In line heater vs oil pan block heater

[Angelo]

Quick question.
I am debating installing either the in line coolant heater or the oil pan heater which can be put on the lower side of the block. In our winters in Saskatchewan canada we regularly get the -30 F temperature overnight. While it does warm up during the day the sled is still colder that a witches tit.
I would prefer to do the I. Line coolant heater but will that thermostat open up if it is plugged in overnight for example? I know some guys also have installed the sticky oil pan heater to the block as well?

Any feedback and insight would be appreciated.

 

[Snowfun]

One of our guys put an oil heater on the bottom of his engine and the results were not the best. The engine computer gets the wrong info and doesn’t choke the engine correctly. I would recommend using a battery minder to charge the battery and have it at 100%. We also had a problem with starting the sled before we went to breakfast and shutting it off. When we returned and went to leave, we had trouble restarting our sleds. We now start the sleds just before leaving on our days run, without difficult.
I run the battery minder wires down from the battery on the right side allowing me to connect the minder without taking off the seat. The plug that comes with the minder is indexed so that you don’t connect it backwards.
We also fill the gas tank each night which keeps the frost out of the tank. When the temperature gets down below -15C, I put gasoline antifreeze in at night too.
Stay healthy.

 

[Sevey]

I have not used the in line heater on a Viper or SW but did have one on my Nytro.

I also questioned whether it was warm enough to open the thermostat - but apparently my dealer indicated there was a bypass in the cooling system - ( because there was no way that thing was going to warm it up enough to open the thermostat.)

He was correct - because turning it on a few hours before a ride, the whole engine was warm to the touch. You could place your hand on the engine head and it was toasty warm - so obviously it worked. It did a great job.

MS

 

[saskman]

Hey Sevey, what kind of in line heater did you use and where did you install it on your nytro?

 

[Sevey]

It was purchased through Royal Distributing.
it was installed on the coolant line that was located behind the oil tank.
Dont have the sled anymore so i cant take a pic.
MS

 

[Zeffy]

I bought a 120v battery blanket and wrapped it around my battery. On cold nights I'll plug it in when I can. Seems to help keep the battery from freezing so it will turn the sled over better. Seems to be working decent. Worth a shot for under $100 and 2 minutes to install.
Regardless, I will be buying a small booster pack to keep with me. Even with a newer battery and new starter, on cold mornings the sled doesnt turn over super quick. I think the older Yamahas turned over a lot quicker than the Vipers.

 

[Snowfun]

I have installed extender cables to the battery and bring them out the side of the sled(I tuck them up between the gas tank and the rear bag). This allows me to boost the sled without taking off the seat. I also brought out the battery minder leads too so if I want to plug it in overnight, I can. It's been 6 years that I have had these on my sled and only had to use it once.