Block Heater or Inline heater? Which is better?

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What do you think is better and why? Ive been told inline is better because it could be -30 and after plugging it in for 2-3 hrs everything would be warm on the engine, valve cover, lines etc, the car would blow warm air almost instantly, whereas block heater doesnt stand a chance.

Inline is a bit more ($50 vs $90) but if its much better than i think its worth it.

Mech is gonna check out my block heater on Wed and if I find out forsure that my block heater isnt working (crosses fingers it is) then ill replace it but really thinking about going inline if its safe - is it a pretty safe install on cars? How exactly does the install work?

Im hearing stories about how block heaters are much better for protecting the engine and minimizing wear.

The good thing about inline for the install is that you dont have to drain the block by the oil filter where if you did block heater you do. If you drain the block, most of your coolant drains, then you have to replace (factor in the cost of new Honda coolant), and rebleed your system of air. I dont know about you but that sounds like a major pain in the [censored] job vs an inline heater install. If I can avoid having to re-do all that I will since I just had a coolant flush done 3 weeks ago.

I was told both take 2 hours.

Anyone have experience with in-line heaters? Im hoping all it is, is a bad cable that I have and just put a new one on. Done in 30mins.
 
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Originally Posted By: gathermewool
What makes you suspect that your block heater is not working?


Cause for the past 3 weeks, ever since I accidentally broke one of the prongs on my Block heater cord, it hasnt been working. Ive done everything, put my ear to the engine to listening for any sounds, feel all parts of the engine to see if its warmer, follow the plug and where it goes to. I did and found out the block heater is under the car by the oil filter, and uhh I cant really jack the car up and get under it right now cause the roads are wet with all this slush and snow so have to get the mech to do it.

I put new plugs on the cord and tried testing for resistance on them and got open circuit. Apparently the resistance was too high for my volt meter to read. So have to do the test from the prongs on the block itself. Im 99.9% confident i wired the plug on right to the 3 wires. Only thing is i didnt put tape over each wire after I wraped each wire around each screw, should I? Cause most of these aftermarket plugs are garbage, and have holes or crevices between the plastics where moisture, dirt, water will eventually get inside and get the wires all wet.

I dont know how common block heaters just die out of nowhere but i was told it does happen. I dont know if cords going bad is more common than the block itself. Im crossing my fingers its only a bad cord and save me 2hrs labour putting new heater on. Im just trying to plan in advance for Wed so come then, if the block heater is the culprit then i will know which I want to go with - block or inline.
 
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Not to be a butthead, but a multimeter is what you used, not a voltmeter, since you used the resistance setting of a device that can measure more than just voltage.

If you measured across the plug, which includes the heater, and got open circuit, then it was NOT too high of a resistance, but ZERO resistance; that's what open-circuit means. If you have a light bulb (same thing as your heater) and you cut the filament down the middle, that's an open circuit.

Also, what did you actually replace, and why? I don't understand your entire middle paragraph, sorry.
 
Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Not to be a butthead, but a multimeter is what you used, not a voltmeter, since you used the resistance setting of a device that can measure more than just voltage.

If you measured across the plug, which includes the heater, and got open circuit, then it was NOT too high of a resistance, but ZERO resistance; that's what open-circuit means. If you have a light bulb (same thing as your heater) and you cut the filament down the middle, that's an open circuit.

Also, what did you actually replace, and why? I don't understand your entire middle paragraph, sorry.



I replaced the cord plug end with one from home depot. My original one, one of the prongs broke and was unfixable.

I measured across the prongs of the cord plug end. So i got open circuit on my multimeter, what does that mean?
 
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Originally Posted By: Carnoobie
Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Not to be a butthead, but a multimeter is what you used, not a voltmeter, since you used the resistance setting of a device that can measure more than just voltage.

If you measured across the plug, which includes the heater, and got open circuit, then it was NOT too high of a resistance, but ZERO resistance; that's what open-circuit means. If you have a light bulb (same thing as your heater) and you cut the filament down the middle, that's an open circuit.

