I'm curious about the heater have never used it. Does anyone know how many watts its rated? How long do you leave it plugged in? Suppose to be
-30 by wed. here.

 

I have mine on a timer, which comes on about 3 hours before I leave. You don't get instant heat even if you leave it on all night. I think most run around 1000w. Years ago I had a 1980 F150 with a 351M and it had 2 block heaters. My heater would blow warm air within a couple of minutes.

Rick

 

You can leave it plugged in as long as you want. Up in Alaska it's 30-40 below quite often, most leave it plugged in at all times except when driving. Even the grocery stores and most all parking lots in Fairbanks have outlets!

 

I'm not sure what the wattage is. But like rtpalin says, you don't really need it on more than 2-3 hours before you leave. Just wasted energy beyond that.

BTW, I don't live in Alaska. But I do live in North Dakota. So we get well below zero.

 

I'm going to start using it we have below zero f also. I am getting rid of the car so the truck will be my only vehicle. Have to take good care of it, not that I don't already. Thanks for the replies and stay warm.
1fordnatic I have a friend in Talkeetna, so I know you really get the cold weather.

 

Anchorage had a program (out of funds now) which anyone could have a block heater installed for $25. They have a big "Plug at 20" campaign. Anytime it's below 20 they want vehicles plugged in to reduce the smog output which is considerably higher until the engine warms up.

I'm up above the arctic circle right now at work. When it's -30 to -40 you pretty much leave them plugged in all the time, you can't allow them to get cold soaked. And the electricity up here is diesel generated and literally costs 4-5 times normal. Up on the north slope they leave vehicles running for about 6 months straight-you can't let the fluids get solid. Even at just -30 here you have to let it run for 10 minutes or so before you can turn the steering wheel.

So I guess it depends on just how far below zero it is, and for how long.

 

Amazing! Hard to understand that down here even in the so-called north country. Not sure I could handle that. I have a dr. appt at 9 in the am and I put a timer on the heater for about 4 hours. I'll see how it does. Forecast is for 10 to 18 below.

 

I live in Fairbanks, AK and know all to well the havoc those kinds of temps can wreak not only on a vehicle but on just about anything. We just came out of a 2 week cold snap a couple of days ago where the temps ranged anywhere from -40 to -60 and that's not not including wind chill.

If you are getting temps down to -30 it probably would be a good idea to get heating pads for you battery, oil pan and transmission. You will also need some black high temp silicone (I think they even make self adhesive pads) and a 4-way outlet to mount somewhere in the engine compartment to plug the heating pads into. I mounted my 4-way right up front just inside the bumper on a beam that the hood latch is attached to, right in front of the A/C condenser.

You will want to make sure you clean the surfaces of the oil pan and tranny pan really, really good to get rid of any dirt and fluid that may be on there. Take your silicone and spread it evenly and completely on one side of the heat pad and place it on the bottom lowest portion of the oil pan and just in the middle of the tranny pan. It is really important that you make sure that there are air bubbles so smooth it our with your hand really well. You want to make sure that every bit of the pad makes contact (no loose edges or corners) or it could burn out.

Those items are pretty much standard up here when winterizing your vehicle. Like 1Fordnatic said, you don't want your fluids to solidify otherwise you could have a real problem on your hands. In Alaska you can get those items at any parts store but I'm not sure about down in the lower 48. I have talked to people who live down there and they didn't know such items even existed. Heck, niether did I until I transplanted to AK a few years ago. The followings links should help you out if you can't find any locally.

Battery Heaters (60watt):
While we find your parts, please enter your ZIP Code at PartsAmerica.com

Oil pan heaters (100 watt):
While we find your parts, please enter your ZIP Code at PartsAmerica.com

Tranny Pan heater (75 watt):
couldn't find this one online

Misc Heaters:
Heaters at PartsAmerica.com

Good LucK!

 

Even tho its not supposed to be quite that cold here in PA, I was still considering plugging mine in.

Ive never used the block heater on my 2000 F150. Is it safe to assume that a standard outdoor ext. cord would be acceptable for use? (cant remember what the guage/size is....14???)

 

Gauge of the extension cord depends on the legenth of the run. A 14 is ok for a short distance say up to 20' maybe 25'. Any thing above that you should go with a 12' gauge cord. I am currently trying to locate a "Smart Cord" for the heater on my tow truck. A smart cord has a thermostadt that controls the power to the heater. It is placed in the truck and the heater is plugged into it and then it plugs into the extension cord.

 

What oil do you use? Sounds like you also do a lot of idiling. Does your gas up there have ethanol in it?

 

They make special extension cords specifically for winter vehicle applications. They are usually blue with clear plugs that light up when you plug them in so you know they are working. They're fairly cheap also. If you can't find one of those you can use a regular orange extension cord though.

 

I use Mobile 1 synthetic. You want something that will flow when it's cold. Also with thick regular oil it really cranks hard and makes starting more difficult. I'm glad that I have a garage for my pickup, I am on call and would have to constantly keep it plugged in. In Anchorage where I live it usually isn't much below zero, although we did just warm from a couple week period of -20 to -35 temps.

I'm not sure about the ethanol. There is a smog problem (mainly in winter), but there are no crops grown up here to make ethanol out of.

 

I just watched the weather and we had 22 below yesterday and not sure how far we are going this am. You warmed up and we got your weather.

 

So did Ford put block heaters on any factory 97-03 F150s?