Depending on their size, they can use alot of electricity. But that can be minimized with a simple timer, and I find the one on my Dodge Cummins to be indispensable. Easier starts, quicker warmups and heat in the cab within minutes of getting out of the driveway.
Do block heaters actually work?
- Thread starter leeaspell
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That is my preference. When I plug in the block heater, I do so at shutdown for the night or weekend and leave it going the entire time till next startup. Same for the oil pan heater. Quick warm ups. Cab is already warm when I crawl in the truck, because the time it has been shut down, there is a Webasto diesel fired cab heater that keeps everything inside nice and warm. The plug that I use for the oil pan heater is also combined with a plug to the Xantrex inverter/charger so that batteries are kept at peak ready for the next start up. Overkill? Not for me.
It is unnecessary to have a block heater plugged in the whole night.
Below are the official recommended heating times we have in Finland. By following these rules you will heat your engine more or less the optimal time.
Block heater which is in the cylinder block (heating element touches the coolant)
Warmer that +5C = you don't need it
+5C ... -5C = 0,5 hours
-5C ... -10C = 1 hour
-10C... = 2 hours
Block heater which is attached on the outer surface of the block, e.g. a pad heater
Warmer that +5C = you don't need it
+5C ... -5C = 1 hour
-5C ... -10C = 2 hours
-10C... = 3 hours
Those lists ends at -10C, so maybe they should be extrapolated for colder weather when needed.
But ultimately, four hours seems to be the maximum heating time ever needed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Block_heater
Below are the official recommended heating times we have in Finland. By following these rules you will heat your engine more or less the optimal time.
Block heater which is in the cylinder block (heating element touches the coolant)
Warmer that +5C = you don't need it
+5C ... -5C = 0,5 hours
-5C ... -10C = 1 hour
-10C... = 2 hours
Block heater which is attached on the outer surface of the block, e.g. a pad heater
Warmer that +5C = you don't need it
+5C ... -5C = 1 hour
-5C ... -10C = 2 hours
-10C... = 3 hours
Those lists ends at -10C, so maybe they should be extrapolated for colder weather when needed.
But ultimately, four hours seems to be the maximum heating time ever needed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Block_heater
Originally Posted By: finmile
But ultimately, four hours seems to be the maximum heating time ever needed.
I see that testing was done at the U of S. I'm not sure why the dirt people did it, though.
But ultimately, four hours seems to be the maximum heating time ever needed.
I see that testing was done at the U of S. I'm not sure why the dirt people did it, though.
In a previous life, my Pisten Bully ski groomer would start ok at -10F without a coolant heater. But the Mercedes OM240 would cough and growl. It would run the glow plugs and grid heater. Really didn't want to move without a long warmup. But if it was plugged in, it would pop right off with not glow plugs and never the grid heater.
Another groomer with a Cummins 4 cylinder was not startable without heat.
Don't even get me going with the John Deere tractor. I have some hilarious video of *trying* to get it started.
Another groomer with a Cummins 4 cylinder was not startable without heat.
Don't even get me going with the John Deere tractor. I have some hilarious video of *trying* to get it started.
Originally Posted By: leeaspell
Mine is from the factory, so no who actually makes it besides fomoco
Most all OEMs use Temro
http://phillipsandtemro.com/heatingproducts/autoheater.asp
Mine is from the factory, so no who actually makes it besides fomoco
Most all OEMs use Temro
http://phillipsandtemro.com/heatingproducts/autoheater.asp
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I installed in both my 2009 Hyundai Sonatas a factory block heaters are it makes a HUGE differents in my winter gas mileage.
It is connected to a timer which start about 3-4 hours before using the cars. I also have a Scangauge 2 installed in my vehicles which indicate the oil and coolant temp ----100 degree F at start up in the morning.
Only problem I found so far...don't plug in the live power cord after driving the car. It produce a fault code..."coolant over temp" ...easy to reset with the Scangauge.
In northern Manitoba a engine block heater is a MUST!!! There is no way a vehicle engine will start at -45 Degrees Celsius.
It is connected to a timer which start about 3-4 hours before using the cars. I also have a Scangauge 2 installed in my vehicles which indicate the oil and coolant temp ----100 degree F at start up in the morning.
Only problem I found so far...don't plug in the live power cord after driving the car. It produce a fault code..."coolant over temp" ...easy to reset with the Scangauge.
In northern Manitoba a engine block heater is a MUST!!! There is no way a vehicle engine will start at -45 Degrees Celsius.
I knew someone who had a car that needed a block heater. She had a Peugeot 505 diesel, and said any time the weather reached 20F, the block heater was needed.
I searched Youtube videos that recorded a Peugeot 505 diesel starting. It became clear to me that most 1980s diesel cars were easier to cold start when compared to the Peugeot 505.
I searched Youtube videos that recorded a Peugeot 505 diesel starting. It became clear to me that most 1980s diesel cars were easier to cold start when compared to the Peugeot 505.
Originally Posted By: artificialist
I knew someone who had a car that needed a block heater. She had a Peugeot 505 diesel, and said any time the weather reached 20F, the block heater was needed.
We have special plugins at work for the diesel cars in the parking lot, which provide more power to the block heaters.
As for gas cars, the Civic certainly wasn't happy the day I didn't plug it in and the temperature got down below -30C.
I knew someone who had a car that needed a block heater. She had a Peugeot 505 diesel, and said any time the weather reached 20F, the block heater was needed.
We have special plugins at work for the diesel cars in the parking lot, which provide more power to the block heaters.
As for gas cars, the Civic certainly wasn't happy the day I didn't plug it in and the temperature got down below -30C.
I remember Stewart Warner heaters, made in Indy, often installed in VW, esp. in typ 411-412. Dealer PARTS COUNTER block heaters for BMW, VOLVO, VW, and similar used to be Phillips - Temro, made in Canada. KATZ Five Star made in Mississippi was / is a common NAPA type item. I always thought much of the desire for heaters was to reduce engine wear, even if you could force your engine to start.
Ask the folks who live in places like Fairbanks, AK. When I lived there, we not only used block warmers, but oil pan warmers and battery warmers. Vehicles started like a warm summers day even at -55F.
When we had that extreme cold this past week I had it plugged in 5 hours before I left in the morning and the car started like it wasn't this cold at all.
When at the office sitting in the cold for 8+ hours and re-starting it then it would turn over much slower. This is with 0w30 in the sump. It would also take much longer to heat up the oil and the coolant.
So yeah I would say they work extremely well, even at 400ish watts.
When at the office sitting in the cold for 8+ hours and re-starting it then it would turn over much slower. This is with 0w30 in the sump. It would also take much longer to heat up the oil and the coolant.
So yeah I would say they work extremely well, even at 400ish watts.
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The one on my Liberty works amazing - plugged it overnight when it was -35F here and it fired up like it was 50 out. Fully warmed after a mile of driving. Gave me a PO116 code too, it thought the coolant temp sensor was bad since it warmed up so fast!
Come January in Wyoming, when the temps could dip to -30 some years, I found the magnetic oil pan heater and the electric battery blanket of much greater value than a block heater. Combine warm oil with a warm battery, and it's an effortless fire-up in the morning. Let it run in the driveway long enough to defrost the windshield, and you're good to go. Arrive at work, plug them back in.
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