Also, what did you actually replace, and why? I don't understand your entire middle paragraph, sorry.



I replaced the cord plug end with one from home depot. My original one, one of the prongs broke and was unfixable.

I measured across the prongs of the cord plug end. So i got open circuit on my multimeter, what does that mean?


If you have a length of wire, doesn't matter how long, and you place the leads on each end of the wire, you'll read the resistance. Cutting the wire in the middle or removing one of the leads opens the circuit and results in the resistance reading as infinite or OL. If it reads open-circuit, or OL, then it means the wire is broken.
 
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Originally Posted By: gathermewool
If you measured across the plug, which includes the heater, and got open circuit, then it was NOT too high of a resistance, but ZERO resistance; that's what open-circuit means. If you have a light bulb (same thing as your heater) and you cut the filament down the middle, that's an open circuit.



No, a closed (complete) circuit has zero resistance (assuming no resistive components). In an open circuit, like your example of a bulb with a broken filament, you have infinite resistance.
 
To the OP: if you did, in fact, install the new plug correctly, then your problem is most likely in the cord. Replacement cords are available.
 
Not uncommon for the heating element to burn out . Its happened to me twice. ford ranger and kia spectra.
 
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You always rag on how much you don't like this car and how you think it's going to fall apart, why pour more money into it? I would also assume it's the cord. Why not find a way to get it off the car and bench test and/or replace the entire cord? Or do we assume that it hasn't been working for some time?

And to be honest, for 100 bucks I'd replace the size 51 battery with a 35 or other large size and get some 0w-20 oil. I've never really understood the block heaters since you can only use them half the time (my work doesn't have 500 outlets in the parking lot. Hotel parking lots don't have outlets. Airport parking garage... you guessed it no outlets.) The only time you can use a block heater is when the car is sitting in your driveway... which is the only place it would be convenient for it to not start. The places I'm worried about being stranded it's just a lump of steel and copper.

Here's an idea. Has the car ever not started because of the cold? No? The either the block heater was good enough and just forget the inline heater... or maybe it hasn't even been working for weeks/months/years and you don't even need it.

And no, I don't buy that you need it to prolong the life of a D series powered Civic. The body will literally rot around that engine. You (or someone) will drive that to the junkyard assuming the timing belt doesn't brick the engine.
 
Originally Posted By: zrxkawboy
Originally Posted By: gathermewool
If you measured across the plug, which includes the heater, and got open circuit, then it was NOT too high of a resistance, but ZERO resistance; that's what open-circuit means. If you have a light bulb (same thing as your heater) and you cut the filament down the middle, that's an open circuit.



No, a closed (complete) circuit has zero resistance (assuming no resistive components). In an open circuit, like your example of a bulb with a broken filament, you have infinite resistance.


Whoops, got me at the end of a long shift. I meant 'INFINITE'
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So are you guys saying that when i cut the cord, that most likely killed the cord altogether?
 
Originally Posted By: bepperb

And to be honest, for 100 bucks I'd replace the size 51 battery with a 35 or other large size and get some 0w-20 oil. I've never really understood the block heaters since you can only use them half the time (my work doesn't have 500 outlets in the parking lot. Hotel parking lots don't have outlets. Airport parking garage... you guessed it no outlets.) The only time you can use a block heater is when the car is sitting in your driveway... which is the only place it would be convenient for it to not start. The places I'm worried about being stranded it's just a lump of steel and copper.

Here's an idea. Has the car ever not started because of the cold? No? The either the block heater was good enough and just forget the inline heater... or maybe it hasn't even been working for weeks/months/years and you don't even need it.

And no, I don't buy that you need it to prolong the life of a D series powered Civic. The body will literally rot around that engine. You (or someone) will drive that to the junkyard assuming the timing belt doesn't brick the engine.


