Does anyone know of an ATV Engine warmer of any kind?
I have a BRP Quest and the temperature regularily gets down to -20 or more and I dont have a heated garage to store it in. I dont necessarily have problems starting it in the cold, but it would seem a logical way to save engine wear, would it not? or is it not necessary for atv engines?

Thanks in advance,
Dan

 

I have an '04 Outlander 400, and it stays up at the cottage, where it often gets -30 and can get down to -40, and it always starts. So, it doesn't seem to be a big issue.

I am wondering about the antifreeze, however, as this is the second winter without changing the original coolant.

 

yes its not an issue whether it starts or not. mine does start too but its more of a unnecessary engine wear saver. I have to start my atv each morning at the cottage also, so it would be great for me. maybe not so great if you only use your atv rarely when its that cold out [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

As for the engine coolant, I would think its a good idea to change it every couple years myself. Maybe its recommended to be done yearly. I'm not sure.

 

Don't know of any ATV specific engine heaters but I suspect a carefully placed heat lamp would do the job. Trouble with heat lamps is they are something of a fire hazard if used improperly.

I would pass on a comment a mechanic once made to me. If you are going to add heat to an engine in cold weather be sure you keep it above the dew point to avoid building up condensation on the interior surfaces. You definitely don't want to be adding water to your oil.

 

Thats not good at all. I never thought of that. and also I dont quite understand how that works. can you explain that a little more? Whats the 'dew point'?

Thanks..

 

Just as warm air in your house will condense on a cold window forming water droplets, air within the engine can be warmed and migrate thru the engine to a colder area where it can condense out as it is cooled by the colder metal. The rate of condensation is controlled by the heat differential and humidity level of the air. The actual dew point is where the air cools sufficiently that it is no longer able to support the humidity level it contains.

The trick to keep condensation from building in an area is basically two fold. First, keep the area heated above the dew point and second, do not allow air from another area to enter.

If air is at, just for example, 50% relative humidity this means it is holding 50% of the moisture possible at that temperature. If the temperature is raised the air expands and the RH drops accordingly. If the air is cooled the RH rises until, at a certain point, it exceeds 100% at which point you have reached dew point and condensation occurs.

 

I keep a 100-watt light bulb burning in my unheated but insulated garage where the quad resides. Outside temps have been 12? yet the inside temp has never dropped below 32?.

degree sign displays as ? in posts.

 

arcticcat makes one for there atvs im not sure if its a universal type thing or how it works or if it can be mounted to another atv with some moding. but check it out. im considering getting one