Engine Warmer/heater switch wotsit

monkeyboybongo · Post by **monkeyboybongo** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 5:19 pm

Just what is that switch on the bottom right hand side of the steering wheel not too far from the fog lamp switch (ish). (Its right next to my cooland alarm LED ). I asked a mate who said it was a switch for an "engine warmer". Is this true? Neither of us know when/if it should be operated. I've never used it before and never had any issues with engine not starting in cold.

Can anyone shed any light on this please.

TVM

Ralph · Post by **Ralph** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 5:30 pm

Best left alone it is used in very cold weather in Japan
much colder than here, it speeds the tick over up and closes
a valve in the exhaust, the valve is usually missing if its had
a new exhaust on and if it is still there could be stiff so may
not open again, if so you will be lucky to get the van up
to 20mph.

kawasaki kid · Post by **kawasaki kid** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 9:02 pm

No need to worry about using the switch, it`s part of the winter pack on vans from Northern Japan where the temp drops down as low as -20 in winter - as was said previously the temp in the UK doesn`t get anywhere near that.

francophile1947 · Post by **francophile1947** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 9:10 pm

keefysher wrote: Having driven my bro in laws without the switch I feel mine allows lock up earlier by a good 3 to 4 miles.

Is that normal? Mine locks up in a couple of miles anyway

Ralph · Post by **Ralph** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 9:27 pm

Ours as the switch but no valve due to new exhaust
but I use it to speed up the tick over for a short
time after a cold start, but as soon as you open
the throttle a little the system cancels as it would
have too if it had the valve otherwise you would
never get it over a few mph.
Ours locks up after about 1 or 2 miles on a cold day
the switched quick warm system also cancels once
the engine gets to a certain temp.

The Great Pretender · Post by **The Great Pretender** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 11:39 pm

francophile1947 wrote:
keefysher wrote: Having driven my bro in laws without the switch I feel mine allows lock up earlier by a good 3 to 4 miles.
Is that normal? Mine locks up in a couple of miles anyway

What is normal?
A couple of miles town driving stop start?
I live about a 1/4ml from the M6, if I get on it from cold it needs 4 to 5ml at 60 mph before lock up.
Just a thought, if your oil level is low would it lock earlier? Checked it?

Post by **Bongoplod** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 11:54 pm

The Great Pretender wrote:
francophile1947 wrote:
keefysher wrote: Having driven my bro in laws without the switch I feel mine allows lock up earlier by a good 3 to 4 miles.
Is that normal? Mine locks up in a couple of miles anyway
What is normal?
A couple of miles town driving stop start?
I live about a 1/4ml from the M6, if I get on it from cold it needs 4 to 5ml at 60 mph before lock up.
Just a thought, if your oil level is low would it lock earlier? Checked it?

I live in Winstanley,and work in Leigh.
Driving to work at 6am the past couple of freezing weeks,ive got on the M6 south at J25 (Bryn) and hit autolock up just after leaving the slip road and getting on the M6,and some times it locks up on the slip road.

Brian

The Great Pretender · Post by **The Great Pretender** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 12:42 am

Bongoplod wrote:
The Great Pretender wrote:
francophile1947 wrote: Is that normal? Mine locks up in a couple of miles anyway
What is normal?
A couple of miles town driving stop start?
I live about a 1/4ml from the M6, if I get on it from cold it needs 4 to 5ml at 60 mph before lock up.
Just a thought, if your oil level is low would it lock earlier? Checked it?
I live in Winstanley,and work in Leigh.

Driving to work at 6am the past couple of freezing weeks,ive got on the M6 south at J25 (Bryn) and hit autolock up just after leaving the slip road and getting on the M6,and some times it locks up on the slip road.

Brian

So the way to the M6 your auto is changing up and down to get there heating the oil. Mine goes from L 2 L then im at J27 roundabout Bongo locks up at services going north.

ronhud · Post by **ronhud** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 5:17 pm

Hi - what do you all mean by 'lock up'?
Ron

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 5:33 pm

ronhud wrote:Hi - what do you all mean by 'lock up'?
Ron

It's where the autobox goes into top gear or, in fact, makes its final 'cog' connection between engine and drive wheels. You Cant miss it really. At around 37-40mph (provided you aren't pushing too hard on the accelerator pedal) you feel a slight push in the back and the engine revs drop noticeably as it goes in to 'top gear'. I think its called 'lock out' because once there, the automatic gearbox is effectively locked out of the drive chain and the transmission efficiency approximates to that of a manual gearbox. If I've not that wrong no doubt someone will correct me!

francophile1947 · Post by **francophile1947** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 5:50 pm

The Great Pretender wrote:
francophile1947 wrote:
keefysher wrote: Having driven my bro in laws without the switch I feel mine allows lock up earlier by a good 3 to 4 miles.
Is that normal? Mine locks up in a couple of miles anyway
What is normal?
A couple of miles town driving stop start?
I live about a 1/4ml from the M6, if I get on it from cold it needs 4 to 5ml at 60 mph before lock up.
Just a thought, if your oil level is low would it lock earlier? Checked it?

Oil level is fine and the motoring is usually about 5am, with no traffic about, so not a massive number of gear changes. Both my Bongo and my Freda are the same.

ronhud · Post by **ronhud** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 6:04 pm

Thanks for the explanation Mike. I have noticed that my Freda appears to stay in a lower gear than expected for the start of a journey but put it down to 'Bongoparanoia' - a disease I caught recently!
Ron