engine block heater

[Jesselee]

how long can you leave your block heater pluged in

 

[ROADWARRIOR]

Some people leave them plugged in for days. You need to have it plugged in for at least a couple hours for it to do much. The colder it gets, the longer it needs to be plugged in.



Dan

 

[Jesselee]

thanks alot road warrior for the reply what about putting a cover over the grille ? its my first winter with the giant it should be interresting thanks alot for any info

 

[JLEONARD]

I have a heavy duty timer (cheapo-depot) that I plug my heater into. It is set to be on for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours before my normal departure time. That's long enough to get the engine above the grid heater cycle temp unless the outside temp is in the single digits or lower.

Jay

 

[ronco]

There has been talk on this board and others about plugging in your block heater while idling in COLD weather to keep the cumbustion temps acceptable and not wash down the cylinder walls.





Ronco

 

[DieselTweaker]

when im not driving mine I leave it pluged in, when i get home The first thing I do is plug it in while i wait for it to idle down, and in the morning I leave it in while i let it idle in the morning... ... Heard an old truck one day rattle off October thru May plug'em in every day.

 

[rbattelle]

In the beginning, I used a timer set to come on 2-4 hours before I woke up in the morning. Then someone asked me "why", and I didn't have a good answer. Now I just plug it in when after I shut down for the last time at night, and let 'er run all night. There's no way you can overheat the engine with the block heater. I only plug in below 40 degrees F.

 

[JLEONARD]

why", and I didn't have a good answer

To save $$ on the electric bill. If it only takes 2 hours why leave it on all night? That's the cheap Yankee in me. :-laf

Maybe the savings is more in my mind than on the electric bill... I never calculated the actual $$.



My boat Cummins has a thermostatically controlled block heater... I often keep it on 24/7 to keep the bilge dry. I don't pay for electricity (directly) at the marina.

 

[Cummins Pilot]

Where I'm from, well we leave them plugged in all the time. When its -40 or around there you need it. I leave it plugged in when I idle the truck to help keep it warm.

 

[MHalloran]

FYI-- Runnin' your block heater all night uses about the same amount of power as runnin' an AC unit. Your bill will reflect.

 

[RBeard]

7. 5 cents/hr is cheap to reduce engine wear and tear!!

 

[gravedigger]

Good info

I've been woundering about this very issue for a while now. Last year I bought a cheap timer and set it to turn on for two to three hour before running the truck. Only problem was that the stupid timer never keep the proper time. So it looks like this year I will just let it stay pluged in all night.

 

[R-N-R]

During the winter months I leave mine plugged in to a digital timer from Home Depot ($20) while at home. The timer can be setup individually (if desired) for each day of the week.

 

[MHalloran]

After about a year, I had the plug go bad on the wire itself. Looked good from the outside but it was an internal break in the wire. Engine wasn't warm when I thought it should be. New plug on now, O. K. Fellow owners out there, heres easy way to check for operation (works for my 96). Use your ear! Put your head by the grille (has to be quiet around you) and you'll hear an audible "hissing"sound. Doesn't "hiss" when you first plug it in, needs time to warm up.

 

[ndurbin]

I have gone to using the timer on my truck at night and during the day if its plugged in. At night I set it to come on around midnight until 3 and then again at 6. During the day it comes on for 2 hours every 4 hours. And I dont leave it plugged in while running (to afraid I'll drive off with it plugged in).



Nathan

 

[Bellon]

Why use the engine block heater

Last winter I installed a Webasto diesel fired cab heater on my 2003.



It works GREAT.



The unit comes with an on-dash control unit, so that you can either manually engage the heater, or set it on a timer (three different timer settings). So, if you always leave for work at 6:30am, set the timer to start at 6am. By the time you get out to your truck, it is warmed up.



You can also use the unit as an auxiliary heating system. With my normal drive to work, just about the time I arrive at work my coolant temp would be 180F. But with the heater on, I get about a third of the way to work, and I'm at 180F.



My in-laws live in WI. While visiting them last winter, I had the opportunity to test the system. I ran 12 different tests, with an average starting coolant temperature of 28F. After 30minutes, my coolant temp was over 100F, and the cab was warm.



The unit puts 17,000btus of heat into the cooling system, right before the cab heat exchanger.



The best thing about this, it hardly uses any fuel. That's why Webasto calls it their "Blue Heat" product.



Check it out at www.webasto.us



If you really want the bells and whistles, you can even get the remote start option. Sitting at my desk in the evening, about 30minutes before I leave, I turn the unit on remotely.



Really cool.



Worth every $$.



See my thread for a graph of the data.

 

[rbattelle]

What's the price on that Webasto unit?

 

[CFortier]

I am a new cummins owner after owning brand x. I am wondering my truck did not come with a block heater and am wondering what I have to do to install one? I live in the Vancouver wa. area so extreme cold is not an issue but below 40 degrees can be common.

 

[R-N-R]

I think the block heaters are a standard item. Did you look for the plug between the passenger headlight and the radiator?

 

[MHalloran]

CFort, I also think that block heaters are standard on this engine. If you can't find the plug somewhere around the pass. side headlight, then look at the lower side of the engine block (center) on passenger side. Look for an extension cord sized wire (probably black) coming off the heat element thats in the block itself. Ya kinda can't miss it. It should be there. (What year is the truck?)