Installing a heater on a VAZ car
Winter is a challenge for any car owner.
Moreover, many are annoyed not so much by the deterioration of the road situation (snow, ice), but by the difficulty of starting a cooled power plant. Of course, those whose cars “winter” in heated garages do not have this problem, but there are relatively few of them. Most car owners have their cars idle overnight in the open air or in a regular garage (at best). And yet there are ways to alleviate the plight of car owners. One of the most optimal methods now is to install a heater on a VAZ or any other car.
Preheater
The problem of difficult starting of a power plant in winter is associated with several factors - the viscosity of the oil increases, the resistance in the battery increases, and it is no longer able to produce good starting currents. As a result, when trying to start, the starter “lazy” turns the crankshaft, and the rotation speed is clearly not enough to start the engine. And only after a couple of attempts, when the oil is mixed a little and the battery “warms up”, the engine can still be started, but this does not always happen.
Note that the chances of a successful start in cold weather are also affected by the technical condition of the power plant and the degree of its wear. Thus, the probability of owning a VAZ of the classic family (2101, 2106), produced 30-40 years ago, is significantly lower than a relatively new car. But installing a heater on a VAZ-2101 increases these chances, and significantly.
As noted, the difficulty of starting the power unit is largely due to the solidification of working fluids. But if you warm them up before starting, then the resistance that they create due to the increased viscosity will not exist, and it will be much easier for the starter to turn the crankshaft. It is precisely the preheating of the engine that is the task of the heater.
This device, in principle, is universal, so you can easily install a preheater on a VAZ, UAZ or any other make of car.
Installation
Before installing antifreeze heating, be sure to check the entire cooling system. If you find any faults in it or places where there are cracks or tears, repair everything. Also, if you see sediment or any foreign impurities in the antifreeze, replace the liquid.
Note that for pre-start heating of the engine, the electric heater must be installed strictly horizontally, with its outlet openings directed upward. To do this, you will need clamps and a mounting kit.
Mount the heater slightly lower than the minimum antifreeze level mark. In this case, the liquid will circulate well. If it is not possible to install it low, connect the heater to the radiator pipe at the bottom. Connect the motor tube to the input of the device that will heat the motor. And connect the heater output at the highest point, but not higher than the level of the engine thermostat. You can use the so-called shirt space
.
Important
when installing the heater, make sure that the place where the device is connected to the motor is higher at the output than at the input;
Do not allow loops in the hose that goes to the engine to appear - this contributes to the formation of air pockets, and they impair the passage of antifreeze.
We briefly talked about why and how you need to install an antifreeze heater on a VAZ 2107. If you doubt that you can handle it on your own, contact a specialist.
Types, features of work
There are several options for such equipment, but in essence such a device is a conventional electric heating element that provides heating of one of the fluids of the power unit.
There are several types of heaters. Some of them heat antifreeze, others heat oil. In the case of coolant, by acting on antifreeze, it is possible to heat the cylinder block, as well as the elements of the power system, which is important for ensuring normal mixture formation.
But such a device has disadvantages:
- it takes more time to warm up the engine, since the cooling system is just a shell of the cylinder block;
- the oil heats up slightly, since it is located below the cooling jacket in the sump, so heat will flow to it only after the cylinder block has been well warmed up;
But when using such a device, there is practically no need to warm up the engine after starting, since it is already heated, and warm air is immediately supplied from the stove to the cabin.
As for heaters that act on oil, such a device only heats the lubricant; the cylinder block and power system remain cold.
Since the volume of oil is small and it is all in one place, it takes little time to warm up. But due to the fact that only the lubricant heats up, after starting it will take time to warm up the motor itself.
In general, the effectiveness of using one or another device is approximately the same. When heating the antifreeze, we get a heated cylinder block and power system, which ensures good mixture formation (the result is excellent flammability of the mixture), but cold oil (the load on the battery and starter will remain high). If you heat the oil, then everything is exactly the opposite - the starter will turn easily, but the unit itself and the power system will remain cold.
Heaters also differ according to the power source used:
- From the network 220 V;
- From the on-board network 12 V (autonomous);
The first option is characterized by high power, and therefore the speed of heating of the working fluid. But to use it, the car must be close to the outlet.
How to choose an antifreeze heater for a VAZ 2107?
Of course, before installing heating, you need to buy it. We will consider two options, one with and without an electric pump. Let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of each of them.
Installation of antifreeze heating on a VAZ 2107 with an electric pump
This preheating differs from the other type by the presence of a pump that circulates the coolant while it warms up. Naturally, this significantly speeds up the warming up process, however, the circulation of the coolant does not allow it to warm up to the required level.
Advantages:
- As mentioned above, such preheating of the engine warms up the coolant much faster.
- The engine warms up most evenly, which allows you to minimize wear during the first start.
Flaws:
- Perhaps there are not as few shortcomings as we would like. First of all, constant circulation of water requires high power of the heating element. If it is less than 1.5 kilowatts, this may result in the engine simply not warming up to the required temperature. It will just need to be reheated during operation.
