does anyone know how many degrees per hour these heaters warm the block on these engines? I asked this in a different thread but never got much of an answer.

One time i had to get goin somewhere unexpectedly when it was 25 below and only had the truck plugged in an hour. It started right up- took an extra crank or 2 more than usual but no biggy. The heater was alot quieter when i unplugged it than when i started it so it must have warmed it up quite a bit.

Dan.

 

does no one else use a block heater?

 

It depends on a lot of factors. How cold your engine is to start with. How much coolant there is in the engine. How effective your thermostat is. How much wind exposure there is. What size heater it is. How long your extension cord is. What size extention cord you are using. All these factors make it nearly impossible to tell you that figure. All said, usually two hours is long enough the get the engine to start.


The main reason for having an engine heater is to get the engine to start in the cold. It started. It did it's job. Yes, it's a lot easier on the engine if it isn't required to start dead cold, but there is a lot more that can be done besides a block heater. The automatic tranny takes a horrendous beating in that kind of cold as well. They don't tend to last long in really cold climates.

Flagship

 

hey guys....Im reading about these block heaters and wondering if my truck has one. Are these just in diesels, or in all trucks. Wheres the plug in if I have one?

5.4L 2002 F-150

Thanks

 

If you lay on your back under the front driver's side of the truck and follow any wiring harnesses you can see. You'll find one ends with a 120V plug end with a dust cover tucked up around the rad or the back of the bumper. Ford really hid these things and I've had to find a couple for other owners. Just re-route it out the grill for easier access. I personally haven't seen one that wasn't equipt with a block heater, but that may only be the case for Canadian trucks.

 

Here is a pic of one with the wire removed.

JMC

 

all the ones on our trucks- the cord is located in the drivers side bumper hole. very handy for me.

Dan.

 

Thermostat condition and wind exposure have nothing to do with it. A block heater will never get the coolant hot enough to open the thermostat and even if it did you've got no way to circulate the coolant. As far as the wind goes, a truck is not a living organism that perspires so therefore windchill does not apply, just ambient temperature. Automatic trannies? I've only ever had one fail on me due to overheating in the middle of summer pulling a trailer through a mountain pass. They warm up very fast due to the thin oil and if you take it easy when they are cold, they do not fail any sooner because of "cold climates". Way to go Eskies!!!!

 

Well, my truck was made in Canada I'll have to check that out tonight. We get some pretty cold nights here sometimes.

 

Some times the heater is there but no cord so look for the heater under the right side exhaust manifold.

When i changed and flushed my coolant the other week i installed a block heater. it only took about 20 minutes.

 

One more question. I know the heater makes a kettle/boiling sound when first plugged in, but I just check it out and you can hear a sizzling/boiling noise coming from the truck when I stood 8ft away. Is this normal? Is that the sound its sopposed to make to let you know its working?

 

i hear absolutly nothing from mine

and i know it works properly

i'd have a closer look around if i were you

...zap!

 

Hot water rises, cold water sinks. If your thermostat is leaking at all, or has a bypass hole, you will get a slight flow and that can, and will, make a difference! The Model T had no water pump at all and relied solely on "Thermosyphon" for cooling.

You are correct in that a machine is not a living organism. I was not talking about "Wind chill factor", I was referring to the fact that a wind will bring the engine down to ambient tempreture quicker than if there were no wind. Obviously, the block heater is going to heat the engine to above ambient temp, a breeze will tend to bring it back down to ambient much the same way as air flowing through the radiator core lowers the temp of the coolant. Without perspiration I might add!

Wind chill is something the news media thought up to make things sound more sensational. minus 99 sounds much more interesting than minus 40. I completely concur with your statement though, to your vehicle, minus 40 is minus 40, with or without a wind. It's just that it will get down to minus 40 quicker with a wind than without.

As far as trannies go, I've had much more trouble with autos in the cold than in the heat. Then again, I used to drive Chrysler products. Maybe that's it.

Flagship

 

Well all of ours make a hissing noise as well- louder at first then quieter as it warms up. But yours sounds abnormally loud.

Dan.

 

I finally got a bigger shorter cord. This one is half as long and twice as thick. I cleaned all the prongs as well as greased them with conductive grease. I had the truck plugged in for about an hour and I went to start her and temp gauge acually moved. Still weird though how it would hiss and make kettle sounds with the other cord yet not touch the temp gauge. O well as long as its working now. Thanks guys for all the help!!

Alex