Why I do not like autostart or thinking of a geek at a frozen car ...
The reason for the publication was a heated discussion of one avtogadzheta here . In the comments, I expressed an opinion about the autostart function of the machine (and about the problem of warming up the machine as a whole), here I want to expand the topic. The place of whether “automotive” publication on GT is up to you, but I believe that the geek should be a geek in everything, understanding the processes taking place in his surroundings. Moreover, the favorite car can and should "make hands". All of the following is: a) the result of the observation and operation of automobiles, b) a personal opinion that does not claim the ultimate truth.
So, winter. By this word, I mean the average urban winter, with an average temperature of -7 -10 (forgive me Oimyakon residents) and periodic frosts / thaws. This is important because in more severe edges the problem of starting the engine in a frost is solved by other, more hardcore methods.
Car cold start is a test for all its systems. And for the engine, which is not only cold, but also oil-hungry, and for electricians, in which starting currents rage. Personally, I feel sorry for the engine - motorists say that every cold start is equal to several hundred kilometers. But the average user does not think about it - he needs to get a warm car by the time he leaves the house, into which he sat down and went. And he turns to the service to install the autorun system ...
')
What, in my opinion, bad autostart? For convenience, I will do a list:
Now more. For the first two points, there is no need for special explanations - the anti-theft system of a modern car (even the standard one) is a complicated thing and the "signaling" with auto start is connected to it at a multitude of points. And it is also a shame when the stock system suits you completely, but you still have to spend money on third-party signaling, just to get an autostart.
Want to save on a competent installation - problems. I am personally acquainted with the person who was set to autorun, and the immobilizer bypass was made simply and elegantly - they attached the chip from the second key with adhesive tape in the glove compartment. Autostart worked, yes. But the car was hijacked, because the immobilizer did not perform its functions after the revision was completed, and the installed alarm system turned into a simple sirenpumpkin , which specialists spend no more than 5 minutes to turn off.
About the cold start of the engine, we have already said, but about his additional wear I want to say especially. I believe that the engine of the car is needed for it to go , and not to warm it! The heat released is a side resource and I get frustrated every time I see cars warming up for half an hour. About the additional costs of gasoline, I do not remember.
So is there an alternative? Two whole! First, it is possible, after dressing warmer, to leave the house in advance, scrape the ice off the glasses, clean the snow and only after that start the engine. He stood for a couple of minutes, warmed himself - and on the road. The disadvantages are obvious: the cold start has not gone anywhere, the interior is cold. Pros - no additional costs. Honestly, for regions with rare winter frosts and gasoline engines up to 1.5 liters is quite a working method.
The second alternative is to install a preheater. About her, I want to tell you more.
The liquid preheater is an ingenious gasoline / diesel stove that heats the coolant in the engine. It is said that a similar heater was used in Zaporozhtsy, but many drivers were afraid to turn it on because of the possibility of fire and fire. That is why I drew attention to the fact that the modern heater is very smart.
The control circuit monitors the temperature of the stove, the coolant, the presence of flame in the combustion chamber, fuel supply ... If at least one parameter is not pleasant to the system, the fuel supply is turned off, the heater is forcibly turned off. Therefore, if you do not violate the installation rules, the device can be called completely safe.
The first and main question of the car owner, who is offered to put under the hood something resembling a primus stove: “will it not catch fire”? I already spoke about the protection system. Normally, the heater is turned off either by timer (the time is set by the user, usually 15-30 minutes is enough), or upon reaching a certain temperature, or (emergency) overheating. In my model (I'm not sure that everyone has it), a hard limit was built into the electronics for the heater's time limit — 60 minutes (that is, it was forcibly cut down after an hour).
How to control the activation of the heater remotely? (here, the reader should read these lines with palms, and arduins in the closet should start jumping impatiently :)). There are many regular control units for every taste and budget. The simplest is programmed to turn on the heater at a certain time (weekly timer). There are systems with radio or with GSM control. The main devilish charm lies in the fact that the heater electronics is minimally in contact with the electronics of the car and it can be fearlessly improved with your own hands, without thinking about the CAN bus and other difficulties.
This, by the way, is another (for me, decisive) advantage of the heater over the autorun system. The latter takes root deeply into the vehicle’s on-board system and it’s almost impossible to fix something “stalled” on your own. With the heater, everything is much simpler.
An attentive reader will ask - what about a warm interior? Well, your heater will heat the engine, it will start easily, OK. And in the car is a Dubak! The question is correct, and it would be strange to think that the clever designers did not find an answer to it. As I already said, it is enough to connect the heater electrically only to the power supply (+ 12V and ground). This is enough for basic functions. But it is much more correct (and the manufacturer adheres to the same opinion) to connect the heater to the speed switch of the heater fan as well. Then after the start of heating, the electronics will also turn on the cabin fan (the first speed is enough) and, together with the coolant, the car will also start to heat up.
