I've read some things on here about this, but I haven't run across anything that describes if you can test the actual heating element to ensure that it is working properly. Most everything I've read just talks about testing the cord for continuity. Can you put a meter on the element (without removing it) and test for ohms or something to that effect? If so, does anyone know the specs for the reading? Mine on my CC doesn't seem to be working as well as on my old ECLB - when I had the ECLB plugged in and the defrost **** on, it would actually keep my window mostly defrosted. On my CC, it does not do this at all. It seems like there is a difference with it plugged in vs. not plugged in, but it's not a major difference. And I get bluish white smoke pretty bad for the first 5 or 10 minutes while it is warming up. Then it smokes a little for the first few minutes of driving, then it stops smoking. I just replaced the GPR and all 8 GPs, so I know they're good. I'll even leave the key on for about 30 seconds before starting to let them get good and warm, but it still does it. I'm sure the block heater is not working very well, if at all. Just thought I'd see if I could check before replacing and having to do a coolant flush too. Oh, and it was 19* this morning when I started her up, so pretty cold. Even with the block heater working great, my old ECLB would still smoke when it got really cold, so maybe it's pointless.

 

It's probably cracked or corroeded beyond useful use.

After 8 hours I was only up to 80 degrees. It used to be 140 in 4 hours.

It's worth replacing even if your not sure.

Make sure you get the IH one or a good one from a reliable source.

I guess there are 2 different ones. I cannot confirm this, word of mouth, but the parts stores ones are shorter than the stock one. Probably because its for multiple trucks.

 

We've got an IH store nearby. I may see how much a new one is. I suppose I could take on off one of our parts trucks, but they've got just as many or more miles, and I don't want to have to do it twice. Might be worth getting a new one. I'll have to check on the price.

How did you test the temp?

 

I have a scangauge.
Tells me my oil temp, so I know how warm it is when I jump in.

If your plugging it in for 4 hours and its not starting easily, its most likely bad.

Just remember, when you pull it, coolant is going to come out.

 

you can test the block heater directly without pulling it out. i just went through all this since i was an idiot and left my block heater plugged in after i drained my coolant for a coolant change.

1. climb under the driver's side and pull the cord out of the block heater

2. put your ohm-meter across the two pins of the block heater - its a pain because they're so small and you're reaching up above your head. make sure you're just on the pins and not grounding your meter out on the pipe thread body.

3. its just a resistive heat element, so if its still in working order, you should read something like a few ohms (or even zero ohms) depending how good of a multimeter you have. anything in the mega-ohm range or infinite resistance means your block heater is shot. mine was infinite resistence and when i pulled it out, i could see where it had melted. i could imagine something in the k-ohm range would be it on its deathbed, though usually resistive heaters go from working to completely dead with nothing in between.

i was concerned that my burnt heater would be siezed in the block since its a stainless pipethread body in a cast iron block, but it came right out quite easily. my replacement was an IH part (from Amazon) and it had a nice ring of thread sealant already on it, so i didnt have to debate on using dope or teflon...

one further comment: its possible that a bad cord can be serving as an additional resistor in the circuit, so that full voltage is not getting to the block heater. once i replaced my block heater, my truck woudl still not warm up like it used to, but i found that the connection from my extension cord to block heater plug was warm one morning. having just seen a truck at a local shop with the front end burned out supposedly from a fire started by the block heater cord, i ripped my right out, cut it off back near the connector to the block heater, soldered on a new outdoor-rated plug-wire borrowed from an outdoor spotlight, potted it all in silicone, put it back on and i'm good as new with great starts in the cold and a quickly-warming cab.

 

Ok. Maybe Bill will let me borrow his new scanguage to read the temp before I do anything.

How much coolant will I expect to lose, and should I drain it some before doing this, or should I just let the absence of the heating element drain it (when I pull it out)? And/or would it be best to do an entire coolant flush while I'm at it? I need to check the coolant anyway with some of those test strips. I'm sure the PO's did not.

 

Thanks for the info. I'm going to have to try that. That's the info I was looking for. I have a feeling it's pretty much shot though. And I've noticed that my connection from extension cord to block heater cord is usually warm. Maybe that's a bad sign. But it was warm on my old truck too, and it seemed to work well. I've often worried about fires or shorting out something. Especially when it's raining (though my connection is behind the bumper sort of under the radiator - it still gets wet).

 

i can say from experience that you'll lose a few gallons, if you just let it come out behind the loosened block heater - which is what i did.

keep your mouth closed as you loosen it though. from experience i can say that it shoots out from behind the block heater with more force than you'd expect and, in my case, shot right into my mouth. i can now understand why dumb animals like to drink antifreeze. it tastes very sweet. i had even loosened the degass bottle cap to let the pressure out of the system... also, have a big catch pan under there if you plan on reusing the coolant.

might be a good time to change coolant if its due. i had just changed mine, so i was trying to catch every drop i could. it picke dup a lot of crap in it running down the side of the engine and frame on its way to the pan though, so i had to filter it before putting it back in. if your SCA's are good, though there's no real need to replace, unless you want to flush the system.

 

we're one message out of synch here. lets see if i can beat your reply to my last post.

yeah, my old cord was always warm but worked fine. my new homemade connection, though is always dead cold even after being plugged in for 4 hours. so while a warm cord is not definitely going to burn your truck to the ground, i like the peace of mind knowing that my chances of finding my truck on fire are now significanly reduced.

 

Yup...back in sync now! All good information. This sounds like one of those jobs where you've got to "hold your mouth right" - in this case, CLOSED! I haven't checked my SCA levels yet, but I'm going to automatically assume that they are probably not where they should be, just knowing how lots of people are. And, I don't know how long since the last coolant flush (I'm at 277K miles now), and I'd rather have the peace of mind of knowing. I'll probably try to do something with a new cord too. I'm like you - if i can reduce my chances of a crispy, burnt truck, I'm all for it. Don't know when I'll get to doing this - probably after Christmas - but it's becoming more important as the nights get colder for the winter. You know how it is...grease the squeaky wheel. Thanks for the info.

 

not that this helps you diagnose from the outside, but i found this pic on my phone and its actually relevant here.

 

Nice. I wonder what mine looks like? Maybe I'll find out soon enough. You don't happen to have the IH part number handy, do you?

 

thought i ordered it from Amazon, but i guess not. just found the reciept for it on my computer here. here's the line from the reciept:

1 x 94-97 Ford 7.3L Powerstroke Diesel Block Heater 1814323C2 0% $49.00 $49.00 $49.00

not sure if that 181... number is the IH# or not. apparently, i ordered it from
Pure Diesel Power | Diesel Performance Parts | Diesel Power Chips. now that i think of it, i remember having trouble locating one. i don't think my IH dealer here had one even. or maybe it was just cheaper online. whatever the case, i didn't know i was ordering an IH part, but was pleased when it showed up as one.

which reminds me of one more detail of my process - i tried one of those stick-on-the-side-of-the-oil-pan heaters before biting the bullet and replacing mine. it lasted about a month before it burned out. i know i installed it right, but it was complete junk. it was made by 'Kat', so i emailed their parent company - whoever that was - hoping for at least a replacement unit or something. no response, no nothing. so i sure as heck wasn't going to put one of their aftermarket block heater replacements in my truck. they are everywhere on amazon and such though, so be careful. sounds like you're going for OEM anyway, though so you should be good.

 

Resistance should be about 14 ohms at the heater, only slightly more at the grille plug. You can also measure current/power draw with something like this: P3 - Kill A Watt . If it's failing, it's probably going to read higher resistance, thus lower current flow.

 

Good to know. Thanks!