Wondering if anyone has used/installed a block heater. As I am reading, the pre-heating helps w/ initial richness and warmup time, not to mention a quicker toastier cabin.

I have an 03 Exp 4.6l, live in So. NJ. It can go into teens easily here in winter, sometimes colder. But mostly thinking about the sub 40 degree nights and morinings just to help overcome some of the mpg fuel consumption due to cold rich setttings.

Thanks for any ideas.

 

sub 40??? That isnt anywhere nearly cold enough to worry about a block heater. Maybe if temps never got above freezing for an extended period of time, and lows were in the negatives ans single digits.

As for fuel mileage and saving a buck....

Even IF a heater were to help out a bit, i would take a LONG time to break even. Id rather have lousy fuel economy for 5 minutes every morning, than drop the cash on something that Id use maybe 10 times a year.

 

I live in Western Montana, where the temps often get down to 20 or 30 below zero. I've also been thinking about an engine block.

Let's keep this thread alive for awhile to see what other people say about this.

Thanks!!

 

20 or 30 below definately warrants a block heater. Unless you have the means to park the rig in a garage overnight.

 

Up here in Alaska I just use an oil pan heater that glues on. It keeps the oil warm and the heat radiates up through the engine.
It has been between -20 and -30 since Nov 1 up here so I have been plugging my truck in every night.

 

You can expect to reduce emissions during warm-up by more than 50%, a fuel consumption reduction of ~10%, and a warm-up time that takes half as long.

But those are the gimmes.

The real reason why you want to use a block heater is because it takes around 8x the amperage to start (turn over) an engine at 0 degrees F than an engine at 70 degrees simply because the oil is soooo thick (think honey). Class II oil, which is mineral oil w/additives (aka dino oil, Quakerstate, Penzoil, etc) is by far the worst in cold temps. They thicken far more than their more expensive man-made counterparts. Class III, hydrocracked synthetic, is only slightly better. Class IV synthetics, like Mobil 1, or class V synthetics, like Redline, offer FAR better extremely low-temp performance. They don't congeal nearly as bad as plain-o dino oil. Synthetic blend oils, while cheaper than full synthetic, offer only marginally better cold performance. What's more, the extremely thick oil in engines below 0 degrees offers only slightly better protection than no oil at all. Using block-heaters will not keep the engine warm, that's not their purpose, what they do is keep the engine from getting too cold. If you run a full synthetic class IV or higher oil, with a cold weight of 5 or lower (5w-20, 5w-30, or 0w-20, etc.), using a block heater will not lessen wear unless the temp falls to 20 degrees or colder. But, at 0 degrees, an engine with a block heater can be as warm as 80-100 degrees. That's 100 less degrees the engine needs to warm up before reaching operating temp. If it takes 10 minutes of normal operation to gain 100 degrees, you will get to operating temp 10 minutes faster. That makes for a more comfortable morning work commute along with its other advantages.

IMHO, anyone living farther north than Kansas should have either a block heater or a heated garage. In fact, in Alaska, Minnesota, North Dakota, Maine, etc., it's not uncommon for parking lots to have electrical outlets for people to plug in their vehicles while they are at work, the mall, etc.

There are really only three types of commercially available block heaters. One replaces your dip-stick and heats your oil directly (doesn't work very well), another is a heating pad that affixes to the side of your oil-pan, and there's one that replaces one of your freeze plugs and uses an element that is immersed in your coolant. The "pad" and "immersion" types usually work out the best because it doesn't interfere with checking your oil and it's generally a permanent installation. You also want to look at a battery blanket. It's more or less an electric blanket that wraps around your battery.

If you are wanting to install a heater just to save fuel, you have to keep in mind that block heaters can use anywhere from 600 to 1875 watts. The larger units use so much power that saving money in fuel is really pointless because you will be spending money to power the heater. You want to plug in if the temp is below 20 degrees, that's when they start providing an advantage. You also want to look into a block heater controller or a timer. A controller will power up the heater if the temp falls below its preset, and a timer allows you to set times when you want the heater activated. It only takes about 2 hours for the heater to warm the engine as warm as it's going to get. Leaving it on all night is rather pointless. Just set the heater to activate around 2 hours before you plan to leave in the morning and you will be fine.

 

I live in Calgary and all my vehicles have block heaters installed. I rarely plug any of them in though, unless the temperature is -30 (C or F ) or lower. Most of the time you are just wasting electricity in my opinion. Unless you also have a timer on your power, keeping your engine warm through the night is pointless. Three hours will heat your block enough to get a good crank in extreme temperatures. The rest is wasted. I cringe when I walk through our employee parking lot and see peoples cars plugged in for 5-6 days at a time while they are out of town.
In my opinion you would be wasting your money in your climate. Give yourself a few extra minutes in the morning and go start it up earlier. Or best bet get a remote car starter I have that on the Windstar and it is always toasty when the wife goes to work. Then you can start it on cold mornings and don't forget to set the defrost and fan at night then no window scraping either (if you have that problem).
Another cold weather thought is synthetic oil for better cold weather cranking. But that's a whole other thread(s)

 

you might already have one stock. i have a 97 4.6 saw a plug coming out the front bumper,never new what for.sure enough stock heater

 

From central Manitoba and I agree with the 3 hour plug in comment. I usually plug in at about -20 Celcius and below. We have a fair amount of humidity in the air so -20 feels really cold and we don't get chinooks here. Once the cold is settled in we are in it for the long haul.

I have my Expy set on a timer to kick in about 4 hours before I leave to work and never had a problem. I don't use synthetics and find changing to 0W-30 works just as well flowing when it gets reallllllllllllly cold.

We have plug in's at work and use the timer there also. I can't imagine what life used to be like without a remote car starter!

 

Hell, I plug my block heater in when its 40 outside. Helps the warm up significantly

 

enough technical crap i live in northern mn where 2-5 weeks of below zero for the high is common it gets -40 with out the windchill around here. i had a block heater in my 91 gmc and my f-150 came with one. there is no magic. plug it in about 3 hours before u leave and your truck will warm up a little bit faster. most of all it saves the engine some wear on cold start up by heating the oil slightly. ur truck will still blow cold air when u get in p slightly faster.

 

Ford installs block heaters by special order. The largest users are Minnesota, Canada and some western states. One other reason a block heater is usefull. When the temps get extremely low the vehicles oil pressure can spike well over 100 psi on startup. Ford actually increased the metal thickness of the 820 oil filter because early on we had oil filters rupturing during this type of start up. You guys are right though you only need it on for a short time prior to startup to be efffective. We get cold here in Michigan but usually not for extended periods of time like some other states.

 

anybody have a part number for a heater for the 5.4? I found this part number: 4L3Z-6D008-AA but apparenlty it's out of production as all the parts stores I tried can't get it anymore, also the -AB version too. thanks for any help.

 

Trying to find an oem heater. Found a heater and battery blanket on ebay for about $70 (incl. shipping).

Where do you get these things?