If the cord is there it will be in the center part of your front bumper towards the left side. It will have a protective cap on the end.

 

left side if you are facing the truck standing at the front, Passenger side....

 

I've heard the noise is normal too and I don't worry about it but it gets annoying after a few weeks of cold temps.
For many of you the south isn't cold but it's cold enough to make the turbo fuss a little.
But I'm easily annoyed by pointless noises so that's my problem...haha.
Now if it gets as loud as Crazy001's original turbo, then I'll be concerned.

The cord over left mirror was mentioned somewhere around here and was/is good advice.
Just don't forget the cord is on the mirror or it'll be an expensive mistake!

 

Kyper05. If it keeps getting colder and colder here in Bama we gonna need a block heater.I been here along time and it just gets colder every year,and so early Buuurrr.

 

Haha, coldest temp last winter I started the truck in was 8 degrees (plus the painful humidity at that temp).
No issues but will burn through some diesel.

 

You southern boys, what I'd give to have a "Balmy" 8 above.

We call winter "orphan cord time", you always find someones extension cord left in the parking lot plug in post

 

Well I installed my block heater yesterday. My intent was to video it and post it like epic cowlick does, but the video came out like crap- you can barely hear the audio at all- long story but the camera I was using is a helmet cam that I wear when I'm on my motorcycle, and I modded the mic a bit so that the engine noise wasn't so overwhelming in the movies, unfortunately it seems the camera will be no good for much besides riding videos.*

Anyways- back to the block heater install.

I think we all know where the freeze plug that must come out is located, right side of motor above starter. The freeze plug has a recessed hex head. It is a 9/16. I happened to have a set of Alan driver sockets like these that I use on the axles on my motorcycle.*



If you don't know where the freeze plug is located refer to This picture:



Or page 11 in the 6.7 coffee table book here
http://www.forddoctorsdts.com/articl....7L_Diesel.pdf



Admittedly I wasn't sure how tight that freeze plug was going to be in there. I started out with my hex socket on a regular size 1/2" drive ratchet. No dice- couldn't budge it. I figured I better get the best angle I could get, so I went ahead and removed to inner wheel well shield. It comes off pretty easy. It's pretty self explanatory to remove so I'm not going to get into it, other than to mention the plastic push through anchor that is from a wire bundle located under the passenger side battery can be pushed out of the wheel well cover after you remove all the bolts and drop it down a bit. You will also want to make that the first item that you reinstall before putting the wheel well cover back in place, because you can't access it from the top without removing the battery, and battery holder. Not worth the effort since you can just stick it back in place before you put the cover back up.

So back to the freeze plug- even after removing the inner wheel well cover I couldn't break the torque on it and break it loose. I switched to a larger 12" long 1/2" drive ratchet and was able to get it free. I just loosened it up enough that I could turn it by hand and then got ready with the new heat element to make the switch. My intent was to make a quick change and not lose very much coolant in the process. This is also another good reason to remove the wheel well cover. Otherwise there'd be no room for both hands up there to make the switch. I have to admit I was a little unsure what to expect when I pulled the plug out- I had visions of the coolant spraying out all over the place when I pulled it, but it wasn't really that bad, I made a quick switch (not as quick as Indiana Jones with the golden monkey head, and bag of sand) but it was quick enough that I didn't lose very much. I'd say at most a half pint to a pint judging by the size of the puddle on the driveway under the truck.

Once I had the heater in just a couple quick turns the coolant all but stopped dripping out. You'll need a fairly large socket to fit over the heat element and tighten it down, I didn't have an SAE size socket large enough to fit it, but I had a large 1/2" drive metric socket that fit it well, (again motorcycle related) it was a 32mm size which is about * * * *1-1/4". I tightened it pretty tight and decided I'd throw a torque wrench on it so I'd have a reference number to use. Seat of the pants gauge compared to how hard it was to loosen I'd say it was approx 80 ft/lbs.*

Once the heat element was tightened, all that remained was connecting and routing the cord. The connection is very straight forward. It just pushes in and the metal clip at the end of the cord pushes over the outer threaded part of the heater, you'll know what I mean when you get there.*

Routing the cord was a bit of a challenge for me simply because I wanted to try to figure out exactly how it would be run if ordered oem, I was using the plastic push through anchors as a reference looking for a hole that they should fit into. The cord came with about 5 pr 6 of them already attached to the cord, you can see them in the picture in my post earlier in this thread. I tried routing the cord about 8 different ways/paths before I got frustrated with it and just decided to get it done and not be so totally **** with the cord routing, just making sure that the cord was well routed, anchored in a few spots and not going to be damaged or chaffed by anything.

