Well I decided I'd make my truck's cold starting a little easier on her. I know she'll start just fine I just like the block heater to keep it warm and reduce wear. That's where a lot engine wear comes from. I decided to try this Zero start kit. I've used their stuff in other applications and had good luck. This kit also fits the 6.0 and 6.4 as well it's pretty common. I believe it is a 1000w unit. The install was really easy if you don't count the trip to town for the 9/16 hex socket, it was probably 30-45 min. That plug was kind of a booger due the the length of the hex socket I bought but luckily I have a flex head 1/2 craftsman ratcheting breakover bar that made it easy. I was surprised at how tight the plug was being a O-right type seal. I searched all over the forum for a thread on these but didn't have any luck in the 6.7 forum so I guess I'll be the beta tester.

At first I was a little worried after I plugged it in. Usually a block heater will make a little noise but this thing was completely silent. I left if plugged in for an hour or so while I was putting the wheel well back together and putting the wheel back on. I cleaned up the shop a bit and was pleasantly surprised that my coolant was up to 84 degrees in that hour. It's about 35 degrees out so I was super happy with that. The cord is a little cheesier than the OEM cord but a heck of a lot easier to install. took me about 5 min to route it on top the frame and zip tie it in place. I did wrap the cord in wire loom to insulate and protect it. It tucks into the bumper very nicely. Which thats my next mod I'm hooking up the gooseneck and hauling my Boss' new 6.7 to Salina, KS and getting Thunderstruck full bumper replacements put on both of em. Anyways I'll post some pics. They might be a little redundant due to all the threads on block heaters but maybe they will help someone.I'll post tomorrow morning what the coolant temp is. It's actually gonna warm up overnight and should be about 36 in the morning. Have a good'n. Also The Zero Start kit is made in the USA which I forgot to post earlier. I try to avoid ding dong Chinese parts as much as possible.

 

Great mod man! I'm sure other people will want to do it. I wonder if it heats better then the stock option? Reps sent!

 

Great Mod. I have yet to plug in. I probably should since it has been hovering around 0 F.

 

Cant go wrong with that mod, well done

 

Thanks guys. It was super easy and super cheap. I forgot to add that the OEM element and cord was hovering right around $200. This kit was $52.69. We'll see about longevity I guess. But I was happy to buy from a Canadian company and the product itself is made in the USA. Not sure about where the OEM one was made. Probably Mexico like a lot of things on the truck.

 

How much coolant did you loose when you pulled the plug?

I should have installed one of these before i had my coolant drained, flushed and refilled. Dang was not thinking.

 

Not a whole lot maybe 1/2 a quart. I caught most of it and didn't get any on me. But while washing down the frame it got pretty dirty so I trashed it. The level still looks good on the Degas bottle so I'm not gonna sweat it. Yea that would been the perfect time for sure. Even if you just stuffed and element in there and added the cord later. Ah well I do that crap all the time don't worry about it.

 

Good job! I bought the factory one and it is still laying on my desk here at home. I'm waiting for it to get warmer to do it!!! Thanks for sharing the info. Looking forward to doing mine. I found a full pictured write up that I posted a while back, on a factory one, but wasn't sure it was as easy as he said it was. Thanks for the reassurance!
Monty

 

Yea it's pretty easy. The factory heating element is just as easy to install but routing the cord is a booger. I've done a couple of em. One was on my 6.0h and the other was on my 2012. But it's not terrible. I just figured I'd save some cash and wrap that Zerostart cord and it would be just fine. I've used those type cords on tractors, trucks, and other things. They work fine unless it gets pinched or rubbed to expose the wire then you usually blow a breaker or something. That's why I ran the loom over it. I'll keep an eye on it while under the truck for other things but it will be fine I'm sure. Especially sinceI only keep these trucks a year and a half or 2 years.

 

Thank you for posting this. I have a 6.0 Excursion. You mentioned you'd done a 6.0. Do you remember where the plug was in the block that you removed for the heating element? I drained my coolant recently and I remember one plug was really accessible and the other was buried so i only removed the one to drain whatever coolant was left. Is that the one you removed for the heater? I think it was on the drivers side? Thanks!

 

Not real impressed with the factory heater, especially compared to the heater I had in my DMax.

Anyone know if there is a heater location on the left side of the block?

BTW, I found a great timer to use, uses a time and temperature threshold.