Curiosity question cuz I don't wanta go outside....its -20! New to me 2011 6.2 Gas.
Its sub zero here and I have the block heater plugged in. It sure doesn't feel like its working well. Im an electrical engineer; I've tested everything. My former career was with stand-by gen sets so Im well versed with block heaters. I have 120 VAC power to the 2 pronged socket at the block. The heater itself ohms out as a closed circuit so its not open. Dont know what the resistance should be? It gets luke warm at best. Another way to put it is when I felt the block this AM it wasn't as cold as the chassis metal but certainly not what I'm used to. When I plugged in my 08 you could here the heater crackle which is what a block heater should do. No noise with this one. Anyone else having this problem. I suppose I will pull it out when it gets a little warmer. I have seen partially burnt heaters partially work. Just curious if anyone else has been down this path with an 11, 6.2?

 

Not sure I ever heard mine crackle but after an hour or so the snow melt of the hood in the center then slowly outward. But mines also a diesel. It had never gotten to what I would call warm. It doesn't make instant defrost heat I still have to wait awhile for that.

 

every block heater I have will hiss when running, but the engine block doesn't get hot just warm to the touch. If it's really cold out the block on my diesel engine won't even be warm to the touch but I know the heater is working when I start it.

 

IIRC the heater on my '11 6.2L drew ~650 watts (measured with a Killawatt (sp?)). I guess it'll take the edge off the cold.

 

That sure isnt a ton of wattage. I plugged it in cold tonight and it did crackle a little bit. Different design than the 08 different sounds.

 

I don't remember the temperature but it wasn't really cold. I wouldn't guess how much the resistance would diminish in real cold.

 

Anyone know if the diesel block heater will fit the gas engine? And will the 6.2s cord fit the diesel heater? I have a 2011...6.2 and would like to install the 2011 6.7 heater in it in the same location.
From what I see they physically look the same from the small pictures I have and the diesel is 1000W vz the gas 650W.

 

You can get a block heater for a gas engine, but I have always thought a battery heater was a better use of money for gasoline engines in cold climates.

 

I have a sealed smart charger mounted next to my battery to keep it topped off along with the block heater. No issues starting I also run 0w20 in the winter months up here. At -50 Celcius no issues whatsoever.

 

Here in Edmonton, AB, where it only occasionally gets to -40C, most people just have block heaters and it gets the job done.

 

Here in Northern Wisconsin, it can get down to -30F (-35C). My 5.4L will crank easily, as long as the battery is in half fast (say it fast) condition. I only use 5W30 synthetic oil.

 

stand by gensets have to stay much warmer because they need to start quickly and be able to assume full load in seconds (or faster) so they are heated much more.
your truck block heater is just to keep the engine above freezing.

 

500 to 1500 watts of heat into a few hundred pounds of metal that's cooled below freezing is not going to make things real warm to the touch. By comparison, your 6.2L Engine puts out 385 peak HP - so at WOT it's making 385 HP x 746Watts/HP = 287,000 Watts of heat. Even running at idle, the engine is still probably putting out 50,000 Watts of heat.

Anyway, for the Block Heater Resistance, you're forgetting your "Circuits 1" class. You know the AC input voltage (115 VAC). It plugs into a regular house power outlet, so the current is < 15 Amps, so you can measure it with the high current setting on a multimeter. Since a block heater is Resistive Circuit, and you now know the voltage and the current, the Impedance calculation is easy....

So, it should measure somewhere between 25 and 8 Ohms which equates to Block Heater Power of between 500 and 1500 Watts. If it's less then 8 Ohms, the heater is probably shorted (and would be blowing the fuse). If it's more than 25 Ohms, then your block heater is less than 500 watts, so, I'd be curious if it's still working as the block heaters are 650 watts.


RWNJ

 

The current 2011 truck has the plow pack which includes the factory block heater. My 08 5.4 also had the OEM heater and it heated the block nicely. This one does not. So my initial Q was to others that may have had this same comparison or if their current 11-12-13 heats the block semi-warm to touch. I'm well aware that this block should not be at or about normal engine/prime mover operating temps such as whats seen on E stand-by gens. Those typically run 120-160*F-ish or higher in critical larger applications such as Hospitals which need instant 60HZ and load xfer. What Im after is a warm(er) to touch block on a 0*F day. The second question is directed at the 6.7 owners. Their block heaters are rated at I believe 1KW. Will that heater fit in the block of a 6.2? They may as they look similar viewed online. Id like to see each side by side so I know its a direct bolt in plug in match.

RightWing thanks for the reality check. By the math and online searches it should be a 650W but at 119 measured vac with 26 ohms mines weak...119vac²/26 Ω =545W So its 105W short, roughly 16% short. Thats not a ton and I wouldn't think 100W would be that noticeable but I guess it is if you think of a 100W bulb. They do heat up as ones arm can attest to when making contact with the dam drop light. So I think its on its way out. That said Im still pondering a 1KW heater to replace it if it will fit? The warmer an engine is the less the wear is on cold start. Also fuel efficiency goes up as the flash on the converters happens somewhat sooner leaning out the cold start fuel curve sooner, though at the expense of the electric bill for sure.
Maybe I should just try a new 650 and see how that does. Just hate to do the job twice if I'm still not happy with .65KW heat output.

 

I've had a '12 gas, a '15 gas, and now a '16 diesel. The '12 and '15 did not seem to appreciably warm the engine much. I had no doubt the gas engines would start right up, but I was thinking the coolant temp gauge would be already 1/4 up the scale. It was on full cold. I plugged in the gas engines when it was going to be 0F or colder, mainly to make the startup easier on the engine. The diesel block heater is slightly more wattage (I read 750W) but there is also more engine displacement and a lot more coolant and oil in this motor. I suspect it will make starting easier, but far from warmed up.