'02 F250 5.4

I do not have the engine block heater option.

I've read that the actual heating element is always installed in the SD diesel engines at the factory .... but you do not get the cord without paying for the option.

If this is true, is it the same for the gasoline engines? If so, can someone tell me where i may find it on the block, so I can buy the cable/cord?

If there is no heating element already there .... has anyone bought it from Ford and istalled the Engine Block Heater system themselves? Difficult?

My son is a volunteer fireman/Emt. It doesn't get so cold here that there is any problem starting the truck, but many of the calls are at 4am ..... the average low is in the low teens during the winter, and he needs to get going quickly. Hoping to keep the engine oil, etc a bit warmer.

Thanks in advance for any info.

 

Well my 2010 F350 5.4 has one I'll have to look where it goes the power cord is hanging in the front next to the fog lights with a boot over it, to be honest with you I'll never use it . I have lived in the Northeast my entire life and I can't imagine a gas engine not starting just make sure you have a good battery and use synthetic oil, and throw seafoam or dry gas in the tank, years prior without synthetic oil just ran a light oil and never had a problem starting even 20 below ambient temperature not windchill factor diesel trucks on the other hand were always plugged in. Not to be funny last year my new tractor4060 with 84 inch snowblower kicks right over 12 below didn't need the block heater I run new Holland full synthetic oil number two diesel fuel with seafoam added never a problem with jelly especially with this new low sulfur fuel where the wax tends to clump up hope that helps but I will look for you where it goes in the engine . One other thing last year the 5.4 I had was in my 07 F150 started every morning 5 AM and last year was an extremely cold winter in upstate New York we had TWO weeks of temperatures that didn't rise above 8°F during the day at night 20 below no trouble starting honest but I suppose would never hurt to plug it in I just couldn't be bothered take care

 

Good question! I need to watch this one.

 

This is one I'm going to have to watch. I bought a 07 with a 5.4 and didn't find a block heater on it but then again I don't know where the factory unit goes. I checked the window sticker too, nothing listed there so if it was installed I haven't found it yet and there's definitely no cord I can find.

 

it is installed in place of a freeze plug on the side of the block
not to confirm your theory but i wouldnt be surprised

 

I believe that the DIESELS all got the block heater installed, but the cord was not always there.

My V10 doesn't have a block heater, and I doubt the 5.4 would.

 

It's possible this varied by year, but not all triton SD engines got the block heater for a fact. I have seen engines that don't have one at all. I think the diesels get them because they are a little more difficult to install and the likely hood that it needs one is much higher on a diesel than on a gas motor. It's a fairly easy install on a gas engine. Like said, it goes in place of a freeze plug and they are fairly generic in nature. I'm sure you could buy one from Ford, but you could get one aftermarket too.

 

Thanks, guys.

Maybe it is a model year thing.

When I go to Ford's "Build and Price" web site and build a F-250 with a 5.4, when I get to the Engine Block Heater option .... it states that it is standard equipment when the truck is sold in the 15 listed northern states. So, I assumed that all the engines were getting the element installed on the engine assembly line ... for the sake of simplification.

 

a block heater on a gasoline engine isn't so much to help it start as it is to thin the oil out and get the cab warm faster.

 

They know where the truck is going before it starts to get built. Simplification doesn't equal cost savings. They started taking out light bulbs to save money.

I checked, on the diesel it's got a dedicated port for the heater, not just replacing the freeze plug. So it's actually an extra step on a 5.4, part of the engine on a diesel. Also, the cord being there changed from year to year. Some years they all had the cord, others it was optional in some states.

I guess they could just have a cap instead of the heater on the diesels, may not have saved much money in the long run since a diesel almost HAS to be plugged in in some climates to start.

 

Yes, I see that now. I just looked at a neighbor's diesel SD .... the block heater was installed in its own port near the starter.

I do realize that the truck starts with a VIN and is built according to that, but I thought they may want keep things simple between the engine assembly plant (Romeo? Windsor?) and the vehicle assembly plant ---- less versions of each engine. I could be wrong, for sure.

However, I disagree ...... in manufacturing, simplification is very often done for cost savings (sometimes at the displeasure of the consumer) ... in every industry.

Jim

 

There are lots of reasons for simplification, but in Fords case cost savings hasn't always held true to be the reason behind the logic.

I would think that making the same wiring harness but without optional components plugged in would be simpler, but in practice we don't always see that. Sometimes, perhaps often, but not always.

 

According to the diagram below, the 2002 5.4L engine does accomodate a engine (heater) block unit (Part# 19).

www.partsguyed.com

 

just pop out a freeze plug and stick it in

 

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