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  • donalson

    Aug. 21, 2011 3:41 p.m. donalson SuperDork

    I've been thinking about yanking the heater system on my s10 and replacing it with a 12v ceramic heater...

    as it stands the exhaust packaging is going to be pretty tight if I keep the heater box, and dumping it obviously kills a bit of weight... the s10 is primary a toy and a planned $2012 challenge car... but I want to make it as usable as possible... so looking for some input on this idea

    I live in FL and the biggest use for the heater is defrost... in the coolest month or so i'd use it to knock the cold off a smidge (it does get down into the 30's or so)

    obviously the heat put off of the ceramic heater isn't going to be close to what my 2.3L turbo water heater is going to do... but would it be enough for the small cab of an s10?

    anyone have experience with these boogers?

    thanks mark

  • Aug. 21, 2011 4:27 p.m. purplepeopleeater Reader

    I've used them in a 16" box trailer when doing demos in the winter down into the 20s. Doesn't get all toasty but does knock the edge off.

  • mad_machine

    Aug. 21, 2011 4:44 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork

    if they can heat an uninsulated 16' box trailer.. it will work perfectly fine in the cab of your truck

  • daytonaer

    Aug. 21, 2011 5:01 p.m. daytonaer Reader

    The small ones you get at auto parts stores are like a 10 amp draw(that plug into the cig lighter). That isn't that much draw, thus not that much heat.

    I yanked my heatercore from my van, the e-heater on high sitting by my feet kept them from freezing, but not warm. As far as defrosting the windshield, it works, but not great. It takes a while to work and only has the power to defrost half the windshield.

    Personally I would not recommend it for any type of dd, but it can occasionally make it bearable (barely).

    Unless there are higher power units available, but would have to be hard wired in (cig lighter fuse usually 10-15 a)

  • ditchdigger

    Aug. 21, 2011 6:12 p.m. ditchdigger Dork

    I have one like this that I consider to be the worst automotive purchase I have ever made

    Completely useless

  • donalson

    Aug. 21, 2011 6:37 p.m. donalson SuperDork

    I don't see this as ever being a DD of any sort... then again with my luck who knows... I think i'll prob try to work my exhaust around it and go from there...

  • curtis73

    Aug. 22, 2011 10:43 a.m. curtis73 Dork

    ditchdigger wrote:

    I have one like this that I consider to be the worst automotive purchase I have ever made

    Completely useless

    I used one of these on the back deck of my 66 Pontiac as a rear window defroster. It worked OK but the amount of heat it put off was pretty pathetic. I think it was more about the dry moving air than the heat.

  • driver109x

    Aug. 22, 2011 2:19 p.m. driver109x HalfDork

    I bought one from a truck stop when i used to have a 95 s10 with a bypass heater from the po and it kept blowing the fuse.

  • redrabbit

    Aug. 22, 2011 5:28 p.m. redrabbit New Reader

    Dont do it. They are junk! A guy with a Civic track rat also said he wouldnt remove his defroster if given a second chance

  • Aug. 23, 2011 6:26 a.m. blizazer Reader

    Just to be clear, right now you only have a heater box, you don't have a heat and AC box underhood?

    The heater only option is much slimmer.

  • dean1484

    Aug. 23, 2011 7:13 a.m. dean1484 SuperDork

    I lost the heater core in my 94 mustang. Replacement is 8+ hours plus an AC recharge. After using one of the ceramic heaters last year I will either pay some one to fix the heater core. ore make the time to fix it. Yes those units really are that bad.

    For really cold days I would take a leister heat gun (used to thermal weld PVC) and set it in the car and plug it in a half hour before I would leave. This would defrost things and get the temp up to 60 or so in the car. The ceramic unit could not even maintain the temps.

  • bludroptop

    Aug. 23, 2011 7:45 a.m. bludroptop SuperDork

    As someone who drove rusty air-cooled VWs in New England winter for a decade or so, I don't understand the question.

  • RossD

    Aug. 23, 2011 8:00 a.m. RossD SuperDork

    What about just finding a smaller heat exchanger and blower housing at the junk yard? Or fab up something to go on the inside or hiding somewhere else...

    The extra cooling of heater can be useful...

  • Aug. 23, 2011 9:02 a.m. 81cpcamaro New Reader

    How about using a Mojave Heater?

    http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/html/mojave-heater.html

    Gets rid of the big HVAC box but still uses engine coolant for heat.

 
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