Using a Vanagon Engine Heater

Here in the Great White North, we know a thing or two about operating cars in cold weather.

In fact, my Wisconsin hometown (just a tankful from Canada) suffers January average temperatures several degrees colder than that of Hannover, Germany, birthplace of our beloved VW Vanagons.

As a child, riding in a car with air conditioning was a novelty for me, but every kid recognized the black electrical plug of an engine block heater dangling from the front grill of most cars around here.

An engine heater is an electrical accessory installed in an engine, with a heating element intended to pre-heat the engine before starting in very cold weather.

All engines have difficulty starting when very cold, as lubricating oils are thick and viscous, and tolerances between parts are tight. Cold starts are hard on engines, causing extra wear on poorly lubricated parts and stressing seals and gaskets.

Diesel engines in particular, with their much higher compression ratios, can be notoriously difficult or impossible to start in cold temperatures, and can suffer significant internal wear and damage. Diesel trucks and other equipment working on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline of the far north are often left to run 24/7 in the winter months, rather than risk the difficulty and damage that can result from re-starting in extremely cold conditions.

Additionally, besides easier starting and greater longevity, pre-heating an engine means you’ll have heated cabin air much sooner; nice on a cold winter’s morn. So, all engines can benefit from any means to pre-heat them before starting in very cold weather.

There are four primary types of engine heaters that run on standard 120-volt AC power, and contain a 250-600-watt heating element. Some are better suited for your Vanagon engine than others:

Block Heaters

A block heater applies heat directly to the engine block itself. Many are attached to the cast-iron engine block or steel oil pan common on other vehicles via a strong magnet, but this type will not work on the Vanagon air-cooled or waterboxer engines, as they are made of non-magnetic magnesium-alloy and aluminum respectively.

Perhaps the best type is a self-adhesive silicone heating pad made for the purpose. Be sure to first thoroughly clean and degrease any area you intend to use for such a heating pad, and also realize that the ribbed underside of the Vanagon engine case may make it difficult to find sufficient surface area to adhere such a pad. Consider looking for another large flat surface elsewhere on the engine.

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Dipstick Heaters

These electric probes slip into the dipstick tube in place of the usual dipstick. The bottom few inches of the probe features a heating element; immersed in the motor oil in the sump for a few hours, it can pre-heat the oil and perhaps part of the engine case for easier starts.

Just remember to disconnect and remove the heater, and replace the stock dipstick, before starting and driving!

Freeze/Frost Plug Heaters

The inline-four engines used in most other VWs of the era, including the rather uncommon diesel Vanagon, have core plugs (sometimes erroneously called a freeze plug, or frost plug). Core openings are left in the engine block during the sand-casting manufacturing process, usually opening to the internal water jackets; plugs are installed at the factory.

Such a plug can be removed from the block and replaced with a heating-element block heater (see instructions below), to pre-heat the coolant for a few hours prior to cold-weather starts. This is perhaps the best option for all VW inline-four engines, including the diesels.

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Other Options

Lacking such heaters, an engine can also be pre-heated by placing a halogen work light beneath the oil pan or engine block for a few hours before starting, or even a high-wattage incandescent lamp. These methods will be helped by tucking a blanket over the engine to retain any heat while warming.

Installation of a Core Plug Block Heater

For the diesel engine used in some VW Vanagons, or if another inline gasoline engine (Jetta, etc.) has been installed, the best choice is a core-plug block heater. For the most uniform heating, the heater should be installed in the center core opening. This job is perhaps best done in conjunction with a bi-annual coolant change, since it requires draining and replacement of the coolant.

1. Start by disconnecting a lower coolant line to drain the cooling system.
2. Clean the area around the core plugs, located on the side of the engine block, just below the exhaust manifold. Use a hammer and a narrow chisel or an old screwdriver (not a good one, for heaven’s sake) to punch a slot into one of the core plugs, then pry the plug out of the block.
3. Alternatively, I’ve seen the core plugs removed from other makes of engines by simply using a hammer and a blunt drift. As shown in this Using a Block Heater

   Depending on the condition of your engine, and its cold-starting abilities, you may want to use a block heater before starting at any temperatures below freezing. It can take 3-4 hours to thoroughly pre-heat a 300-400-lb cast iron engine block in cold weather, so I suggest you connect the heater to a breaker-protected power supply through a programmable timer, capable of handling the 250-600-watt draw. In this way, the heater will start pre-heating your engine a few hours in advance, and will be ready when you are.

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