Page 3 of 10 FirstFirst 12345678910 LastLast
Results 21 to 30 of 93

Thread: Use your Micra's block heater: save fuel, reduce wear, be more comfortable.

  1. #21
    Administrator MetroMPG's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    1000 Islands, Ontario
    Posts
    4,682
    Thanks
    1,616
    Thanked 622 Times in 475 Posts
    Oh, excellent! Thanks, Paul!


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Micra S manual: 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.5 mpg (Imp) ... 20.0 km/L ... 47.0 mpg (US) ...


  2. #22
    Administrator MetroMPG's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    1000 Islands, Ontario
    Posts
    4,682
    Thanks
    1,616
    Thanked 622 Times in 475 Posts
    Just FYI, I once tested the time to warm my little engine (1.0L) with the OEM 300 watt heater vs. an inline 800w coolant heater:

    300 watt heater:



    800 watt heater:



    Note my 300w OEM heater isn't really comparable to the Micra's. The Micra's is likely (hopefully) a more effective frost plug installation (in the water jacket), where the Firefly's is an externally mounted heating element bolted to the block below the intake manifold.

    So you can see in my case it doesn't make much sense to plug in for more than an hour and a half, whether using 300 or 800 watts. At that point, heat loss equals heat input and I'm just wasting electricity.

    Usually I just plug in for about an hour.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Micra S manual: 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.5 mpg (Imp) ... 20.0 km/L ... 47.0 mpg (US) ...


  3. #23
    Administrator MetroMPG's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    1000 Islands, Ontario
    Posts
    4,682
    Thanks
    1,616
    Thanked 622 Times in 475 Posts
    Brr. Getting cold outside. Is anybody using the block heater yet?

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Micra S manual: 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.5 mpg (Imp) ... 20.0 km/L ... 47.0 mpg (US) ...


  4. #24
    Senior Member Pete's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Peterborough
    Posts
    799
    Thanks
    585
    Thanked 288 Times in 201 Posts
    I'm using mine but not all the time yet. Just rhe cold minus ten days and when we got blasted with a foot of snow. The micra block heater works so well it melts snow on the hood. I put synthetic oil in mine so I will use it more for clearing the Windows faster than for keeping my oil flowing. Mine has a metal clip on the cord with a hole in it where does that go? What's the proper routing? I have done through the grill, out the hood opening and out the bottom but none seemed right.

  5. The Following User Says Thank You to Pete For This Useful Post:

    MetroMPG (12-01-2014)

  6. #25
    Administrator MetroMPG's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    1000 Islands, Ontario
    Posts
    4,682
    Thanks
    1,616
    Thanked 622 Times in 475 Posts
    Thanks for the report - good to hear it works well.

    As for placement, I'd go through the grille if you can.

    I've used the hood placement before, but it always ends up flopping around and scuffing the paint.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Micra S manual: 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.5 mpg (Imp) ... 20.0 km/L ... 47.0 mpg (US) ...


  7. #26
    Senior Member AlphaMicra's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Oshawa, Ontario
    Posts
    1,037
    Thanks
    114
    Thanked 256 Times in 178 Posts
    Lower grille has bigger openings than the upper grille, but if you did the condenser coil protection as I did, it might just need to come out either through the hood or just under the bottom of the bumper.

    In our culture obsessed with absurd excess, the Nissan Micra is my counterculture car of choice.
    Be sure to visit my blog at mymicra.com!

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Micra SV manual: 6.4 L/100 km ... 44.3 mpg (Imp) ... 15.7 km/L ... 36.9 mpg (US) ...


  8. #27
    Senior Member Pete's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Peterborough
    Posts
    799
    Thanks
    585
    Thanked 288 Times in 201 Posts
    Well tonight will be a block heater night in my neck of the woods. The heater cord has a clip on it and its meant to go somewhere I just haven't found it yet.I am off on Wednesdays so I will take a real look then as every time I use the thing its dark and cold.
    Attached Images Attached Images  

  9. #28
    Administrator MetroMPG's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    1000 Islands, Ontario
    Posts
    4,682
    Thanks
    1,616
    Thanked 622 Times in 475 Posts
    It's "block heater weather" any time between October and May, as far as I'm concerned

    Though the last 24h was the coldest we've seen so far around here lately (-12 this AM?).

    Is the clip shown in that photo?

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Micra S manual: 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.5 mpg (Imp) ... 20.0 km/L ... 47.0 mpg (US) ...


  10. #29
    Senior Member Pete's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Peterborough
    Posts
    799
    Thanks
    585
    Thanked 288 Times in 201 Posts
    Yes it is at about eleven o clock or so from the rad cap and about an inch above where the loom ends and the braid begins on the block heater cord.

  11. The Following User Says Thank You to Pete For This Useful Post:

    MetroMPG (12-02-2014)

  12. #30
    Administrator MetroMPG's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    1000 Islands, Ontario
    Posts
    4,682
    Thanks
    1,616
    Thanked 622 Times in 475 Posts
    Aha - thanks, I see it. (My fault -- that side of the image was scrolled off the side of my view. Rookie mistake!)


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Micra S manual: 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.5 mpg (Imp) ... 20.0 km/L ... 47.0 mpg (US) ...


Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •