My block heater seems to be making a noise, as the sound stops after I unplug it. It is a kind of humm or buzz, one of those electric sounds like it is drawing a bunch of power, but I looked at my meter, and it doesn't change the speed it spins much. Is it going bad? Never heard one like this, usually the percolating sound from the heating... I replaced this one about 3 years ago when it blew it out of the block....

 

Is perfectly normal

 

Just odd that it never used to make this sound... I am used to the percolating sounds, I actually usually waited for that to be sure it all was working...

 

Normal?
NORMAL????
IN A PIGS EYE THAT'S NORMAL!!!

BEEN THERE ND DONE THAT!!!

That is 120V electrical voltage (AKA pressure) pushing against a resistance, most likely jumping a vary small (microscopic) air gap where the wires were flexing back and forth over and over and over breaking the small individual strands.
At some point, days, weeks, or many months later, it will stop buzzing and stop working!
Mine died in just that way in the dead of winter when I needed it the most, and was the coldest pain in the *** to fix!

After I fixed it, the heater worked fine and NO BZZING WHAT SO EVER!

THANK GOD THE COIL INSIDE THE BLOCK WAS OK!!!!!!!

You should pull the wire out of the block heater coil and check it for weak/flexed spots.

To stop it from happening again, I added one of those gray aluminum, out door outlet boxes to the front of my grill behind here the ford oval was and added the water proof-ish flip cover to the front.
Just be sure that the new wire is zip tied down so it does not flex.

WARNING...JOKE ALERT!!!!

A few months from now.....

 

I use mine more than most peeps here, The one on the 93 makes the gurgling sound. The one on the 85 is noisy as hell. The one on the 150 is noisy too. they all work jsut fine.

You'd surely think they'd all make the same noise. But they dont.


Also, You really don't have to act like an a-hole.

 

They all make noise, its just a matter of which noise, mine sounds like a coffe pot on low. I've heard one that made a hiss like a tire going flat. Your making a noise then going out months later is a coincidence. The new ones may not make noise, it just depends on the heater and its personality.

 

They use those alot down in Texas....

 

We sure do, I like having a heater within a mile, without it, my truck will never get heat below 32 even with my rad blocked off 100%

I use mine when it gets below 32 just to make sure that there isn't just the tiniest bit of water that can turn to ice, and we don't get winter blend diesel so that makes it so much harder for us

But hey during the summer I don't even need GP's to start.

 

I haven't had a block heater for years since the serp belt broke and cut it in
two. I just warm my truck up a little longer in the morning. Thaws the windows and the cab is toasty warm when i get in. Not a mile or two down the road.

Only had 1 time it wouldn't start when it was -10*F.

Jason

 

I just wish mine would heat up, I accidently forgot about my truck once, I wanted to start it about 15 minutes (it was about 20 degrees) early before going to check on cows, but got distracted and it idled for a good hour and half, the it still was cold.

I also wish mine could start in that cold of weather, I got mine to start in 14 degree weather, but I think that was its limit because the starter sounded very slow

 

Just pokin at ya man.....just thought it was funny that the guy from Texas had input on block heaters.

Back up north (or way south for you Canadians) everything I owned was plugged in between November-Late March or April or until it was over +50F. My Wagoneer loved being plugged in. It ran sooo much better right off the bat. My wifes Cherokee never once hesitated to start even if I forgot to plug her in. Only has a 500CA battery in it. Started even when well below zero.

Now being in Kansas I dont think anything will get plugged in except the diesel......saves the wallet though.

Just bought a timer for it too.

Sorry to be off topic.

Back on topic mine just make a gurgling noise when they are operating. Nothing else.
Thad

 

If the radiator needs blocking off to warm up the cab, then something is wrong with your thermostat or heater! Possibly the vacuum-assisted opening to the heater core from the blower?

Here in Michigan, it's frequently below zero F, and my truck is always blowing warm air within 10 minutes of a cold start. I try to limit plugging in the block heater to 2 hrs or so before I have to leave. Sometimes, I think that that "buzzing" that we think is coming from the block heater is actually the electric meter running WAYYY TOO FAST!!

 

I'll agree with Kleenax. My 85 reg cab will bake You outta the cab @ -30 without any cover over the radiator.

 

Yeah,
Pretty sure I got worried a time or two when I was at home and the truck started running bad @ -20. It would idle and sometimes not much more.

The heater wasnt keeping up.....

Thad

 

Mine does'nt make any noise but to be sure it is working I just put my hand thru the grille on the rad and can feel it vibrating. First time I noticed it I thought it was gonna blow apart or some thing. If it is gonna be below 40* in the morning I plug it in and even in the big open cabin of my Bronco the heater will run you out of it in 0* weather with nothing over the radiator.