Hi All,

Looks like I might be spending the Month of January / February up in Northern Vermont. So I am looking to get an engine block heater to aid with those cold day starts.

I was thinking of getting one of those setups that replace a Freeze-plug.

Does anyone have any experience with Engine block heaters of any style?

Thanks,
-Steve

 

My truck has one in each side. They don't leak and when I use them the truck starts just like I just finished gassing it up at the station.

 

For only two months use I'd do the "drop light on the pan" trick. This is cheap, temporary and solves the problem.

 

Log my vote for the block heater(s). They generate the heat inside the engine itself, thusly warming parts to the greatest extent possible & minimizing friction due to thick, cold oil at startup. Block heaters do not intrude on (many times already congested) engine bays.

I have used them in the Dakotas, Canada, Minnesota, and Missouri on 300s, Windsors, & 385s and have never been disappointed. My current 351 has 317,000 miles due in part, I believe, to using my dual 600 watt block heaters any time ambient temperatures are expected at time of startup to be less than 15 degrees F. Doing so does away with the "growl" of the first few seconds I hear in so many unheated engines.

Do buy a good unit (or 2) lest you be disappointed at their early demise. As always, "Buy the best and only cry once".

dn.

 

I installed two heaters... one that replaces a freeze plug, and the other threads into a welded bung I added to the oil pan. I have them wired together, to one plug. I only plug the truck in if the weather is going to be around 15 degrees or colder overnight. Otherwise, I dont' bother. Though due to high mileage, there's enough clearance in the engine parts to circulate frozen molassas when it's 10 below LMAO

 

What type of heater did you get to thread into the oil pan bung? That sounds like the best of both worlds-directly heating both the coolant and the oil.

dn.

 

I did this a long time ago... the freeze plug unit is a real ford part. The oil pan one was more of a fangle... it was the element out of a "big truck" diesel fuel "warmer" to prevent freezing for parked rigs. It came in some kind of a fuel-filter shaped thing, which I disassembled and took the element out, which threads in to the fuel filter shaped can. So I just threaded it into a bung on my oil pan. Both are 120V.

These aren't "heaters" in the traditional sense, but "warmers". Makes for easier starts, but I don't have instant heat in the cab even if plugged in overnight. But it comes on quicker.

If my radiator didn't have plastic side tanks, I'd install a 120V heating element from a hot water heater and start the truck with 180 degree coolant.

 

Hello. You can also get a heater that simply is spliced into one of your heater hoses as well. These used to be fairly comon here in Canada and it is just a heater element in a metal cylinder that heats your vehicles anti freeze and then circulates it ( the anti freze ) is by convection. these do work well and are simple and easy to instal and can be removed easily when not needed. They are usually left in place but are, as said, easily removed.

 

My vote for the freeze plug style. Had them on several vehicles. It's nice to start up your buggy on a single-digit morning and have the heater give you an immediate blast of hot air. Just hit the starter and it spins over like a nice, sunny summer day.

I tried the inline heaters once. They did okay, but I had problems with them leaking and they seemed to fail with inconvenient regularity (three in two years). Switched back to the freeze plug units. They were also not as effective, at least the ones I had weren't. Made cold starts easier, but still not as toasty warm as the in-jacket type.

Brad

 

My vote is for the freeze-plug style also. I had one in my 2500 Surburban. I did have to replace it once due to leaking, but the new one I installed ran perfect for 5 years. I also have one in my 78 f250 in the 429 I'm running. I'm not sure how long it's been in the engine, but I've had it for 4 years with no problems.