beaner

Hey I am running a 95 TD with gauges catback exhaust BD tourque converter and fuel plate. My Block Heater worked perfect
last year now when I try to use it it does not work. I cleaned the prongs on the plug checked it with a meter between the prongs I appear to have about 300 ohms of resistance is there any other controls or switches fuses or breakers. I beleive before me it was garage kept any help would be appreciated I find it hard to believe the heater is toast this is not frigid I am in Vancouver B.C.
Canada

HammerMTB

beaner, your block heater is dead. You can isolate the heating element from the cord, and identify which is shot. My guess would be the heating element. I'm in the same fix, mine's out too. The element is an almost dead short (near "0" ohms) when testing good. If you need an element, get the whole works with the cord,too, as they go bad and sometimes ruin your element. Cords are cheap. I live a couple hours south of you, and don't care if mine works, as the truck will start fine, but if you're going up into the mountains and the engine gets "cold-soaked" you may want a block heater.

kandgo

New they should read between 15 and 20 ohms, as I just checked two new ones. I am certain that resistance is mostly from the cord. As Hammer stated change complete unit out as the cords do go bad and get weak. Goodluck Rick

HammerMTB

Thanks, kandgo. It has been some time since I ohm'd a heater element!

beaner

Thanks everybody I changed the plug on cord and now have pretty much a dead short like you say a few ohms. the other thing I should have mentioned is that the truck has only 117.000 Kms on it . By the way I see the knurled **** that the heater cord goes into the block is that where you get the element out from also

HammerMTB

There is a hex-head capscrew in the center of the element housing. Loosen the capscrew. Don't remove it! It has a t-nut on the backside that grips the block, and you will drop the t-nut back in the block. It can be retrieved, but best not to lose it. The element and round housing are probably rusted to the block. It will take some persuasion to get the round plug out. Did I mention drain the coolant? Better do that!
Once the unit is free, you can manipulate it to the side and free the t-nut. Emery the soft plug hole nice and clean so the new o-ring will seal. Assemble, fill and you're good to go!

Craig93

Yer in sunny Vancouver and actually gonna plug that in?...

Craig ( freezin on the tundra ).

beaner

Yeah Bud I plug it in because I do a lot of short hauls and I understand that it is not good for the diesel to be run too cold causes combustion problems I want to give it all the chance I can. If I am going to go any distance I do not bother plugging it in you are right though it fires up fine.

beaner

Once again thanks everyone got lucky changing the plug fixed the problem block heater works again

Craig93

Ahh..I'm just bustin ya man...I'd do the same..just wishin I was back in B.C....born there..( Kamloops ) and hope to die there.

Dieseldude4x4

Just pulled the block heater out of my sons truck today. It was still working but we pulled the manifold and the turbo to replace gaskets and I wanted to do the heater since we are doing all the hoses anyway. It was corroded pretty well and probably would have not lasted much longer. The bolt that holds the "T" in place has to be backed pretty far out to allow the "T" to move enough to disengage the block. This particular one had the threads staked on the end of the bolt so it would not seperate from the "T" without force.

I'm going to replace mine when I go after the hoses in the spring too.

jigdog

i been fighting with mine for two years until a month ago and i chkd the ohms and don't remember what they were . it worked once in a while . i replaced the plug on the end and it working great.

jigdog

sorry beaner i did n't read the rplaced plug post sounds like a dead one.

Dieseldude4x4

The "T" bolt on the new heater will totally disengage from the "T" on the new heater. I took a pair of vise grips and just tightened them up on the very last threads and made it so it will not disengage now.