I was thinking about the engine heater on my 1.9l today.  Temperatures
dropped to below -30 celcius last night in Winnipeg and my van was hard
to start this morning, even though it was plugged in.

One of the problems is that alot of the heat is wasted, the cold air,
combined with wind under the van, must suck more than half the heat off
of the element.  Would it be benificial to create a tin shield for the
underside of the engine.  Something that would wrap the block heater and
the oil pan.  A dead air space would be created that would allow more of
the heat to help the engine.

If the shield were removeable, it would cause no problems in the summer.

Does this sound OK , or is my thinking way off the mark?

Thanks

Gregor