Originally Posted by twolostminds (Post 191920)

I'd like to know if I understand the FEH's warmup stratagy correctly...

After starting a cold soak engine the Pcm will run the motor extremely rich until the coolant temp and catalytic converter rise to operating temperature.

If the above is correct, at what temp does the cat need to be for the engine to end the rich burn warm up stratagy?

Originally Posted by twolostminds (Post 192023)

Would wrapping the exhaust header, downpipe and cat shorten the time to "light off" after initial cold soak start and lengthen the time unitl the ICE needs to kick back on in stop and go rush hour trafic? Or woould wrapping the cat just overheat it and lead to its early demise?

Originally Posted by GaryG (Post 192031)

The CAT gets as high as 1,200 degrees so I would not mess with something getting that hot. It not only could cause it early demise, but an early demise of your FEH (up in flames).

GaryG

Originally Posted by twolostminds (Post 192039)

Ok, so unless I want to roast some marshmellows over a $35K bonfire I'll rule out insulating the cat. :omg:

My main reason for trying to shorten the cold soak warm up stratagy is obviously better FE. Seems the only practical mechanical method would be a block heater. Now I just need to convince my townhome assoc. to let me run some underground electrical to our parking space. That should be fun. Maybe I'll do it and just forget to tell them. :zip:

The next logical step would be to change my wifes driving habits during the first mile or so. On her morning commute to work the first 0.8 miles is on a 25 MPH road that is 0.2 miles flat, 0.5 miles slight decline, then 0.1 slight uphill to a traffic light where she turns onto a local highway (US 1). From there it is 4 miles of 45 - 50 MPH stop and go traffic with traffic lights until she turns off onto a 40 MPH road for the last mile to work. Shes doing great on that last mile, setting the cruise control to 38 MPH and going almost the entire way in EV. Any ideas for increasing the first 0.8 miles?

Originally Posted by GaryG (Post 192058)

I find the best way to heat-up the battery is to drain it as much as possible the night before shutting the engine off.

Assuming that happens "naturally" then all well and good. But if you are somehow artifically draining the hybrid battery that seems self-defeating to me.

The warm-up strategy will take the SoC below the normal operating limit of 40% the next morning. You may not get any regen in cold weather but your small generator (MG1) will be working overtime right after the warm-up strategy to recharge the battery. This heavy charging is the only way I know to heat the battery cells the quickest. In addition, engine load turning MG1 will help further heat the engine and CAT. No matter what, the best FE is a slow acceleration and avoid any hard acceleration that will disrupt the warm-up strategy of retarding the timing. On the '09 the cold engine idle is still 1,600 RPM so avoid any acceleration that will increase that idle. The warm engine idle during the warm-up strategy will be around 1,100 RPM, so avoid breaking that idle till the strategy is finished.

The engine block heater on a timer set 3 hours prior to start-up is what I'm hearing from Debbie Katz.

What effect will a preheated engine have on the catalyst warm-up cycle...? Adverse..??

Engine "arrives" at the selected heat level (long) before the Catalyst temperature has been raised to operational temperature, thereby foreshortening the catalyst warm-up cycle. Resulting in the catalyst failing prematurely, 70,000 miles instead of 150,000...??


She uses the block heater year round in WI in her '05 FEH and says it really reduces the time to go EV. My '09 here in Florida heats up so quickly with the recommendations above, I usually have to wait for my SoC to get above 42% to go EV. Therefore there is no reason for me to install a block heater.

One last thing you may want to consider is dressing warm and wait till the coolant temperature get real hot before running the cabin heater. The cabin heater will delay engine warm-up and will shorten your EV time. If your climate control is set to anything but OFF, the electric heater pump will circulate coolant in the heater core while in EV. Remember, when the engine shutsdown, the belt driven coolant pump stops also. Ford had to add the electric coolant pump for EV only to keep the cabin warm.

GaryG

Originally Posted by wwest (Post 192064)

Many newer climate control systems will not even start the system blower until the engine coolant temperature reaches ~130F.

Does the FEH even have an engine driven water pump..??