Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Grid Heaters...

[SGrooms]

I may be mistaken, but it seems that my grid heaters don't quit cycling even after its warmed up. Has anyone else had this problem?



Driving down the road, it seems like there is a little power pull down on a regular basis. Thought at first it was a lift pump problem, but my fuel pressure is fine. It acts like it does on a cold morning when the grid heaters are cycling.



Any other ideas? Is this something that happens or am I just paranoid??

 

[Rman]

They should cycle when idling, it's an emissions control feature. Once you reach 18 mph or so, they should cease.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

That's why I rigged mine up with a relay and an LED toggle switch, like a snowplow.



I turn em on and off, not the EPA.

 

[ACoyle]

I believe that it was hvac who suggested using an oil pressure light switch as a ground for the relay. once you have oil pressure the switch opens and the relay can't pick.



AC

 

[SGrooms]

That's why I rigged mine up with a relay and an LED toggle switch, like a snowplow.



I turn em on and off, not the EPA.

How do you go about doing that? That sounds like it might solve my problem.

 

[Texas Diesel]

Wiercummin devised a way to use a normally closed (open on rise) oil pressure switch wired to the ground side of the grid heater relays.



Has worked well for 5 years. Screw the EPA and all their stupidity, once the engine fires up, all the grid heaters do is start destroying your alternator. Ever wonder why your lights dim? Try pulling 100Amps with the engine at idle. That is what is happening.



Rule #1: The LESS EPA crap you leave working the BETTER the engine will run and the longer it will last.



Ever wonder why you didnt hear of acid rain before the 70's? Catalytic converters! The precious metal inside the converter converts NoX (going off of memory here) into sulpher and H2O. Ever see water draining from a gasser before the exhaust is hot enough to evaporate it?



H20 + Sulpher = sulphuric acid. Ever wonder why the exhaust system on your gasser looks like it has been in an acid bath? It has. The sulpheric acid that gets in the oil from blowby does wonders on shortening the life on the engine too.



I wonder which is worse for the environment, NoX from no CAT's or all the material and energy required to REPLACE exhaust systems failed FROM using a CAT? And all the acid released into the atmosphere?



The EPA is very good at passing off fuzzy science and convincing us that we need them and all the horsepower and MPG robbing gadgets they put on our engines.



The biggest lie is "Global Warming", that is a politically correct, blank check for government regulators to require us to buy un needed gizmos.



Is it coincidence that DuPonts patent on R-12 expired the SAME DAY as the EPA announced a ban on R-12? And the REQUIRED switch to R-134, with all the breand new equipment, hoses, gauges etc etc etc etc. I wonder how the EPA timed that so close? All the equipment was in place for R-12, what a great way to make everyone buy NEW equipment and create a damand for a new refrigerant. :-laf Some people will never see the connection.



I could go on but I'll stop and let the rocks start flying.

 

[Cummins360]

I agree screw the EPA and all those idiots running the country!!!!!!

 

[craigS]

Grid heaters are an EPA plot?

I guess Ford showed them by using glow plugs.

 

[Texas Diesel]

Grid heaters are an EPA plot?

I guess Ford showed them by using glow plugs.

If that is what you think then ok, but I wouldnt call it a plot. It's more just over regulation. I think you have missed the point.



And for FYI, the glow plugs on Fords serve the same useless purpose once the engine starts.



Hope that helps you understand.

 

[darkhorse]

[

Ever wonder why you didnt hear of acid rain before the 70's? Catalytic converters!



The biggest lie is "Global Warming", that is a politically correct, blank check for government regulators to require us to buy un needed gizmos.



I could go on but I'll stop and let the rocks start flying. [/QUOTE]



TD, you're not all wrong, but You're not all right either. SO2 gets into the air from many industrial sources as well as some natural ones. "Global Warming" is no joke. Look at the glacial recession.



:-{} enough rocks?

 

[SGrooms]

Wow... didn't know I had kicked a hornet's nest on this one.



Although I agree that the govt is waaaay too involved in our lives, I have no idea how this grid heater thing ties into that. Am I wrong to assume that all it is supposed to do is heat the air coming into the engine to aid in starting? Is there more to it?



And how do I fix it so it doesn't run after the engine is running anymore?

 

[darkhorse]

Wow... didn't know I had kicked a hornet's nest on this one.



And how do I fix it so it doesn't run after the engine is running anymore?

