How can I tell if the block heater is working?
It is getting down in the teens and after having it plugged in all night I have to cycle the gp's at least twice if not three times to get it started. When I say cycle i mean for at least 60 sec's each.

Any thoughts?

 

When I plug mine in , all the lights in the neighborhood dim,, ( well ,at least the ones in the garage)

You should be able feel it getting warm, just by touching it, some say they can hear the water "gurgling " in the block...

 

you can use an ohm meter to test the heater as well. It should have continuty and a few ohms if its working. if you get a high ohm reading or OL (out of limits) then either the cord or the heater is bad. Also make sure the outlet you plug it into is working. I might or might not have had that problem this week!

 

It's down to mid 20's here and with block heater plugged in WTS light comes on for about 2 seconds and fires right up. Without block heater WTS light comes on for about 15 seconds and truck fires right up.

Now for the twenty four thousand dollar question. What does the block heater heat? Some say the oil, some say the water or does it just heat the metal block?

 

Block heater heats the coolant. which in turn heats the oil and the block itself. But the heater is in the coolant.

 

thank you all... I do know that the outlet is hot. I do not hear water "gurgling", so I will put the ohm meter on it. I really don't think its working, but will check for sure.

 

Hey 360, did you find the problem? Just plug in a power tool or spouse hair dryer to extension cord to see if you have power. Also I found a really nice timer at ACE Hardware for $13.95 which handles 1200 watts and is grounded. Perfect for these trucks and have mine come On at 03:00 and Off 06:00 as I leave for work a bit after 6AM. I've tried it for all night but the 3 hour rule seems to apply.

 

I do know that the outlet works. I will do some more checking when I get the truck home.

 

Went and checked the block heater with multimeter this evening and it was at 15.9 ohm's. So anything between 10 to 20 ohm's is probably OK. If working properly that means you will be drawing about 7.5 AMPs of power. That is a lot of current so make sure you have a good extension cord.

 

I'm sure you a have a bad gp or two. Why don't ya fix them, then maybe ya wont have to worry about plugging in. If all gp's work properly you should start easy in those temps.

 

I was wondering about that as well... So, how do I figure out wich ones are bad?

 

You still shouldn't have to cycle the glow plugs twice if you've plugged it in all night.

I'd check your GPR first. It's the starter looking solenoid by the fuel filter. Take a big screw driver and jump the two posts for 60 sec and then try to start it. If it starts right up thats your problem.

P.S. I can only hear mine "gurgle" in the morning after its been plugged in all night.

 

You can check the GP's with out tearing everything apart. Unplug the the plugs that plug into the valve cover gaskets. There are two (2) for each side and are an the top of the engine.

Each plug has five (5) pins, 1-2-3-4-5 One and Five are connected to your glow plugs. With a digital ohm meter, ground the black lead (to the battery if possible) and then the red lead to pins #1 & #5.

If you get a reading of "OL" (Open Line) that GP is dead. You are idealy looking for a reading of ".05" or less.

You can also check the center Pin #3 as it is the ground pin that is shared by both GP's on each plug. Check both the male and female plugs for burn damage, broken or bent pins and/or sockets.

Hope this helps and if I have given you any bad advice trust me when I say the Guru's will come forth and beat the crap out of me. lol

Rog

 

Just a heads up, The center pin of the VC connector is the common (-) for the injectors and will give you a higher OHM reading because it's going through the IDM circitry. Use a good, clean engine block surface or battery ground. FYI: The GP's body is grounded when it get screwed into the cylinder head.

 

Your right, I wasn't thinking, as often as I have hooked those puppys up I knew there is only one (1) wire to the GP's.

Rog