My F450 7.3L won't start cold even in 60 degree weather. So I've had it plugged in. I don't drive it much. The heater is not working now even though I just replaced it in October. I don't haved it plugged in much since then either. I olmed it and got zero so I think it's bad. I live in the southwest but a blizzard is suppose to hit this weekend and near zero temps. Since it's Christmas, can't get it running and the heater is bad, I'm in a bit of a pickle. (Suggestions are welcome). I bought my heater from Oreilly's and the brand is Zerostart. Was the one I bought a dud or is that a bad brand?

Will dipstick engine oil heaters work by themselves in this truck? Can I--should I use it too. I think 90W is the only size I can get in town.

 

The factory one is 1000 watts so I would say the 90 w is just a drop in the bucket. Where are you checking, at the heater or the cord? The cords are known to go bad so I would check that. I used to install a lot of heaters when I was a kid in the 70's working at a gas station in MN and never had any issues with Katz brand. If you can't get yours working maybe look for a Katz.

Good luck and Merry Christmas.

Here is a link to one. http://www.griggslawnandtractor.net/...48sRoCb0bw_wcB

You can also go to Katz's website as they have the replacement heater and cords for the stock heater and several other options.

 

Merry Christmas! And thank you for your reply. I checked it at the cord. I wondered about that but since it was brand new...

 

What part of the southwest you at?

 

Zerostart isn't a brand with a bad reputation at all. I want to say they're the OEM supplier, but I'm not certain.

 

Could you clarify what ohm range on the meter you used when doing your check? If you inadvertently used a high ohm range the meter could possibly give you a zero reading. You should be using a range no higher than 200 ohms. A typical heater can have an ohms reading around 15 ohms.

Best of luck,
Larry

 

Roswell, NM

 

I was figuring he probably was getting "OL" or open. If he truly has zero ohms of resistance it would be a dead short and would open the circuit's overload protection the moment it was plugged in.

 

Your truck should be able to start at -20f without having to use a heater.
Why concentrate on a heater when there are more reliable start options already built into your truck? I suspect that your glow plug relay is no longer sending power to the plugs. Get that fixed and you won't have to bother with plugging in all the time.

 

Long time no see Dan, glad to have you back. I miss your knowledge. Hope you had a joyous Christmas.