Chevy & GMC Vans

I'm on call 24-7 for my job and part of the requirement is showing up ASAP supposed to be within 45 minutes. Due to living a 20 minute drive away in good weather when it's bad it can take me a half hour or more just for the drive.

So I'm trying to find ways of warming up the van faster. Aside from the block heater and a grill cover what else can I do to speed up warm up times. So I can get outta my driveway faster with out damaging the van because I'm not letting it warm up enough.

It is a freaking astro van... drive it till it dies... then install a V8... have we not taught you anything yet? 2 more cylinders will also warm up faster

other options may include;

a garage or covered structure
fuel tank heater
remote start so you can hit the button while you are getting ready
did I mention a V8?
you could hook your cooling system into a quick release fitting that connects to the hot water furnace in your house.

i am out of ideas

how about a V8? I have one for sale you know

Do you mean the interior or the engine?

ihatemybike wrote:Do you mean the interior or the engine?

I'm thinking both.... PLus the tranny...... The engine with the block heater and grill cover warm up in a reasonable amount of time but the tranny is still frozen..... I was looking around and they sell an oil pan heater that goes on the bottom outside of the oil pan. I wonder if one can be used on the tranny.


The windshield is my other major concern the sooner I can see the sooner I can go.

You might try the remote starter option. My wife loves hers in the Jeep.

I don't see why the oil pan heater wouldn't work on the trans.

To heat the interior faster you need to make it smaller, maybe a heavy blanket or curtain used as a divider behind the front seats.

i like the blanket idea. but honestly a remote starter is the only way id go give it 10 mins and your set.
Danny

Orrrrrrrrr,you could have Peter ride along with ya. Er no did I say that??. Sorry,I didn't really mean that.

3rd vote for a remote starter , its the only way your going to accomplish warming the van & interior with out coming out to start it for warm up .

4th vote!!!!

2nd vote for Someone's ideas.

nitropyro wrote:i like the blanket idea. but honestly a remote starter is the only way id go give it 10 mins and your set.
Danny

I have have been considering it aswell.. But I have my time from call to van waiting to go, down to less than 2 minutes so I don't know if it'll help that much... Give it 2 more minutes I guess but I'm trying to find ways that essentially I can just hit the van and be within a minute or 2 of going.

I was thinking one of the 12v windshield defrosters combined with a remote starter but the cig / acc plugs are not shut off by the ignition or that would work pretty well I think.

well i can see no one here is of any help..........quit your job and move to arizona......


ok ok.....remote starter it is......

potskie wrote:I was thinking one of the 12v windshield defrosters combined with a remote starter but the cig / acc plugs are not shut off by the ignition or that would work pretty well I think.

Wouldn't take that much rewiring.

second vote for moving somewhere warmer............

if not, then remote start is your best option, along with storing indoors to reduce windchill (on you when entering vehicle, since windchill supposedly doesn't affect anything but skin? at least that was how it was explained to me) the vehicle will be a few degrees warmer when remote start is activated, while your taking the call, start vehicle, by the time you get your shoes and coat(s) on and into the car, it should be warmed up to start driving, it can finish warming up on you way.

had it on one of my work vans, along with a thermohydrometer (I think that was what it was called), that monitored the temperature inside the vehicle, an alarm would sound if van got too cold (have to keep carpet cleaning equipment from freezing and being damaged) I would hit the remote start on vehicle and I left the front and rear heat on middle setting. The engine would run for about twenty minutes, then the engine would shut back off by itself.

Got to the point where I would hear the alarm go off, hit the remote start and go back to sleep. I'm thinking about having it installed on my Safari...... winter sucks..... I remind myself every winter, that they have carpets in Hawaii, I could be living there, doing the same thing for a living, and enjoying myself when I'm not working. Colorado, Northern California, North and South Carolina and a dozen other places would be nicer places to live than Cleveland.

Potskie - I also have to deal with cold weather - the starter might be good - programmed to start the van every few hours to keep it warm - aka a high end starter - but how about a garage - plain and simple - and heat it! Thats what I do - vehicles only ever get to about 5 centigrade - and are good to go, you could also install a heater inside the van - electric, and a warmer on the tranny - with the block heater. There are also propane/and electric powered re-circ water heaters available for the cooling system that might be an option - warm up the rad and the tranny fluid follows soon after. Used to have one of these propane systems on a old bush truck we used to take skidooing - pretty much jump started all the trucks of this unit if it was below - 35C