P500 Extreme cold weather modifications

[The Green Goat]

Put small piece of cardboard in front of radiator during extreme cold


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doh! I knew that. Always trying to overcomplicate things.

 

[Smitty335]

doh! I knew that. Always trying to overcomplicate things.

I half to stop and laugh at my self at lest once a week!

 

[MarlinWalker]

@FlyingPot8oh

Here is the link to my heater system I built a couple of years ago.

P500 - Heater installed with Pictures

New 2018 Pioneer 500 owner here. I’ve had it for about a month now and it has been great. Here in northern Idaho the snow will keep me out of the mountains for about 3-4 months but early spring and late fall is ridable but can be downright chilly. So I set out to enclose my cab. I bought a...

hondasxs.com

I plumbed in the heater core in series before the radiator and created the valve manifold to by pass the heater core during the summer. Some of the aftermarket kits instruct you to plumb in parallel and that lets your radiator get equal dibs on the excess engine heat as the heater core. Since we are needing to harvest all the heat we can from the 500, placing the heater core first boosts your recovery efficiency. With that being said. When it's real cold out you have to block the radiator off with a piece of cardboard or something like it to get good heat.

I purchased a 28,000 btu "rated" heater core/blower unit. With the radiator fully blocked off, it can replace the radiator's cooling capacity completely and pump it all inside the cab. Like you calculated earlier in this post. The 500 doesn't produce even close to that so I'm not getting that kind of heat, but I went big to be sure I could run with the radiator fully blocked and not have to worry about overheat, at least in cold conditions.

Lastly, sealing the cab with windshield, roof, doors, and a back panel is a must. Or it really goes to waste blowing away with the wind. Sealing up the air gaps in the front panel like the 4wd shifter, reverse lever, and behind the pedals pays dividends as well. A fair amount of cold air blows through those when you get up to speed. There are posts on the forum on how others have done this. I have used some of these methods.

Let us know what you decide.

 

[snakeriver]

Anyone found a higher temp thermostat for the P5? Or rigged up someway to redirect coolant around the radiator so it runs a bit hotter in the winter? Might make a heater more effective. Im just brainstorming here. Not sure if either of those are feasible or even a good idea.

I have a shut off valve that allows me to restrict the flow of the water to where I can run a higher percentage of water to either the heater side or radiator side.

 

[Mudder]

Using an adjustable flow valve like this? Maybe cable operated pull/push knob on dash, like the choke on my old FJ 40.

 

[NitroxDiver]

Using an adjustable flow valve like this? Maybe cable operated pull/push knob on dash, like the choke on my old FJ 40.

View attachment 235999

That’s the same valve I used when I made my kit. I used the remote engine thermostat and it requires coolant flow all the time in order to get the thermostat to open and close properly. My heater is getting water before the thermostat so it gets hot water all the time. This Valve allows me to bypass the water around the heater to control the cabin temp. Heater works pretty good when the engine is under load, it also helps to cover the radiator. Covering the radiator also helps with the cold air coming through the holes in the dash.

 

[Mkmcdnl]

If.y

So, tonight we had the first proper snowfall this year (small amounts had already fallen, late and slight). It's a bit backward, we've already seen -29f, but very little snow. I've just been out in the neighborhood, and forecast amounts of snow have, IMO, been exceeded.

Anyway, although I have the soft full doors for my P-500, I've yet to mount them. Garage space, wot. But there's another problem: My windshield is missing the side weather seals.
In the late night, I decided to drive about the neighborhood, a steep and sparsely populated space. Normally I would not drive on public roads, but snow was heavy and traffic was absent.
I was absolutely coated with snowdust inside the cab. Never more than 25 mph, I was subjected to snow-dust forming from the front wheels, the new snow sneaking in from the side of the windshield, and what's especially annoying, steam rushing up from the engine, where the seat belt latches are, as the Pioneer hit new snow on the ground.

I should say that I have a hard top, soft back, and a hard-coat Honda windscreen, I don't know why, but that windscreen doesn't have the stock weather stripping that mates it to the ROPS tube. It has an aftermarket wiper, but it's too small, and mounted incorrectly.

I've heard testimony that the heat coming through the engine via the space made by the seat belt mount is good enough... but good enough for what?

Even if it's cold, I think I need a strong positive cab air-flow. steamy air from the engine is... er, steamy. I need clear windows, and clear glasses.

I recently saw a website extolling a soft gasket that fits on the bottom of the P-500 door in order to keep out sand. I bet it'd work for fine, dry snow. I forget where I saw it.
I can think of some solutions, but they require permanent modification. I'm reticent.

I bet the SSS skid plate would help a lot regarding steam from the engine. It would help so many ways. Ugh, alas, I'm not a man of means.

There is finally an aftermarket heater for the P-500 that claims good performance. I'm intrigued. They make bold claims regarding heating performance, but I can't see their air flow stats.

Heat is nice, but if it makes fog, I cant drive.

Wow, what a ramble. Sorry. Maybe I should have delayed my comments so that I could make a more salient point, but conditions are changing so fast just now, I felt I had to get something written down.

No... wait...

I was preoccupied by the recent snow, I totally forgot to make my original point!

Extreme cold. I don't mean "wind chill" or "feels like." Who has dealt with a truly cold-soaked P-500? It's the same engine as the Foreman, and those have been run at crazy cold temps as a matter of course in Alaska. plug-in coolant and oil heaters for cars are common here, the equivalent for ATVs has pretty much been oil-sump heaters.

Have you had to deal with a cold soaked P-500? What did you do to get it started? Why did you need it to start?


There, now I'm back n track... um... but somehow even more verbose.

Sorry
[/QUOTE If you are referring to the space between the windscreen and the ROPS, it bugged me also. Went to walmart, bought a roll of weather stripping, 1" x 8 '. Worked perfectly. Was $8.00.

 

[Mkmcdnl]

My

Got any recommendations on a heater kit? I'd like to put one on the 520 when I get it

My Inferno kit comes in on monday 10/23. I'll let you know. This kit takes the coolant before it hits the radiator. So you get max heat available. I'll keep you posted.

 

[snakeriver]

Using an adjustable flow valve like this? Maybe cable operated pull/push knob on dash, like the choke on my old FJ 40.

View attachment 235999

Yep that's the one I have.......

 

[Luno]

Hi, I just bought a thermostat bypass and want to install it and was wondering if I have to leave the thermostat on the engine and add the inline thermostat bypass before my heater box also with the thermostat that came with it... I would think you would get more coolant in the heater if the thermostat is only after the heater....

 

[Smitty335]

Hi, I just bought a thermostat bypass and want to install it and was wondering if I have to leave the thermostat on the engine and add the inline thermostat bypass before my heater box also with the thermostat that came with it... I would think you would get more coolant in the heater if the thermostat is only after the heater....

Duno, seems as though you would want the engine warmed up, maybe on the upper radiator hose?

 

[Mudder]

Seems like both would open at the right temp, leave the OEM one intact- less work?

 

[Smitty335]

Seems like both would open at the right temp, leave the OEM one intact- less work?

Don't know how the plumbing works on these heaters. But in my small mind the diversion valve would be between the motor on the way back to the radiator?

 

[906UP]

@Luno is correct on this one. In the automotive world the coolant is in a closed circuit between the engine & heater core until the coolant is warm enough to open the T-stat to send to the radiator. Unfortunately the engine in a SxS doesn't have the ports to pull coolant from the engine before the T-stat but I think his idea could work.

 

[Mudder]

@Caper posted a magnetic block heater, maybe this company has something to work with the P500. Interesting remote timer feature controlled by an app.