Minuses? There is, as without them. By tradition, the list:
On the first point. I deliberately do not provide comparative prices for the installation of preheater and alarm with auto start. It all strongly depends on the number of frills. I suggest everyone to determine for themselves - which is more expensive for your car. The only advice is not to save on installers (it is better to buy a younger model with a base unit, but let it be installed by certified specialists). And then you can do the screw yourself.
In general, the heater should be put on a new car in order to preserve the engine resource and “live happily ever after” from the very beginning. If you change the car every two years - perhaps this investment will not pay off. Well, unless the buyer will understand.
About the discharge of the battery. There are four electricity consumers in the heater: a glow plug, a control unit, an air blower and a fuel pump. Well, also a heater fan, if you have connected to it. This would seem quite a lot. But the trick is that the glow plug (the “fattest” consumer) only works in the first minutes after launch. Then the ignition of the fuel (as I understand it - catalytic combustion) occurs on a hot grid that is installed around the candle (see figure). According to the passport heater consumes about 30-70 watts. That is roughly equivalent to a passing beam. A “live” battery doesn’t lose its charge in an hour of operation, and it’s better not to drive at all with a dead winter :).
PS Finally, about a very interesting alternative - also a preheater, but an electric one. The essence of his work is the same, just a 220V network is used to cool the coolant. If at your home and at work there is an opportunity to “throw out” an extension cord and warm yourself from the outlet for half an hour - this method definitely wins over the gasoline heater. I hope we will live to the parking and parking equipment with power supplies, as in some northern countries ...
PPS I have no relation to the companies "W ..." or "E ...". Just worried about the waste of money, non-renewable energy and harm to nature.
UPD: I take out the comments. The most budget option - domestic heater "Binar". It costs about 25K, installation - 15K.
So, winter. By this word, I mean the average urban winter, with an average temperature of -7 -10 (forgive me Oimyakon residents) and periodic frosts / thaws. This is important because in more severe edges the problem of starting the engine in a frost is solved by other, more hardcore methods.
Car cold start is a test for all its systems. And for the engine, which is not only cold, but also oil-hungry, and for electricians, in which starting currents rage. Personally, I feel sorry for the engine - motorists say that every cold start is equal to several hundred kilometers. But the average user does not think about it - he needs to get a warm car by the time he leaves the house, into which he sat down and went. And he turns to the service to install the autorun system ...
')
What, in my opinion, bad autostart? For convenience, I will do a list:
- a high degree of interference with the vehicle’s on-board systems;
- increase the likelihood of theft in the event of a “collective farm” immobilizer bypass;
- additional engine wear and fuel consumption;
- and, most importantly, we are not moving away from the cold start problem.
Now more. For the first two points, there is no need for special explanations - the anti-theft system of a modern car (even the standard one) is a complicated thing and the "signaling" with auto start is connected to it at a multitude of points. And it is also a shame when the stock system suits you completely, but you still have to spend money on third-party signaling, just to get an autostart.
Want to save on a competent installation - problems. I am personally acquainted with the person who was set to autorun, and the immobilizer bypass was made simply and elegantly - they attached the chip from the second key with adhesive tape in the glove compartment. Autostart worked, yes. But the car was hijacked, because the immobilizer did not perform its functions after the revision was completed, and the installed alarm system turned into a simple siren
About the cold start of the engine, we have already said, but about his additional wear I want to say especially. I believe that the engine of the car is needed for it to go , and not to warm it! The heat released is a side resource and I get frustrated every time I see cars warming up for half an hour. About the additional costs of gasoline, I do not remember.
So is there an alternative? Two whole! First, it is possible, after dressing warmer, to leave the house in advance, scrape the ice off the glasses, clean the snow and only after that start the engine. He stood for a couple of minutes, warmed himself - and on the road. The disadvantages are obvious: the cold start has not gone anywhere, the interior is cold. Pros - no additional costs. Honestly, for regions with rare winter frosts and gasoline engines up to 1.5 liters is quite a working method.
The second alternative is to install a preheater. About her, I want to tell you more.
The liquid preheater is an ingenious gasoline / diesel stove that heats the coolant in the engine. It is said that a similar heater was used in Zaporozhtsy, but many drivers were afraid to turn it on because of the possibility of fire and fire. That is why I drew attention to the fact that the modern heater is very smart.
The control circuit monitors the temperature of the stove, the coolant, the presence of flame in the combustion chamber, fuel supply ... If at least one parameter is not pleasant to the system, the fuel supply is turned off, the heater is forcibly turned off. Therefore, if you do not violate the installation rules, the device can be called completely safe.
The principle of operation of the heater I will remove under the spoiler, so as not to offend the experts with simple truths.
