Do you have single coil gp's? I have an early 6.9 and I don't want to use the block heater for fear of cracking the block, but I also don't want to buy an inline coolant heater for the heater hoses.
How in the hell would a block heater crack your block?
Heat?
If so----FOR GOD SAKE DONT START THE ENGINE AS IT WILL GET MUCH WARMER THAT THE HEATER WILL GET IT!!!!!!
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Gray 1991 F250 standard cab, 7.3, E4OD, 3.55:1, stock wheels and tires.
Verified 19 mpg city taking off slow as hell the shutting down at red lights, and with the radiator grill blocked flush, no bed cover, "drag shoot" mirrors on I get 24 mpg at 50 to 55 mph on the freeway empty!
However, with a bed cover, no mirrors and Hydroxy
Sorry but the 83 thru early 85 6.9 blocks were thinner over the block heater and have been known to crack with use of the block heater.
Concentrated heat in only one area of the block.
When the engine is running, it is hotter, but the heat is everywhere in the block.
Do what you want with glow plugs, but be aware that all glow plugs other than Motorcraft/Beru have a bad reputation for swelling.
With a properly functioning glow plug system, injection system and charging/battery system you should be able to start the engine at 20 below.
Where you get into trouble is the cold brings out any weakness in every system on the truck.
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86 F250 HD 6.9 IDI ATS turbo "not exactly" stock 4x4 T19 BW1345 3.55LS both ends D60 front, 10.25" Sterling rear, ram air, dual stacks.
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Gray 1991 F250 standard cab, 7.3, E4OD, 3.55:1, stock wheels and tires.
Verified 19 mpg city taking off slow as hell the shutting down at red lights, and with the radiator grill blocked flush, no bed cover, "drag shoot" mirrors on I get 24 mpg at 50 to 55 mph on the freeway empty!
However, with a bed cover, no mirrors and Hydroxy
I don't run diesel but rather a 351, I leave it pugged in all the time in the winter. The socket itself is on a light switch. When I get up in the morning I flick it on and by the time I'm out my heat kicks in. I know diesels want a little more heat, but perhaps someone might like this idea if they don't want to leave it plugged in all the time, but want to her er up a little before they go on short notice.
My "factory" block heater doesn't work, so I have yet to plug my truck in. It's always started fine, regardless of the temperature. However, it takes a LONG time to get any heat in the cab, so I am very seriously considering one of those inline tank heaters, I think Zerostart is the company I was looking into. It would be nice to have a warm cab when I leave, rather than it just starting to get warm when I get to where I'm going.
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1987 F-250 4x4, 6.9 ATS turbo, 4 spd
1993 Lincoln Mk VIII, coil spring conversion, 4.6l of fun
Sorry but the 83 thru early 85 6.9 blocks were thinner over the block heater and have been known to crack with use of the block heater.
Concentrated heat in only one area of the block.
When the engine is running, it is hotter, but the heat is everywhere in the block.
Do what you want with glow plugs, but be aware that all glow plugs other than Motorcraft/Beru have a bad reputation for swelling.
With a properly functioning glow plug system, injection system and charging/battery system you should be able to start the engine at 20 below.
Where you get into trouble is the cold brings out any weakness in every system on the truck.
Beru is one of our biggest GP competitors, so I'm sure they make good plugs (I work for NGK). I have read Wellman GP's are decent, is that true?
How long should our trucks be plugged in for? I know at work the big trucks stay plugged in whenever they're not running, but those are 13 liter motors. It was about 30 degrees here this morning so last night I had it set to a timer so it would kick on at about 3:45 a.m (I leave for work at about 6:45). Should it stay plugged in all night when it gets real cold? I thought about setting the timer to cycle on and off every half hour or hour when it gets parked for the day thinking it would keep the motor for the most part as warm as if it were idling the whole time (and wondered if that would hurt the heater element), but thats just one of my hairbrained theories. Any thoughts?
Your 3-hr timer should be just about perfect. I don't usually have to plug my truck in at all unless it's in the low 20's or colder at night. Even when it's in the teens (or lower), I can usually get away with cycling the glowplugs 2 or 3 times and it fires right up. When I do plug it in, it's for about 3 hrs before I have to start it. I do however make certain that my glowplugs and batteries are "up to snuff" before cold weather sets in however. Live in Michigan, and yes it does get cold here. Not as bad as those "northern" states, but cold!
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1992 2WD F-250 SuperCab 7.3L ZF5-spd, 4.10 rear. Rotella-T Full Synthetic, Royal Purple Full Syn ATF in ZF5 & Syn in Diff. Banks "Stinger" Air intake & Y-Pipe w/New custom 3" Stainless exhaust. Cooper ATR tires @ 70PSI w/nitrogen. All new brakelines, & clutch hyd. 78K on Jasper longblock - (207K on truck). Viton Injector O-rings. Just installed a Tommy-Lift liftgate. Now on to tackling Biodiesel production.
