Oil Pan Heater installation (Kat's 24100)

[postmac]

Has anyone added an oil pan heater to their Vibe? When I changed my oil for the first time I noticed the pan has some valleys so there is not any large flat surface to stick one to. Also, where do you route your cord to?I ordered the Kat's 24100 universal hot pad heater for less than $20 from Amazon.com. Does anyone have any experience with them?http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer...n=new -----UPDATE-----Did install over the weekend (also installed one on my Father-in-laws Chevy 2500 4x4).Bought the red RTV gasket stuff at Meijer for under 4 bucks. Bought a wire wheel for my drill to strip the paint at Menards for under 4 bucks. Used an old bike inner tube to protect car from flapping cord. Used some zip ties to secure inner tube and cord. Cord can be easily tucked behind grill depending on season. I have a timer on my extension cord to come on 2 hrs before I leave in the a.m. I also put 2 3-prong adapters on the extension cord so if I forget to unplug heater the connection is weak and won't wreck anything. Cord Visible Cord tucked in Cord tucked in Cord visible Cord routing and zip ties Cord routing Pad installed Noticed indented valley and how well pad conforms to oil pan contours.I didn't need any type of thermal transfer paste to fill gaps. Cord visible, but doesn't look obvious.

[Sublimewind]

never done a pan heater... But I would say with the one you bought.. Get some Nashua aluminum tape from HomeDepot, possibly some silicone heatsink compound for electronics and a thin aluminum plate just smaller than the pad (also easily found at HD)I would clean the oil pan with acetone, clean clean clean... Clean the pad and aluminum plate with rubbing alcohol.Then apply a decent amount of heatsink compound to the pad, but keep it away from the edges, nothing sticks to silicone.. Slap the pad to the pan, tape it on to keep it in place for a minute, tape the aluminum plate (like 1/16" just so the center of the pad doesn't SAG) to the pad, then tape over EVERYTHING really wellMake sure you smooth the tape edges and apply some RTV silicone around the cord exit/entry area... The tape is almost permanent, beware.. I have the version with the acrylic, and not the butyl version, over the header wrap on my car..!!!

[northvibe]

I bought one from http://www.engineheaters.com/for my ford escape. Works great. You sand the oil pan until its shiny then clean it and stick the pad on. Then caulk around the edge a bead so its water proof.

[star_deceiver]

I bought one of these years ago for an old Toyota pickup. Still have it, works really good... well, on steel oil pans... http://www.canadiantire.ca/bro...34559 (no, I didn't pay nearly that much for it...)I stuck it to the leaf spring while the ice was scraped... only forgot to bring it into the cab once... but it didn't fall off!!!

[postmac]

Just added installation pics to my original post.

[KNINE]

I had a coolant heater installed in the radiator hose of my '82 Datsun pickup. It was a diesel and wouldn't start if it was below 40 degrees. I liked it because when I started the truck, I had instant heat for the defrosters. No warm up time needed. I had it on a timer so it would come on two hours before I left for work.

[hoooboy]

Really old thread... I know!

But is it worth it??

[KITT222]

I'd say it would make a difference. Getting the oil warmed up is huge. A friend of mine squeezed non-synthetic oil out of a bottle at below zero (Fahrenheit). He said it was like ketchup. Synthetic was still fine, though. Heating up that oil can be huge, though, to prevent wear and tear, and get that car heated up quickly. I have a block heater, and that should warm the oil up, but not as effectively as the oil heater itself. If I lived in a colder place (to me that would be torture) I'd double-down for the block AND oil heater. But with where I am, just the block heater is fine.

[hoooboy]

So I will add this to my list!

Thanks!!!