Engine oil (pan) heaters VS engine longevity

[Infinitiguy19]

I have been reading a lot of about oil. I have come to the conclusion that anyone serious about keeping their car for a long time needs use a oil pan heater. See according to a article I read on Bob Is The Oil Guy (BITOG) says even oil kept at a ambient temperature of 75*F is too thick to properly lubricate the engine at startup. So what would be ideal for us crazy people would be a oil pan heater with a easy on electrical plug (Sort of what some Apple laptops and deep firers use).

If you want to read the article: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/cms/index ... &Itemid=92

[yodawill2000]

Used to have a neighbor awhile back from Wisconsin.
On chilly mornings he used a heat-lamp for about 30 minutes before starting.
Pan was so hot you could barely touch it !!!


Cheap and effective.

[OwnerCS]

Used to have a neighbor awhile back from Wisconsin.
On chilly mornings he used a heat-lamp for about 30 minutes before starting.
Pan was so hot you could barely touch it !!!


Cheap and effective.

I remember my dad would do that in cold winters when he had a 53 Chevy pickup with a 6 volt system.

[qship96]

stick on oil pan heaters are inexpensive and effective for those living in areas that get super cold-- that being said, it is unfortunate that Infiniti did a poor job with corrosion protection on the 90-96Q and they all eventually succumb to body rust/rot in the exact same spots, namely the rear fenderwells and the bottom sills in front of rear wheels on cars driven in the areas {ice cold/snowy/road salt usage} where a engine heater would be considered!

Driven in these conditions, the Q engine will outlive the body without trying to extend engine life thru adding a heater. Even in moderate climate area where I live {Maryland}, every 90-96Q I see on the roads or in parking lots has this damage, including mine,and permanent repair that will last is not cost effective from what I have been told by more than a few bodyshops. I am sure those living in even colder/more snow & salt use areas have even more accelerated corrosion issues affecting these old cars.Maybe we should start a new thread asking members about rust on their cars and if they have had any luck in long term repair attempts?

[Skibane]

So...

It's -34 degrees in Bartlesville, Oklahoma this morning, and the oil in the crankcase of the only Q45 in the entire town of Bartlesville is nice and toasty (thanks to an oil pan heater).

However, the oil in all the engine internal passages is still at - oh, let's say -10 degrees or so - and thicker than Jello chocolate pudding.

Q: Upon engine startup, how long does it take the oil pump to force all the pudding out, and replace it with warm oil?

[yodawill2000]

I live in the DFW area and it was 18 degrees this morning.
I cringed at the thought of starting my J but had no choice.
Having studied the BITOG site i could just feel the main bearings cursing me.

[96Qowner]

LOL, mine has a block heater and stays plugged in whenever it's at home in the garage. I start in the fall when the night temps start to fall below freezing and stop in the spring. Of course, you can't do that at work, so I still have to start the engine in subzero temps to get home.

I do the same thing with my Accord, and it seems to have been worthwhile - 410,000 miles on the motor and transmission so far.

[Edit] I live in Fargo, ND

[qship96]

Hopefully you guys are using a 0w-30 or 0w-40 FULL TRUE synthetic oil in those frigid conditions!

[RustyBucket]

I have a block heater in mine and it definitely helped out on the cold Canadian Prairies last winter. This winter I'm somewhere a little warmer where the temperatures only get a bit below feeezing.

I try to plug it in whenever I can park in a spot where there is an available outlet (unfortunately there are only 3 where I live and it's hit and miss whether I can get it). Even in temperatures just below freezing and even down to -10 to -15 Celsius the use of a block heater makes a noticeable difference when starting the engine. The VH45 is a pretty good engine for cold starting though... I'm sure I've started it at least once or twice at -20 or -30C without the aid of the block heater thanks to forgetting to plug it in or parking somewhere where there was no outlet available. That was running 5W30 oil.

As far as body rot goes, in the areas where it gets cold enough to really need a block heater, they don't salt the roads as much because salt is ineffective when it gets really cold. It's places where the temperature hovers around freezing or not too far below that get it worse for salt because the temperature is still above the freezing point for salty water.

[Infinitiguy19]

stick on oil pan heaters are inexpensive and effective for those living in areas that get super cold-- that being said, it is unfortunate that Infiniti did a poor job with corrosion protection on the 90-96Q and they all eventually succumb to body rust/rot in the exact same spots, namely the rear fenderwells and the bottom sills in front of rear wheels on cars driven in the areas {ice cold/snowy/road salt usage} where a engine heater would be considered!

Driven in these conditions, the Q engine will outlive the body without trying to extend engine life thru adding a heater. Even in moderate climate area where I live {Maryland}, every 90-96Q I see on the roads or in parking lots has this damage, including mine,and permanent repair that will last is not cost effective from what I have been told by more than a few bodyshops. I am sure those living in even colder/more snow & salt use areas have even more accelerated corrosion issues affecting these old cars.Maybe we should start a new thread asking members about rust on their cars and if they have had any luck in long term repair attempts?

I say find a nice rust free Q45 then sand the paint down and apply POR-15! I found a local dealer and I plan to apply it everywhere. If I could find the OEM paint and clear coat I would buy a gallon or two of the stuff and apply it everywhere. Then all I have to worry about is finding a OEM new engine and transmission (If needed). But unfortunately the world revolves around money!

[qship96]

Sadly, the Q common rust areas are rusting from the inside out, not from the exterior visible surfaces inward. When you see the common telltale bubble or blister form from beneath perfect un-damaged paint, it means that the corrosion has actually already eaten through the metal from the other side creating a pinhole that allows moisture to buildup and sooner or later burst the blister and grow.trying to apply any rust coating from the inside out is very difficult at this point to get to every square inch- the body shell should have been dipped in a bath of galvanizing liquid {a zinc based coating}on the assembly line, like most other modern vehicles- instead, Nissan used their own trademarked "dura steel" and the results quite frankly, suck. I have yet to see a single similar year LS 400 in Maryland with any rust issues like the g50 suffer from.

[OwnerCS]

I could find the OEM paint and clear coat I would buy a gallon or two of the stuff and apply it everywhere. Then all I have to worry about is finding a OEM new engine and transmission (If needed). But unfortunately the world revolves around money!

As a matter of fact, there is a DuPont paint store near me with an old book that has the color chips and codes for mixing the pearl paint. They mixed some base and clear coat that I used for touching up a few troubled areas around the battery shelf and the ATF filter.. I bet I could get them to give me the recipe to be used at another DuPont store..

[djwarner]

Here is an interesting article on the subject. Appears a synthetic multigrade with no parafin would be best.

http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Rea ... ity-limits