SGrooms, I don't think you're the one that did the kicking. :-laf You are right, the whole point is to add heat to get the engine to fire up quicker in cold weather. Like stated earlier, you can add a switch of your choice to the circuit to stop the heaters after you fire the engine.

 

[SGrooms]

Sounds like a plan... that may be the only solution. It won't hurt to not run them in the summer will it?

 

[Rman]

Wow... didn't know I had kicked a hornet's nest on this one.



Although I agree that the govt is waaaay too involved in our lives, I have no idea how this grid heater thing ties into that. Am I wrong to assume that all it is supposed to do is heat the air coming into the engine to aid in starting? Is there more to it?



And how do I fix it so it doesn't run after the engine is running anymore?

It does aid in starting, but at idle combustion temps are very low... low combustion temps result in un-needed exhaust emissions. The heaters promote more complete combustion in the cylinder. Personally, I don't see the need to remove them. I've had 4 trouble free years with mine now, and even so if I had to replace my alternator, I'd do it. Blaming all of this other nonsense on the EPA is really trivial. I'm still running the stock batteries, I'm hoping to get one more year out of them.



But certainly removing them should hurt anything, but frankly what you gain by removing them certainly isn't worth the time and effort... to me.

 

[Texas Diesel]

=darkhorse "Global Warming" is no joke. Look at the glacial recession.



:-{} enough rocks?

:-laf You didnt throw any rocks.



Let me look because I have a report that explains how the current warming is just a natural cycle. The report explains how global temp varies over the centuries. The current glacial recession is just a normal variation of ice cap thickenss. The report is very interesting.



PM me an email address (any one else too) and I will sent the report on global effects of CO2.



I know other sources there are other sources of SO2 ('acid rain") but the automobiles and their CAT's are by far the biggest and most plentiful source.

 

[SGrooms]

It does aid in starting, but at idle combustion temps are very low... low combustion temps result in un-needed exhaust emissions. The heaters promote more complete combustion in the cylinder. Personally, I don't see the need to remove them. I've had 4 trouble free years with mine now, and even so if I had to replace my alternator, I'd do it. Blaming all of this other nonsense on the EPA is really trivial. I'm still running the stock batteries, I'm hoping to get one more year out of them.



But certainly removing them should hurt anything, but frankly what you gain by removing them certainly isn't worth the time and effort... to me.

I am on my original batteries on my 01, and I know that I am going to have to replace them. They went down on me once this winter, but it was my fault. I was responding to an ambulance call and I didnt' give enough time to let the grid heaters cycle and I wore the batteries down trying to start up. Didn't help that it was about 4 degrees!!



What are the long term affects of the grid heaters cycling on and off all the time? Just batteries and alternator or is there something else to be concerned about?

 

[Texas Diesel]

To everyone PM'ing me for the report, I'm on the road till Monday, and I'll email it out when I get back home.

 

[nps]

What are the long term affects of the grid heaters cycling on and off all the time? Just batteries and alternator or is there something else to be concerned about?

I pulled mine last fall - just unhook the 4 wires going into the relays (drivers side fender behind the batt) and tape up the ends with elec tape to prevent any inadvertent shorts to ground. If I want to hook them back up, just plug in the 4 wires. It'll set a code - 500 and 502 I think, but otherwise no more dimming lights on a cold morning. It has started all the way down to 30* - never has been any colder than that here.



Long term effects? Well you have an intercooler to cool charge air, and when the temps get warmer you will have a grid heater countering the benefits of the intercooler. Besides, the batteries and alternator are enough $$ to worry about on their own IMO.

 

[SGrooms]

No problems with that??

 

[Rman]

I pulled mine last fall - just unhook the 4 wires going into the relays (drivers side fender behind the batt) and tape up the ends with elec tape to prevent any inadvertent shorts to ground. If I want to hook them back up, just plug in the 4 wires. It'll set a code - 500 and 502 I think, but otherwise no more dimming lights on a cold morning. It has started all the way down to 30* - never has been any colder than that here.



Long term effects? Well you have an intercooler to cool charge air, and when the temps get warmer you will have a grid heater countering the benefits of the intercooler. Besides, the batteries and alternator are enough $$ to worry about on their own IMO.

nps, now be reasonable. Charge air at idle? The intercooler cools compressed air, at idle your not compressing anything, it's practically N/A at that point. The grids shutoff once your rolling down the road. I still don't see the justification, just how many alt's and batteries are going bad solely because of this? Any numbers? My whole family has dodges, at 245k on the highest truck we've still not replaced the alternator.