Block heater tips
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,381
Likes: 193
From: Cambs, England
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 27,347
Likes: 5,941
From: Lake Hartwell, GA
Have faith brother, the 16 year old truck block heater on my truck still works and the plug looked a lot worse than that.
I had my truck plugged in yesterday in and when I went out to look under the hood I could feel the heat coming out when I raised the hood up. It was kind of nice to lean over a warm engine in the cold weather.
I had my truck plugged in yesterday in and when I went out to look under the hood I could feel the heat coming out when I raised the hood up. It was kind of nice to lean over a warm engine in the cold weather.
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Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 18,849
Likes: 179
From: Puget Sound
I bought an aftermarket cover and installed it.
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 311
Likes: 0
From: Iowa
I have that cover on my old plug. It's still on the truck. Since it's so cold here I was going to wait till spring to remove the cord from the truck. I installed a bumper plug so I won't need it anymore.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,825
Likes: 43
From: Land of Taxes
Thanks for posting the Kim info. Therein lies the problem I have a 6.2 gas which does not have the insertion depth that the Diesels do. Im limited by the blocks outer/inner core water jacket depth. 6.2s heaters screw directly into the blocks jacket, unlike the cooler header that the diesels have. Im likely limited to a "will fit" thermosiphon style if I can find a good convection route. I don't want to get fancy with a forced circ system. Im surprised the after market doesn't make a higher wattage unit for the 6.2 cuz the one in there aint worth a .....!
I have used these in the past with great success on gas and diesel gen-sets.
http://www.hotstart.com/assets/Data-...S-E-12-121.pdf
I have used these in the past with great success on gas and diesel gen-sets.
http://www.hotstart.com/assets/Data-...S-E-12-121.pdf
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,381
Likes: 193
From: Cambs, England
& I'll post it to you. Shipping to the USA would be too much.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,381
Likes: 193
From: Cambs, England
I only have to change it as we don't use the same plug in the UK, if I cleaned it, it would be like new!
Hotshot
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 11,286
Likes: 263
From: North of Greenville
Thanks for posting the Kim info. Therein lies the problem I have a 6.2 gas which does not have the insertion depth that the Diesels do. Im limited by the blocks outer/inner core water jacket depth. 6.2s heaters screw directly into the blocks jacket, unlike the cooler header that the diesels have. Im likely limited to a "will fit" thermosiphon style if I can find a good convection route. I don't want to get fancy with a forced circ system. Im surprised the after market doesn't make a higher wattage unit for the 6.2 cuz the one in there aint worth a .....!
I have used these in the past with great success on gas and diesel gen-sets.
http://www.hotstart.com/assets/Data-...S-E-12-121.pdf
I have used these in the past with great success on gas and diesel gen-sets.
http://www.hotstart.com/assets/Data-...S-E-12-121.pdf
It won't be quite as effective as full insertion, but if you have enough room outside the block area where the heating element inserts, you might be able to improve things a bit by using a short nipple and coupling (or just a male-female coupling) to let the longer heating element still transmit most of it's higher wattage into the coolant.
Just a thought.
Tuned
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 333
Likes: 0
From: So. Ca
Was up at Sister's over Christmas. Northern Nevada. Great country.
Got down to low single digits.
Started thinking. Went to Bing for a search. YouTube rocks. Showed location of household male plug awaiting to mate with a 25 foot cord.
Plugged it in at sunset. Snowed lightly overnight. Snow on truck EXCEPT the hood.
Told the tale. Started light normal.
Day before started hard and chugged and coughed a couple times then to run and fast idle. Added oil 15-40 stored in truck in the cold and it poured like cool honey.
Love the block heater discovery.
Got down to low single digits.
Started thinking. Went to Bing for a search. YouTube rocks. Showed location of household male plug awaiting to mate with a 25 foot cord.
Plugged it in at sunset. Snowed lightly overnight. Snow on truck EXCEPT the hood.
Told the tale. Started light normal.
Day before started hard and chugged and coughed a couple times then to run and fast idle. Added oil 15-40 stored in truck in the cold and it poured like cool honey.
Love the block heater discovery.
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