Ask David85 about the Wellman glow plugs and his pistons.
If I had to pay 35 dollars for Beru glow plugs or 5 dollars for Wellmans, the Beru plugs are going in my engine.
Tried and proven for over 450,000 miles, no blistered plugs, no pulling the heads to get them out.
Plus the ones in the engine now have been in there for three years with manual control and they are still all working fine.
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86 F250 HD 6.9 IDI ATS turbo "not exactly" stock 4x4 T19 BW1345 3.55LS both ends D60 front, 10.25" Sterling rear, ram air, dual stacks.
BTW, you guys that say your truck takes forever to blow heat if you don't plug it in, you must have something wrong with yours. This morning, truck had sat all night, never plugged it in and it was 44 this morning. Started it, kicked on the high idle, and within 5 minutes it was blowing warm air from the vents (although I was driving which probably helped)
__________________ 1994 F250 XLT-Reg cab, 4x4, 5 speed, 7.3 IDI Turbo, manual hubs. 4" intake tube, ATS upgrade, 4" exhaust w/ Walker 21172, boost & pyro on pillar, Autodim mirror, 16x8 MB Razor wheels w/285/75R16 "MT-R's" 1987 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe-Lots of fun stuff to make it go fast & take corners 2008 V-Star 1100 Midnight Custom-Just Cobra slip-on drag pipes for now
Sorry but the 83 thru early 85 6.9 blocks were thinner over the block heater and have been known to crack with use of the block heater.
Concentrated heat in only one area of the block.
When the engine is running, it is hotter, but the heat is everywhere in the block.
Do what you want with glow plugs, but be aware that all glow plugs other than Motorcraft/Beru have a bad reputation for swelling.
With a properly functioning glow plug system, injection system and charging/battery system you should be able to start the engine at 20 below.
Where you get into trouble is the cold brings out any weakness in every system on the truck.
In other words, a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link
6.9 blocks up to serial #u2u17900 had a thinner casting around the block heater. It is very common for these blocks to crack.
6.9L Old Style Block
Block Casting Number:
On left side of block (beneath oil cooler) 1805440C1
Note: Some 440 blocks are truly new style and must be visually inspected by raised donut around the block heater, frost plug (right rear). Old style below serial number 173828.
Visual Identification: *No counter bored area for block heater
*No defined area on side of block for dip stick
*Thickness of cast iron around block heater 3/8" (.375")
Head Bolts: *7/16, 12 point socket is used to torque head bolts
*Block tapped with 7/16-14 for head bolts
6.9L New Style Block
Block Casting Number: 1807996C1 Note: Some new style blocks have casting
number 440. Above serial number 173828.
Visual Identification: *Has counterbored area for block heater
*Very defined relief area cast in side of block for dip stick tube.
*Thickness of cast iron around block heater 15/32" (.470")
*Latest style (not all new style 6.9) has ribs around head bolts, rear two on left side go from head gasket surface to pan rail - same as 7.3
Head Bolts: *Same as old style 6.9
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86 F250 HD 6.9 IDI ATS turbo "not exactly" stock 4x4 T19 BW1345 3.55LS both ends D60 front, 10.25" Sterling rear, ram air, dual stacks.
BTW, you guys that say your truck takes forever to blow heat if you don't plug it in, you must have something wrong with yours. This morning, truck had sat all night, never plugged it in and it was 44 this morning. Started it, kicked on the high idle, and within 5 minutes it was blowing warm air from the vents (although I was driving which probably helped)
Driving helps a bunch, not to mention that 44 degrees is not all that cold as it's only 41 degrees down from 85, not -14 that is 99 degrees away from 85 degrees and takes a lot longer to get there.
My truck also has a few as of yet undiagnosed heating issues where the fan only blows on high and the flow coming out of the vents is lacking pressure and volume!
The fan speed issue I believe might be the resistor coil in the plenum. but the air volume issue I have not looked into yet but it sure sucks in the winter when the snow/water leakage that gets into the cab past the top of the windshield that condenses on the inside of the windshield and freezes there.
Did I mention the rust bucket aspect of my truck yet?
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Gray 1991 F250 standard cab, 7.3, E4OD, 3.55:1, stock wheels and tires.
Verified 19 mpg city taking off slow as hell the shutting down at red lights, and with the radiator grill blocked flush, no bed cover, "drag shoot" mirrors on I get 24 mpg at 50 to 55 mph on the freeway empty!
However, with a bed cover, no mirrors and Hydroxy
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