1999 F250 Super Duty Diesel. This is my first winter with the truck and it's getting cold here in Omaha, NE and I went to plug my truck in and found that the plug on the end of the block heater cord is cut off. Can I just buy a 3 prong plug and attach it? If so, how do I know which wire is ground and so on? Thanks, Mike.

 

I would just go to the dealer and order a replacement cord. The cord is one piece and the block heater (located in a freeze plug hole) is another.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/4...ater-cord.html

 

Black wire should be hot, green should be the ground (3rd prong) and the white the nuetral. Skip buying a new end that may cause problems again and consider going to a local boat shop / hunting& fishing store and pick up a Marinco plug. You can wire the heater into that. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...ater-plug.html

 

F350-6 was right on. It makes it easier to plug in and you don't have to have a cord flopping around up front. IMO it's the only way to do it.

 

It is true that just buying a replacement plug end would be a lot cheaper. But, there are no guarantees that it would be water tight like one already molded into the cord from the factory. Even though water in its purest form is not conductive, it is the impurities in the water; salts & dirt (which is found on the road) that enables it to conduct electricity. Exposing a replacement plug end may allow water to get into the plug & it can short between wires. I would just go to the dealer and get a replacement block heater power cord.

 

Just a thought - maybe it was cut off for a reason. Maybe a short in another part of the cord or the heater itself? the previous owner may have just cut it off to stop it being used. Or maybe the plug was bunged up and he was to lazy to fix it? lol

 

Both stevenn1 & counciller have good points. I would NOT put a replacement plug-end on it & also their might be a reason it is missing in the first place. To be safe, I would replace the block heater and the power cord.

 

The Marinco plug is designed for marine use. I think it's pretty safe for the street. Three years of NE winters and I haven't had a problem yet. Install it right and you won't either.
Counciller does have a good point. Easy enough to check.