Safety, Critical Alert

[TheSilkySmooth]

Originally Posted by WolfWings

The cold weather pack can be easilly checked for in the US: Do you have a 'low windshield wiper fluid' light? You have the cold weather pack. It also includes a MUCH larger washer-fluid tank, able to gulp down an entire 1-gallon bottle of fluid from a gas station at a go once the low-fluid light turns on.

It also comes with a somewhat akward-to-utilize but awesome feature: The ceramic block heater. Turn on the car and leave it at idle, with the temperature at full, and you have positively scalding heat even with the engine bone-cold. :-) It's not mentioned in the owner's manual, but it's in the workshop manuals on what triggers it: Engine idle, coolant cold, ambient temperature under about 50F, you get artificial heating.

Really. I dont think I have this. In fact its a fire hazard - I dont know if anyone would have this on a US car. I have always WISHED cars had and electric element heater for deforst on icy vindeshieldt days. But Show me the money? This engine is warmed up in 3 minutes after start so unless its instant within ten seconds or so I still cant believe it.

[ToddR]

Originally Posted by TheSilkySmooth

Really. I dont think I have this. In fact its a fire hazard - I dont know if anyone would have this on a US car. I have always WISHED cars had and electric element heater for deforst on icy vindeshieldt days. But Show me the money? This engine is warmed up in 3 minutes after start so unless its instant within ten seconds or so I still cant believe it.

Fire hazard or not, it's there if you have the All-Weather Guard package. Here in the midwest cars don't warm up in three minutes during the winter. I'm really glad I have this in my Yaris, but I wonder if the high power consumption is effecting my mileage. It looks like it draws close to 40 amps when on.


FYI
The DRL module is also tied into the foglight wiring. I seem to recall a user here who had some issue with his foglights after removing the DRL module. The post may have been lost in the hack and I can't recall what the exact problem was (and I'm too lazy to look for it) but it's worth mentioning.

[TheSilkySmooth]

[QUOTE=ToddR;190608]Fire hazard or not, it's there if you have the All-Weather Guard package. Here in the midwest cars don't warm up in three minutes during the winter. I'm really glad I have this in my Yaris, but I wonder if the high power consumption is effecting my mileage. It looks like it draws close to 40 amps when on.=QUOTE]


Well, I am in the cold New England and we are regularly +20 deg F and have a week of -10 to -20F usually once the season. I have the optional Cold weather package with HD heater and big washer bottle and heavy fan. So How do I get this special heat t work? Where exactly do you set the HVAC controls - maybe this is answer mystery why my car dies with the heat on - electric heater its taking all the juicyness far away away from my little battery

[WolfWings]

Well, I am in the cold New England and we are regularly +20 deg F and have a week of -10 to -20F usually once the season. I have the optional Cold weather package with HD heater and big washer bottle and heavy fan. So How do I get this special heat to work? Where exactly do you set the HVAC controls - maybe this is answer mystery why my car dies with the heat on - electric heater its taking all the juicyness far away away from my little battery

The car must be:
A/C Temperature at MAX.
Blower is anything but off.
Engine at idle speed or faster, AKA running!
Outside air is 50F/10C or less. (Cold enough to fog the windshield.)
Coolant is 150F/65C or less. (Cool light is still lit on the dashboard.)

It will turn the ceramic heater on in stages at 10, 20, and 30 seconds, ramping up from 20 amps to 30 amps, then 40 amps. So it's not a sudden 'surge' of hot air, but it does warm up quickly.

The effect will be most noticable if you keep the blower on LOW, not high. Set the 'vents' to the far left/dash-only, close everything but the side vent on one side, aim it at your face, set blower on low, near-instant toasty.

[auxmike]

Nice!
I gotta try this!

[WolfWings]

Originally Posted by TheSilkySmooth

Really. I dont think I have this. In fact its a fire hazard - I dont know if anyone would have this on a US car. I have always WISHED cars had and electric element heater for deforst on icy vindeshieldt days. But Show me the money? This engine is warmed up in 3 minutes after start so unless its instant within ten seconds or so I still cant believe it.

Hell, I'm lucky to get my Yaris to turn off the 'cold' marker in ten miles of driving in the winter out here in Missouri. But if I let it set 10-30 seconds before I leave, the ceramic block heater's warmed up and I get warm air at least even if the engine is cold.

And it's actually not a fire hazard. While it can pump out 'hot to the touch' air, it can't make enough heat to actually catch things on fire AFAIK.