If anyone wants to post a picture or two of the way their cord is routed if they had one installed from the factory I'd appreciate it, I may just go to the dealer and ask the sales guy if he'd mind showing me a truck that has one so I can take a peak at the routing and see how close I got it- maybe re-route my cord if I'm way way off.*

All in all it took me about 2 1/2 hours start to finish- but it can be done in an hour or less if you don't spend all kinds of time routing the cord like I did.

I wish the video had been usable so I could show you a few of the steps, particularly the swap between the freeze plug and the heater element, so you'd know what to expect if you decide to do this yourself. Just know that even with basic abilities, this can be done in the driveway with little difficulty. Worst case scenario if the swap between the freeze plug and heater element goes bad for you, you might need to buy a gallon of Ford coolant to top it off again.

One thing I guess to mention, it was on my mind starting the job whether or not I should put anything on the threads of the heater element before I installed it. Like locktite, Teflon tape, or anything like that. When I removed the freeze plug it was evident that there was nothing at all (beside the black O-ring) on the threads, so I didn't put anything on the threads of the heat element either. Better judgement tells me I should have at least put some Teflon on it, not so much to prevent it from leaking (the o-ring will do that), but for the future if I ever need to remove and replace it, I think I'd be able to get it out easier if there were some compound on the threads- however since I'll be able to put a big beefy six point socket on it, I'm not overly concerned about it being impossible to remove either.

Hope this helps someone else, happy to answer any questions if anyone has any. Happy I got it done before the real cold temps hit New England. I hate the way it takes so damn long to warm up when it's cold in the morning, I'd have to drive for 15 miles before the gauge would even start to move, when it was only as cold as low thirties- which we've had a few mornings of already.

~Chris

 

Thanks for letting us know how the install went Chris...

For future reference of others who may attempt...

DO NOT use any Teflon tape, pipe dope, Loctite, etc. Just lubricate a new O-ring with clean coolant and install.

Tighten to 30 lb-ft (41 Nm) or basically seat it and snug it. DO NOT over do it or you could damage the O-ring.

 

Thanks, I know I got plenty of clean coolant on mine as it was going in, can't say how well the oring made out, cuz i torqued it good, I guess I'll keep an eye on it and if it starts leaking, at least I have a backup from the freeze plug I could throw on it if I need to. Where'd you get those numbers from, I looked before I did the install and came up empty...

 

08fx4 thank you for the info, it will be a big held when i put in my heater. Called Tousley Ford Parts and got one on the way. $122.00 total..not bad. Thanks to all of you for the help!!!

 

You're very welcome- I've always found that "people helping people" on a forum like this helps out big time. It's nice to give a little when you take so much. Pay it forward so to speak.

 

thanks crhis! this is on my list! I was surprised that the truck did not come with a block heater

 

I thought I'd post these items up for anyone who (like me) has a weather tight outlet cover on the plug they use at home for their block heater like this:



I know lots of people like to use timers for their block heater, but the issue is; there really aren't any (that I have found) that will fit into a box like that.

There is a type of duplex outlet that actually has remote control capabilities, I know it sounds high tech (and it is sorta) but very affordable, and easy to install. They are part of a line called x10pro, and they are a home automation type of product. I've included some links to the best prices I have found for a simple set-up that you could run your outlet with. Seems like about a $50-$60 dollar project if you're a do-it-yourselfer. Seems like a decent solution, to keeping your plug weather tight. I'll add it to the list of things I may never get around to, but someone more ambitious than me might find it intersting.

http://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=C...rct=j&q=x10pro

X10 Pro Duplex Receptacle Module | eBay

XPMT4 X-10 LCD 64-Event Mini Timer - X10 PRO | eBay


PA011 X10 PRO SuperSocket Receptacle

 

I put in my block heater last weekend, went fairley smooth but still a pain in the a##. No room to get plug out and heater in. I know the routing of the wire is not 100% right but it will work. About 1 hour to finish. The other night temps went to 25 so i pluged it in, in the morning engine oil temp at 64 and had warm air (not hot) at startup. So all in all happy with outcome, we will se how it works when it gets really cold...its coming soon !

 

definitely tight squeeze for the hands getting at that spot for the heater. That's about the same result I get oil temp mid 60's, but I do know that the coolant temp gauge stars to climb up just a couple minutes into my drive in the morning, whereas if not plugged in, it would take several minutes for it to move.