I discovered plug /110V/ in front of my Ex below front bumper that is - I guess - for heating engine oil or coolant . could anybody tell me for how long time can I use it and how will I see the engine is heated enough , thank you in advance . rafał

 

That's for a block heater. Its installed into a coolant passage just above the starter, and you've found the pigtail at the bumper. It's about 1100wts, IIRC. Most guys put them on timers to run no more than 4 hours before anticipated start time in the cold of winter. To monitor real time engine coolant temps you'll need a digital(OBDII), or analog gauge.

Otherwise, see how warm the air from your cab heater is right when you start it, after being plugged in for a while.

 

many thanks and one more question what do you mean by cold winter : colder than -20C that is around -4F . pigtail has plastic ticket with power description 1800 W so I will plug the heaters for 2hrs and see .regards rafał

 

last question : does the heating system have thermostat that make the heaters off after getting certain temperature ?
rafał

 

The tag you see most likely refers to the rating of the pigtail itself. It could be factory original, factory replacement, or aftermarket. All 6.0l engines came equipped with the block heater element. Not all had the pigtail.

There is no automatic thermostatic control of any kind. Plug it in, and it's on until you unplug it.

I like to plug in when temps get into the teens(°F). I've started mine cold at -22°F, and the engine was not happy at all, but did start/run.

 

I'd leave mine in overnight during the winters while I was up on Whidbey, but it was abnormally cool at 17*. That and I had several dead glow plugs, and now that I'm back home in I don't care about them nor do I need the heater.

Which is fortunate, as the last time I went offroading the plug dropped down and got ripped off like $2 hooker's dress on nickel night.

 

I plug mine in if its going under 20F for a significant amount of time over night. The car starts like its the middle of summer when the heater has been on overnight.

Don't forget diesel fuel additive. You can have a nice toasty engine block and gel it all up with diesel.

 

the heating unit is around 1000 watts and will raise you oil temperature to around 100 degrees f after 2-4 hrs, depending on the outside temperature. I plug in under 25 degree f, most of us, use timers because of the electricity costs.