The heater is installed in the gap of the cooling circuit (the standard pipe is removed, the heater is placed instead). Will need topping up the coolant. Installation location under the hood is selected based on the availability of free space, the manufacturer recommends that you put the heater as low as possible to avoid airing.
The heater consumes the same fuel as the engine. In most cases, the power comes from a regular tank, but if desired / necessary, you can install a separate one. The fuel line at the heater is its own, it either crashes into the tank, or it is connected to the regular fuel line of the car - direct or reverse (depending on the design features).
When turned on, the heater performs a self-test, turns on a glow plug, air supply, coolant pump and starts pumping fuel (it has its own fuel pump). Fuel fumes are ignited, the heater goes into operation (it produces a distinctive and very pleasant sound), the circulating coolant starts to warm the engine.
The heater consumes the same fuel as the engine. In most cases, the power comes from a regular tank, but if desired / necessary, you can install a separate one. The fuel line at the heater is its own, it either crashes into the tank, or it is connected to the regular fuel line of the car - direct or reverse (depending on the design features).
When turned on, the heater performs a self-test, turns on a glow plug, air supply, coolant pump and starts pumping fuel (it has its own fuel pump). Fuel fumes are ignited, the heater goes into operation (it produces a distinctive and very pleasant sound), the circulating coolant starts to warm the engine.
The first and main question of the car owner, who is offered to put under the hood something resembling a primus stove: “will it not catch fire”? I already spoke about the protection system. Normally, the heater is turned off either by timer (the time is set by the user, usually 15-30 minutes is enough), or upon reaching a certain temperature, or (emergency) overheating. In my model (I'm not sure that everyone has it), a hard limit was built into the electronics for the heater's time limit — 60 minutes (that is, it was forcibly cut down after an hour).
How to control the activation of the heater remotely? (here, the reader should read these lines with palms, and arduins in the closet should start jumping impatiently :)). There are many regular control units for every taste and budget. The simplest is programmed to turn on the heater at a certain time (weekly timer). There are systems with radio or with GSM control. The main devilish charm lies in the fact that the heater electronics is minimally in contact with the electronics of the car and it can be fearlessly improved with your own hands, without thinking about the CAN bus and other difficulties.
This, by the way, is another (for me, decisive) advantage of the heater over the autorun system. The latter takes root deeply into the vehicle’s on-board system and it’s almost impossible to fix something “stalled” on your own. With the heater, everything is much simpler.
An attentive reader will ask - what about a warm interior? Well, your heater will heat the engine, it will start easily, OK. And in the car is a Dubak! The question is correct, and it would be strange to think that the clever designers did not find an answer to it. As I already said, it is enough to connect the heater electrically only to the power supply (+ 12V and ground). This is enough for basic functions. But it is much more correct (and the manufacturer adheres to the same opinion) to connect the heater to the speed switch of the heater fan as well. Then after the start of heating, the electronics will also turn on the cabin fan (the first speed is enough) and, together with the coolant, the car will also start to heat up.
Minuses? There is, as without them. By tradition, the list:
- financial costs for the purchase and installation of the heater;
- battery power consumption.
On the first point. I deliberately do not provide comparative prices for the installation of preheater and alarm with auto start. It all strongly depends on the number of frills. I suggest everyone to determine for themselves - which is more expensive for your car. The only advice is not to save on installers (it is better to buy a younger model with a base unit, but let it be installed by certified specialists). And then you can do the screw yourself.
The simplest control unit in the interior
In general, the heater should be put on a new car in order to preserve the engine resource and “live happily ever after” from the very beginning. If you change the car every two years - perhaps this investment will not pay off. Well, unless the buyer will understand.
About the discharge of the battery. There are four electricity consumers in the heater: a glow plug, a control unit, an air blower and a fuel pump. Well, also a heater fan, if you have connected to it. This would seem quite a lot. But the trick is that the glow plug (the “fattest” consumer) only works in the first minutes after launch. Then the ignition of the fuel (as I understand it - catalytic combustion) occurs on a hot grid that is installed around the candle (see figure). According to the passport heater consumes about 30-70 watts. That is roughly equivalent to a passing beam. A “live” battery doesn’t lose its charge in an hour of operation, and it’s better not to drive at all with a dead winter :).
Glow candle and mesh (photo stole with Drive2)
PS Finally, about a very interesting alternative - also a preheater, but an electric one. The essence of his work is the same, just a 220V network is used to cool the coolant. If at your home and at work there is an opportunity to “throw out” an extension cord and warm yourself from the outlet for half an hour - this method definitely wins over the gasoline heater. I hope we will live to the parking and parking equipment with power supplies, as in some northern countries ...
PPS I have no relation to the companies "W ..." or "E ...". Just worried about the waste of money, non-renewable energy and harm to nature.
UPD: I take out the comments. The most budget option - domestic heater "Binar". It costs about 25K, installation - 15K.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/370119/
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