you can see how they conform. I learned that a Subaru oil pan looks like a pumpkin.
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Old 02-04-2017, 08:25 PM   #9
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Wolverine heater

Quote:
Originally Posted by Northern Spy View Post
Proheat (who claims to have invented them) makes a two 125w on one plug pad. They actually take quite a bit of bend. If you Google photos of oil pan heater you can see how they conform. I learned that a Subaru oil pan looks like a pumpkin.


Thanks. I will do some looking.

Edit: I just looked at that Proheat dual pad heater. If I am correct, it would fit great transversely on the bottom of my pan on fore of the oil drain line. It would be challenging to access the bottom of the pan but a smaller pad would be easier to position than a larger one.

One problem is that I can't see the bottom of the pad. I am thinking about finding a mirror that I can set on the bottom and view it that way.
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Old 02-05-2017, 12:31 PM   #10
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Dave, consider buying a borescope. At work we had one made by Snap On tools that was really nice. They range from about $150 to several thousand, depending on quality and how much you want to spend. I can see that one would be very handy on a boat to get to those places where your head just won't fit.
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Old 02-05-2017, 01:33 PM   #11
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Dave, consider buying a borescope. At work we had one made by Snap On tools that was really nice. They range from about $150 to several thousand, depending on quality and how much you want to spend. I can see that one would be very handy on a boat to get to those places where your head just won't fit.


I actually have one. The problem is that for something like this I need to be able to have both hands free when applying the pad.
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Old 02-06-2017, 05:35 AM   #12
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Ref your paper "template" photos, are you thinking to fit the heaters where the template is? Surely they need to be on the bottom or very low on the sides. They should be "covered" by the oil in the sump.
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Old 02-06-2017, 10:28 AM   #13
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Dave. I think for the climate that you live in, you could stick the pads on the side of block where water jacket is and achieve the same thing. Today's multi grade oils flow just fine at the temps we see. I am not saying keeping the oil nice and toasty would not be better, but necessary in the Puget Sound area, I would say no.
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Old 02-06-2017, 06:36 PM   #14
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Oil heater pads are low wattage and will not heat up a water jacket effectively. Of course the heat will be transferred but it will be lost just as quickly by radiation
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Old 02-06-2017, 06:37 PM   #15
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My point is they will not work if mounted above the oil level
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Old 02-06-2017, 06:47 PM   #16
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Ref your paper "template" photos, are you thinking to fit the heaters where the template is? Surely they need to be on the bottom or very low on the sides. They should be "covered" by the oil in the sump.
Yup I agree. I have decided to go with the Proheat double 125w pads for that reason. The small and narrow pads will fit fore and aft of the oil drain line on the deep portion of the oil pan. (thanks for Northern Spy for the idea) The challenge will be to get them on the pan given the working position.



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Dave. I think for the climate that you live in, you could stick the pads on the side of block where water jacket is and achieve the same thing. Today's multi grade oils flow just fine at the temps we see. I am not saying keeping the oil nice and toasty would not be better, but necessary in the Puget Sound area, I would say no.
My concern isn't only for the cold start issue but for just keeping condensation and therefore rust from the engine and ER. It should provide enough heat to avoid any concern about freezing of the water system during the colder days. It will mean paying for the electricity to power 250w full time, but that isn't too bad.
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Old 02-08-2017, 11:36 AM   #17
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Wolverine heater

I am considering this option.

1) Do you have to remove the paint from the surface before application? [edit ok. I see that the answer is yes.]

2) How effective is the heat transfer to the rest of the engine? Could there be issues with different parts of the engine being at different temperatures and possible expansion of metal surfaces? Or am I over analyzing this?

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Old 02-08-2017, 01:43 PM   #18
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2) How effective is the heat transfer to the rest of the engine? Could there be issues with different parts of the engine being at different temperatures and possible expansion of metal surfaces? Or am I over analyzing this?
I don't know yet. From what I have read, most from Tony, is it does do a good job of transferring the heat to the rest of the engine. There will be a temperature gradient but likely less than what you have on the different parts of a diesel engine under way. I also would not be concern about differential expansion etc... Keep in mind that we are only talking about 250w total. I am expecting that it would take a couple days for the engine to fully come to temperature with the heater in place.

But, ask folks who have used them. Northern Spy has used them but I am not sure if it was on his boat or on his land vehicles. Keep in mind that the most common application is for land vehicles in cold climates.
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Old 02-08-2017, 02:25 PM   #19
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Quote:
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I am considering this option.

1) Do you have to remove the paint from the surface before application? [edit ok. I see that the answer is yes.]
I stuck the Wolverine on the bottom of the engine without removing all the paint, just scuffing up the surface with steel wool and cleaning thoroughly with dish soap to remove any oil. It's been on there for a year without any hint of peeling off.
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Old 02-08-2017, 02:33 PM   #20
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Good luck, I had 300W magnetic ones on my Cat 3208s that didn't do anything.

I never saw any warming anywhere but within inches of the pad.

The factory mounted immersion heater is 1000W or more on my Ford diesel truck and it did the trick.

I guess 250W of power, properly adhered in the right spot will work, but if I were doing it, I would look to insulate the outer parts to make sure all the heat was going to work for me.

I would vote on the bottom for max transfer.
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