Aftermarket windscreen heaters

Tobster86

The first thing you should do is check that the thermostat is working. The chances are it's stuck open.

Also, seems counter-intuitive but use air con if the vehicle has it as it dries the air going through the ventilation system.

Finally, a serious condensation problem indicates an ingress of water into the car, so check the door seals etc.

B00st

red_eye wrote: »

cover half of the radiator with a cardboard box and watch the temp rise, just make sure you keep an eye on the temp gauge to make sure your not getting past half way. if your getting to hot then remove some of the card.

This is an old hackney taxi trick

Why would you need to do this if the thermostat is working? There is no coolant flow through the radiator when this is closed so no need to block it off.

Mankysteve

B00st wrote: »

Why would you need to do this if the thermostat is working? There is no coolant flow through the radiator when this is closed so no need to block it off.

One would presume it would reduce the airflow though the engine bay.

epninety

olias wrote: »

Thanks - did you fit your webasto yourself? how easy was it, and does it need any specialised tools? Have seen a few on ebay, that although a lot more than I was hoping to pay, may well be worth it in the long run.

Olias

If you're handy with the tools, and can follow a simple technical manual, it's a doddle. Have a squint around the web and you'll find the 'generic' installation manual (Try 'Webasto Thermotop C' as search terms).
It's possible there's a dedicated installation manual and parts kit for a td5 disco available from Webasto. There certainly is for a td5 Defender, though I don't have a td5 so never tried it out.

The 240V unit would only take an hour or so to fit, the diesel powered one I would allow a whole day.

red_eye

B00st wrote: »

Why would you need to do this if the thermostat is working? There is no coolant flow through the radiator when this is closed so no need to block it off.

it is not to block the radiator, it only gets blocked as it is in the way. you could put it behind the rad but then the fan gets in the way and then you have to find a way of securing it

Reducing the amount of cold air entering the engine bay will bring it up to temp a lot quicker.

B00st

red_eye wrote: »

it is not to block the radiator, it only gets blocked as it is in the way. you could put it behind the rad but then the fan gets in the way and then you have to find a way of securing it

Reducing the amount of cold air entering the engine bay will bring it up to temp a lot quicker.

Even if you put the card behind the radiator it would still block it as air needs both enter and exit something to give a flow across.

Direct cooling of the engine isn't significant compared to the radiator and the amount will depend on the vehicles speed anyway. If driven slowly in traffic then blocking the airflow will have minimal effect.

More importantly is that it won't just be the radiator being blocked. On my 9-5 I have the radiator, intercooler, aircon rad, engine oil cooler and the transmission cooler all mounted in the area between the headlights. Blocking off the airflow to some of those and then running at high speed is likely to cause overheating issues.

Flying-High_2

I've gotta Td5 Defender Truck cab... Blows luke warm after 2 Miles and reads half way on the Temp gauge after 8miles of mainly main road driving....Not the warmest of places to be I know the Stats OK as I swapped it myself with an OE version....

red_eye

B00st wrote: »

Even if you put the card behind the radiator it would still block it as air needs both enter and exit something to give a flow across.

Direct cooling of the engine isn't significant compared to the radiator and the amount will depend on the vehicles speed anyway. If driven slowly in traffic then blocking the airflow will have minimal effect.

More importantly is that it won't just be the radiator being blocked. On my 9-5 I have the radiator, intercooler, aircon rad, engine oil cooler and the transmission cooler all mounted in the area between the headlights. Blocking off the airflow to some of those and then running at high speed is likely to cause overheating issues.

my point was you can put the card anywhere as long as it is blocking the air flow.

If there is an orifice for hot air to exit then cold air will enter, cold air over aluminium which has very good thermal conductivity and with a large surface aria will cool. not as efficient as a radiator but it works.

a 95 is a long way from a landy for a start a 95 has a little grill compared to the landy
2nd the op wants to get the engine up to temp so he can get the cabin up to temp there is no need for AC here 3rd if the land did have oil coolers and ac I doubt that it would be overheating at high speeds in this cold weather as long as the rad is partially blocked

londonTiger

if you want to solve this prtoperly you need to fix the cause and not the symptom.

Research the condensation issue on a forum dedicated to your make & model of car.

Over time the seals break in cars. Sometimes it's just a small case of the air filter not being seated correctly or other common issues.

On my car there's an issue with a rear washer dubing that goes through the inside of the car and it leaks and drops fluid into the car which causes the car to steam. Fixed it and substantially reduced the fog in the car. Though to get a flawless fog free window it will take time as water is often logged under the carpets absorbed by the soundproofing.

Also regards heating:

heating windows is just a temporary solution. If you want to do the job properly. use the air conditioning NOT heating. Air conditioning actually dehumidifies the car, the takes in the humid air and then expels dry air. This is by far the best way to remove fog. Much better than hot air which just heats the windows and doesnt remove any moisture.

There should be an AC setting where you can direct air directly onto the windows. It should clear the windows within minutes. Depending on the A/C unit. Some A/C units take a while to get going.

lastly. but a moisture absorber for your car.

only_mee

londonTiger wrote: »

There should be an AC setting where you can direct air directly onto the windows. It should clear the windows within minutes. Depending on the A/C unit. Some A/C units take a while to get going.

lastly. but a moisture absorber for your car.

Worth saying some cars wont allow the air con to be used lower than 5 deg to protect the air con pump.(Mine doesn't a 2001 Seat)