- Any mechanic will tell you that the fewer parts in a unit, the more reliable it is. An electric pump is installed here, which actually adds a few extra parts. Accordingly, the reliability of such an installation decreases. In addition, installation of the unit becomes more complicated.
- Additional power supply for the electric pump. The fact is that the pump, as a rule, has a 12 volt power supply. Accordingly, you will have to figure out where to get it. Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is a rechargeable battery, but with this mode of operation it will not last long.
Installation of antifreeze heating on a VAZ 2107 without an electric pump
There is a second type, it is the most common, because in this case one installation is enough and does not require any maintenance. Also, a heater not equipped with an electric pump has higher reliability.
Advantages:
- As mentioned above, first of all it is reliability.
- No need for additional power. If you only have a 220 volt outlet, then this is quite enough.
- Easy to install. It is enough to install only a couple of tees and the heated housing itself.
- Low power. Even one kilowatt of electricity is enough.
Flaws:
Water circulates only under pressure from the temperature difference. That is, when the water has warmed up in the heating housing, it will continue to flow through a small cooling circle.
Installation of equipment on a car
Installing a heater on a VAZ-2106 or any other model does not require any modifications to the power unit. Such equipment is external, and all that is needed is to correctly insert it into the power system.
The heater kit consists of:
- Block with heater;
- Fastening elements;
- Adapters, tees and clamps for insertion into the cooling system;
- Cable with plug.
Additionally, for installation you will also need sections of pipelines of the required length to make an insert.
There are several installation schemes for such a device, the simplest of which is shown below.
To ensure uniform heating, antifreeze must be supplied to the device from the lowest point of the engine, which is the drain plug of the cylinder block. But the exit of the already heated liquid is the opposite - to the top point.
To connect the equipment to the VAZ-2106 engine, you must:
- Install the fitting from the kit into the engine block and connect it with a pipeline to the input terminal on the heater block;
- Insert the tee from the kit into the upper pipeline of the cooling system coming from the radiator. Connect a pipeline leading to the output from the heater block to this tee;
- Attach the block with the heating element to the engine or subframe;
- Route the cable to ensure easy access to the plug.
When installing a heater, it is not even necessary to drain the antifreeze from the system. If you pre-assemble the heater (connect the pipelines to the block, tee and fitting) and quickly carry out installation work, then during operation 1-1.5 liters of coolant will leak out, which will then have to be replenished.
After installation, be sure to check all connections for leaks and, if necessary, fix them by tightening the clamps.
Installing the heater on a VAZ-2107 injector does not differ from that described above.
How to install engine heating on a VAZ 2107
First of all, it is worth clarifying that the engine heater is installed at the lowest point of the cylinder block. In the classic version, this is a spar to which the beam is screwed. Most manufacturers complete their products with all kinds of brackets, for example, the Alliance heater has a plate that allows you to attach the housing next to the engine to the spar.
Any heater has an indicator arrow, which indicates the point of entry of the coolant into its body. This pipe must be connected to the cylinder block jacket. From here, water will flow into it, after which it will go into the very top pipe, which goes from the radiator to the pump.
As a rule, the kit comes with a special fitting that is screwed in instead of a drain valve or plug that is installed in the cylinder block. Then it is cut. This is the uppermost pipe, after which a special tee is inserted into it, which is also included in the kit. It is advisable not to confuse the direction of movement of water in it, since it is made at a slight angle so that the water does not have any obstacles during circulation.
Perhaps this completes the installation of heating on the VAZ 2107 engine. In conclusion, I would like to clarify a few points that may be useful in the future. Quite often in traffic you can come across cars with a fork sticking out from under the hood, under the bumper, under the radiator grille, or from some other place. This is a little unsightly, so there is a way to hide this detail. For example, you can use a regular connector from a computer power supply. But it must be installed in a place where it will definitely not snow. There are, of course, factory solutions that will help fix this problem. In fact, this is exactly the same connector, which simply has a rubber plug.
Another convenient addition is an outlet with a timer. There is no need to explain the principle of its operation, it will simply help control the heating time. Of course, most engine heaters have thermostats that turn it off, but this is more convenient and reliable.
Video on how to install a heater on a VAZ 2107:
Installing a heater on a VAZ 2107
It's winter, it's time to install a 220 volt heater on the engine. In principle, there is nothing complicated in this procedure, the only problem is the availability of a warm room for the work. In this article we will talk about how to install engine heating on a VAZ 2107.
Security measures
Finally, a little about the safety rules when using such a preheater:
- Do not leave the equipment turned on for a long period of time. For normal warming up of the engine, 1-1.5 hours is enough;
- If an extension cord is used for connection, its wires must have a cross-section appropriate for the load;
- If the equipment is used on a car parked on the street, you need to mark or fence off the area through which the power cable runs.
For ease of use of the device, it should be connected to a power outlet through an adapter with a timer, on which you can set the time for turning the heater on and off.
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