Yamaha Coolant Heater?

[trailhed1]

how does the coolant heater work? Wouldn't the thermostat being closed prevent the coolant from circulating throughout the engine when you plug it in? Kind of confused. Anybody?

 

[Sevey]

I second that question...... I looked into this a few years ago and my question was - these sleds must have a thermostat that is 180-200 degrees.
So if that heater doesnt create that kind of heat, the thermostat wont open to allow the warm coolant to circulate. If the the whole engine isnt exposed to warm coolant circulating around it - it's useless....
Anyway, i have asked a few Yamaha dealers and they couldnt confirm if it worked or not. Would love to hear from someone that has it.
MS

 

[Sasquatch]

The antifreeze can flow through the motor but is blocked off or slowed from the heat exchangers till motor reaches operating temp and the thermostat opens. As a motor can create hot spots with no flow you want the antifreeze to circulate and let the motor warm evenly. All water cooled engines I've seen have a bypass system that allows the antifreeze to circulate through the motor.

I know a few people with inline heaters. They work!

 

[vetcorman05]

I have a heater on my vector and it works great.

 

[Sevey]

Hey Sasquatch,
Appreciate the feedback. Like i said, I have asked many about this but never heard any details.
Do your friends plug them in and let them stay on over night, or do they plug them in an hour or two before their ride?
Curious, have they ever placed their hand on parts of the engine to feel if it creates enough heat its 'warm to the touch'?

I have been using a small heater designed to keep aircraft engines above freezing. It is made to place inside the cowl and let it run continuous. You can place your hand on the engine, battery, dry sump resevoir and feel they are all warm (not hot) and well above freezing. Pretty happy with it.
The only downfall is its tough to take tripping because its a touch bulky and unless you bundle the sled up with a thick blanket and cover it, the heat disappates in the cold air.
MS

 

[trailhed1]

Thanks for the replies. Much appreciated.

 

[vetcorman05]

Yes sevey,when it's plugged in it is warm to the touch. When I know I'm going riding I'll plug it in over night, even if I'm driving for an hour or so to get there and have never had a problem, i also keep my battery on a maintainer. If you look at the Yellowknife log,thread he will plug his in for an hour or two,before he defected.

 

[4strokeluvr111]

The t-stats in both of my Vector's open at approx. 165F (have digital temp gauges). I have the inline heater on my 05 and it seems to work well when I use it, which has been very few times through the years.

FWIW - my thinking is that if you're living in a region with consistently cold temps (northern MN, ND, etc and Canada) I'd be installing a stick-on heater pad on the oil tank. Warmed up oil is good for any engine.

 

[WinderFab]

I do most of my riding in northern ontario n quebec and have a inline coolant heater and a stick on oil tank heater and where I can plug it in over night it does make a difference when starting the sled in the morning, sounds a lot better when it first starts up,
A buddy of mine also retro fitted a battery warmer on his apex for when the temps really dip down n his sled cranks like its summer in the coldest temps, not sure exactly how he did it though,
I remember him tell me it was some kind of stick on pad that he put under the battery n some hard foam under that to keep the pad from rubbing the battery tray...

 

[4strokeluvr111]

I do most of my riding in northern ontario n quebec and have a inline coolant heater and a stick on oil tank heater and where I can plug it in over night it does make a difference when starting the sled in the morning, sounds a lot better when it first starts up,
A buddy of mine also retro fitted a battery warmer on his apex for when the temps really dip down n his sled cranks like its summer in the coldest temps, not sure exactly how he did it though,
I remember him tell me it was some kind of stick on pad that he put under the battery n some hard foam under that to keep the pad from rubbing the battery tray...

In a post on Yellowknifes thread I posted a link to a battery heater I found.

 

[Simon Forest]

I stuck one of these on the bottom of the engine, beside the oil filter & one on the oil res of my 2010 Vector.

I used the 2"X 5" & leave them plugged in all night. I've only tried it to about -32C, but it worked great.

 

[trailhed1]

No start this morning at 7am, plugged in coolant heater went to breakfast. 8am started right up. One hour plugged in.