mungus
Bronze Member
So whilst it doesn't get super cold down here in Victoria, Australia, it still gets cold in the winter. We are at about 1,200 feet above sea level and regularly get frosts in the winter, with months where the daily highs are below +10 Celsius. So this got me thinking about fitting a block heater, like I've seen in my time in Europe and working on Ski-fields in New Zealand etc. Mainly to avoid the need to leave the FIAT 780 running for 15 minutes to warm up, reduce starter wear and the emissions on start up. (gets a bit smokey when that cold). So I thought I'd record it here for others contemplating this inexpensive upgrade.
Options:
Block heaters;
The IVECO 8045.04 engine has no easily accesible frost plugs, all being located behind the fuel filters or injector pump on the RHS of the engine. (don't be fooled by the 40mm plug on the LHS behind the alternator, that's just covering an oil return gallery). However I found 2 European manufacturers who supply such a unit, if you wanted to go to the trouble of that installation. This also means the heating power cable AND its socket on the element, will be right next door to your high pressure diesel system. Not exactly dangerous but hardly ideal IMHO. You are looking at dismantling all that stuff and the resulting diesel mess and maybe bleeding of the system afterwards. Your choice I suppose. Those Euro brands also required you buy a specific power lead with a weird plug to make it all work (of course). Those setups totalled out at around $200 AUD plus postage.
Lower Radiator hose heaters;
DEFA (Norway) makes one of these in the required 36mm size. Cost is around $200 AUD - Plus you need their special cable. I think they are around $50-80 plus postage. They will work but you will need to fabricate a new lower hose with a tight radius to replace the FIAT steel tube. Can be done of course, its just an elbow after all, and perhaps a pre made elbow can be sourced from your auto parts store. (that's what I did to source my bottom heater hose).
Tank Heaters;
A small pumped tank heater can be easily plumbed into the heater hose lines. (if you have them, as only cabin tractors would, otherwise budget for time and maybe $50-100 AUD to add these. This type of pre-heaters are available in either 110v o 240v, and thanks to our counterfeiting "friends" in China they are cheap. (I bought a 2KW one off eBay for $35 AUD inc postage ex UK). They are pretty compact and easily mount beside the engine. (see photos on following post).
Voltage notes;
Most countries outside the Americas have 240V power, which is a bummer as the majority of block heaters sold on line use 110V. A pity as they are cheap from big brands like "hot-start", and the range is big. The IVECO / FIAT 8045 motors use a 36mm frost plug, so that's all you really need to look for, as long as the element isn't a weird shape. So anyway if a block heater is your kind of thing, and you're not stateside etc, then you have to look at the European made units (much costlier than the US brands), OR find a 36mm US made one and buy a 240 to 110V voltage converter, (about $60-80 AUD on eBay). It must be of significantly higher wattage than your heater. (common sense, but as we know, it ain't that common).
Decision.
I went for a compact pumped tank heater, of 2 KW power, as its a fairly straight forward install and eliminates the voltage and obscured frost plug issues. Works well. I tested my installation yesterday at +1 C, and the temp gauge went from off the bottom of the scale to about maybe 10% of the way up the normal range in about 50 minutes. You could feel the little pump motor whirring away and feel the heat going up the hose within a few minutes. I imagine if you leave it on for say 2 hours it would be up to around 30% but its unnecessary for the intended purpose.
I think the DEFA hose heater is a good option too, but it costs about triple what I spent, and in my case by adding the heater hose set up I have prepped my tractor for a cabin upgrade (one day?).
Result?
The engine started up in maybe 2 seconds, no extended cranking as is usual on colder days, and no excessive smoke.
The head, block and hoses felt toasty warm and the tractor was all ready for work with no further warm up.
Installation details below.
Options:
Block heaters;
The IVECO 8045.04 engine has no easily accesible frost plugs, all being located behind the fuel filters or injector pump on the RHS of the engine. (don't be fooled by the 40mm plug on the LHS behind the alternator, that's just covering an oil return gallery). However I found 2 European manufacturers who supply such a unit, if you wanted to go to the trouble of that installation. This also means the heating power cable AND its socket on the element, will be right next door to your high pressure diesel system. Not exactly dangerous but hardly ideal IMHO. You are looking at dismantling all that stuff and the resulting diesel mess and maybe bleeding of the system afterwards. Your choice I suppose. Those Euro brands also required you buy a specific power lead with a weird plug to make it all work (of course). Those setups totalled out at around $200 AUD plus postage.
Lower Radiator hose heaters;
DEFA (Norway) makes one of these in the required 36mm size. Cost is around $200 AUD - Plus you need their special cable. I think they are around $50-80 plus postage. They will work but you will need to fabricate a new lower hose with a tight radius to replace the FIAT steel tube. Can be done of course, its just an elbow after all, and perhaps a pre made elbow can be sourced from your auto parts store. (that's what I did to source my bottom heater hose).
Tank Heaters;
A small pumped tank heater can be easily plumbed into the heater hose lines. (if you have them, as only cabin tractors would, otherwise budget for time and maybe $50-100 AUD to add these. This type of pre-heaters are available in either 110v o 240v, and thanks to our counterfeiting "friends" in China they are cheap. (I bought a 2KW one off eBay for $35 AUD inc postage ex UK). They are pretty compact and easily mount beside the engine. (see photos on following post).
Voltage notes;
Most countries outside the Americas have 240V power, which is a bummer as the majority of block heaters sold on line use 110V. A pity as they are cheap from big brands like "hot-start", and the range is big. The IVECO / FIAT 8045 motors use a 36mm frost plug, so that's all you really need to look for, as long as the element isn't a weird shape. So anyway if a block heater is your kind of thing, and you're not stateside etc, then you have to look at the European made units (much costlier than the US brands), OR find a 36mm US made one and buy a 240 to 110V voltage converter, (about $60-80 AUD on eBay). It must be of significantly higher wattage than your heater. (common sense, but as we know, it ain't that common).
Decision.
I went for a compact pumped tank heater, of 2 KW power, as its a fairly straight forward install and eliminates the voltage and obscured frost plug issues. Works well. I tested my installation yesterday at +1 C, and the temp gauge went from off the bottom of the scale to about maybe 10% of the way up the normal range in about 50 minutes. You could feel the little pump motor whirring away and feel the heat going up the hose within a few minutes. I imagine if you leave it on for say 2 hours it would be up to around 30% but its unnecessary for the intended purpose.
I think the DEFA hose heater is a good option too, but it costs about triple what I spent, and in my case by adding the heater hose set up I have prepped my tractor for a cabin upgrade (one day?).
Result?
The engine started up in maybe 2 seconds, no extended cranking as is usual on colder days, and no excessive smoke.
The head, block and hoses felt toasty warm and the tractor was all ready for work with no further warm up.
Installation details below.
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