I have a water heater mounted in the waterpipe that exits just above the
#2 exhaust port, it heats the water in the engine, to about 20-30C. This
makes the engine start easier, and pollutes less than a cold engine. It
is made by the Norwegian Defa company. They make heating systems for
engine and interior (ac - you plug it in a socket in your garage) and
alarm systems.
You can't expect a fully warmed engine though.

PerL
88 Syncro

Karl Bloss wrote:

> 'tis the season for those of us in colder climes, so I thought I'd
> let people know that there is such a beast as an engine block heater
> specifically for the Vanagon.
>
> They bolt right on to the bottom of the oil pan using existing
> bolts. Be sure to zip-tie the cord out of the way of any pulleys or
> belts. I scanned the instructions and they're on my web site.  I'm
> sure the list.vendors have these.  The part # is ZVP289104, priced
> around $40.
>
> I run around with 20W50 all year, so I figure it's good to give the
> old girl something less viscous than crankcase pudding to deal with
> upon cold starts.
>
> -Karl
>
> Karl F. Bloss - blosskf@apci.com or bloss@enter.net
> '87 Vanagon GL Weekender "Beverley"; Trexlertown, PA
> http://www.enter.net/~bloss/vw/
> VW shops: http://www.enter.net/~bloss/vw/vwshops/