Because I park my car outside and -30 winters are hard on the engine. Plugging in the car just saves a lot of wear and tear. And i know, even though the only place i can really plug in is at friends house or mine and the odd parkade.

The more i read about it, the more complex the inline heaters sound to install. What about oil pan heaters?
 
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A magnetic oil pan heater is very easy to install and would work. Try Princess Auto - they had them the last time I was there.

Alternatively you could run 0W20 or 0W30 oil and don't worry about plugging it in.
 
I had a recirculating block heater in my propane powered van. That thing was amazing. The heater was blowing hot air almost immediately and it would start first turn.
If I had to install one that would be the kind I would use
 
Originally Posted By: bepperb
You always rag on how much you don't like this car and how you think it's going to fall apart, why pour more money into it? I would also assume it's the cord. Why not find a way to get it off the car and bench test and/or replace the entire cord? Or do we assume that it hasn't been working for some time?

And to be honest, for 100 bucks I'd replace the size 51 battery with a 35 or other large size and get some 0w-20 oil. I've never really understood the block heaters since you can only use them half the time (my work doesn't have 500 outlets in the parking lot. Hotel parking lots don't have outlets. Airport parking
garage... you guessed it no outlets.) The only time you can use a block heater is when the car is sitting in your driveway... which is the only place it would be convenient for it to not start. The places I'm worried about being stranded it's just a lump of steel and copper.

Here's an idea. Has the car ever not started because of the cold? No? The either the block heater was good enough and just forget the inline heater... or maybe it hasn't even been working for weeks/months/years and you don't even need it

And no, I don't buy that you need it to prolong the life of a D series powered Civic. The body will literally rot around that engine. You (or someone) will drive that to the junkyard assuming the timing belt doesn't brick the engine.

Your statement is not correct. Here there are plug ins at most malls and grocery stores,hotels have electrified outlets as do most parking lots.
You must have the same fact checkers Romney had.
 
Originally Posted By: mva
A magnetic oil pan heater is very easy to install and would work. Try Princess Auto - they had them the last time I was there.

Alternatively you could run 0W20 or 0W30 oil and don't worry about plugging it in.


I hear those oil pan heaters dont work as well cause it sits outside our oil pan.

My car cant run 0W20, its specs are for 5W20 or 5W30. Though, I will admit im actually considering taking some peoples advice and that is (IF the block heater is the culprit), to not bother replacing it, rip the cord out and throw it out for good and go back to Mobil 1 full syn oil again and not bother with any heater.

Had friends tell me not to bother with any heater and just using full sync is good enough.
 
Originally Posted By: Clevy
I had a recirculating block heater in my propane powered van.


This is probably the best bet, considering you said it'll be extremely difficult to get to the block heater, much less replace the cord. Now isn't necessarily the most fine time to be repairing block heaters anyhow. If you can install the circulating one, that would do the trick. They're advertised all over the place right now.
 
Quote:

Your statement is not correct. Here there are plug ins at most malls and grocery stores,hotels have electrified outlets as do most parking lots.
You must have the same fact checkers Romney had.


Can you believe I've been there a couple times, no fact checkers at all!

Anyway, the car is out of warranty why not go 0w-20 and forget the heater, or maybe get a magnetic one you use a few days a year or keep in case you have trouble starting your car (or someone else does)?
 
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Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: Clevy
I had a recirculating block heater in my propane powered van.


This is probably the best bet, considering you said it'll be extremely difficult to get to the block heater, much less replace the cord. Now isn't necessarily the most fine time to be repairing block heaters anyhow. If you can install the circulating one, that would do the trick. They're advertised all over the place right now.


What makes a recirculating block heater better than a reg one? Does it get installed the same way?

Cause theres no way im putting another reg block heater on and have to drain the block and refil with new coolant since I just had a coolant flush a month ago.

Ive been calling around for an inline heater and no one has them!

Oil pan heaters are $150! Screw that if thats the case.

If the culprit is my block heater then maybe ill just say screw it altogether, rip out the cord and go back to syn oil.
 
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