Hello everybody,
Does anybody know if the 110 kW M9R engine has any coolant pre-heater, anything with glow-plugs? I know for sure that the same engine on Vivaro has one with four glow plugs. I’d like to install one myself but if dont’t know if there’s already one somewhere under the engine.

As far as I know, glow plugs and coolant pre-heaters are two completely different things. Glow plugs are normally in the cylinders to heat the air in the cylinders to aid starting a cold engine, hence why there's 4 of them, one for each cylinder. A coolant pre-heater would normally be in a water pipe or in the radiator, I would have thought, and there would be a mains electricity connection somewhere for it.

In the attached photo is the Vivaro coolant pre-heater; coolant is heated by four glow plugs identical to those in the cylinder head but they are operated in a different way by a different relay and a thermostat. I know what is the main role of glow plugs in a diesel engine but some engines do have devices like the one in the photo. These are generally supplied with 12V. Block and oil pan heaters have generally a mains conection.
Another car I owned years ago, a Ford Mondeo MkIII, had that thing in-line with core heater and was mounted underneath the engine. I was wondering if the T31 has anything like that.

I do not know, is the vivaro one for the big or small coolant circle. I know that the Ford ones are for the small circle. and would install this one to warm up the cabin heater core. But, on the vivaros and others, it is switched on every plug separetly. Depending from the engine rpm and alternator load. The unit uses like 50 amps all the time then 4 plugs are working, because the coolalt cools the plugs down and the restistance stays the same.
And at idle, it puts hell of a load on the alternator.
I tried it on the T30 and the 80amp alternator got very very hot at idle. Was to lazy to install 4 switches and relays. Installed a jumper metal plate and one 60amp relay and fuse+ thick wiring too to handle the load.

So i trow it away and installed a Fuel burning heater that can preheat and heat when the engine is running.
Did same thing on the T31.
They have an Air PTC heater element, but it works only on the nordic region cars. I installed a switch to turn its 3 stages at once, but its is meant start one stage at time.


On my Old primera, I installed the plugs and it's alternator was able to manage the extra load. I did warm up like a 1.8 honda accord petrol at idle.
It is up to you.

Wow! That's a new one on me. Never seen anything quite like that. If there is anything like it on my X Trail it is well hidden as I haven't seen it, and I haven't seen anything about it mentioned in my handbook. It is quite possible however that models sold in colder countries than Britain may have devices fitted that aren't fitted here.

No they have not.
No pre or aditional coolant heater on any market, Just a PTC heater in ith air duct, but it is off by default.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UE63Jt ... e&index=22

Thanks. Now I will install one of these together with a temp sensor and a controller. Is there any possibility to check if that PTC (which is there for sure) does anything? When the engine is cold I can’t feel much of warming from that thing, not sure if it heats any air.

Under 5c and cold engine, it should work. there are 2 ground wires and 3 +12v wires. Stage1, One has +12v, Stage2-2 wires must have 12v, and stage3-all 3 wires must have 12v.
mine is from germany and the BCM or ECM does not have that function. I have a QQ BCM with the same code and it does have PTC heater control functions. I depends if it is is programmed or not.

Is this PTC heater a standard fitment? I have never heard of it. If it is fitted to my car, how do I switch it on if it's off by default? I don't remember seeing anything about it in my handbook.

Hi Colin. It probably is fitted, but not enabled in the electronics. An auto electrician would be able to fit manual controls.