before you guys all call me a sissy for whining about tempurates that arent even below freezing, keep in mind that 80% of the year its between 70* and 90* around here anyway, my question is this: when do i need to start worrying about diesel fuel gellin' like a felon'? also, i would like to run my block heater just for the sake of having warm air when i get into the car, and im wondering if it is okay to leave the thing plugged in all night? any idea how much power it draws?

 

at 38* you're a long way from worrying about fuel jelling... that starts around 30-25 from what i have been told.
I haven't noticed that the block heater gives me warm air in teh cab, it warms the air going into the intake, not the coolant which is where the heater core draws heat from.
You can leave it plugged in all night, it doesnt draw all that much power. There was a thread discussing how much it used, but I remember someone posting that leaving it plugged in for 8 hours a night would wind up costing about $7 a month. But if its only getting down to 38* for a low, I wouldnt worry about plugging it in, or only for a couple hours before starting time if I did.. put it on a timer for that.


edit: oh btw.........SISSY!!!!!!!

 

i think it draws around 300watts.

 

Want to trade, I'll take your 38° for my 14°.

There's no problem leaving it plugged in all night, you just have to pay the electric bill. The cab won't be any warmer compared to if you left it unplugged. It will however get warm faster once your start the truck and circulate the nice warm coolant around and of course the heater fan is running.

 

It's 750 watts.

ps: Weenie!

 

SOCAL? 38? Go jump in the ocean and warm up. It should be a balmy 66 degrees! Do the Grunniun run when it's that cold?

 

35 deg here and I live 3-4 miles from the beach. I plug mine in when it gets down to 35 or colder.

 

#2 grade of diesel fuel normally gells (forms wax crystals which plug the fuel filter) at between 0* and +5*, depending on the refinery run. Sometimes it is even lower than that, but you can't count on it. If you put antigel ldditive in before it gels, you should gain another 10*, but you won't have to worry about that where you are. The anitgel additive allows the wax crystals to form small ***** which pass through the filter. It is interesting what our canadian brothers do to operate their deisels in very cold weather.

 

I have started mine at 20 degrees before off the preheaters without plugging it in and it started fine with no problems, any colder than that and I will probably plug it in.


Chris

 

I know I don't belong here but when I saw 38 brrr, I had too. It was 6 here the other morning, that's brrrrrrrrr.

Anyway old man plugs his 2nd gen in when it's under 30, I do the same just to ease the starting. I've started my truck up in maine before -10 no plug in, she chugged and belched some white smoke but started. Much easier to plug in. I wouldn't worry about plugging in unless it's under 30.

Also noticed somebody said the heater was in the air intake?? Is that how the early ones are?? Ours are in the block. You know me, trying to learn everything and anything about the Cummins evolution

 

My dad was in NY on sunday/monday, it was +5°F in the morning and the intake heaters decided not to work. He said it started hard (cranked it 3 times), but at least it started. Had it been the blue oval he would still be there.

 

the cord sure looked like it terminates in the block to me, then again, i could be wrong.

i could have sworn i've read people here saying that they got instant heat when they plugged the block in. if it heats the coolant than it only makes sense, right? unless of course it heats it to a point at which it cant really produce warm air right away.

and it was 38* at 6am. when i got to the frist job there was frost on the grass, which obviously means its been getting colder than 38*.

 

Hey JeepS,

You will definitly feel heat WAY sooner with the heater plugged in.

The block heaters on these things don't mess around...
When I have mine plugged in, the outside of the engine is warm to the touch...even at 0-10 degrees... I can literally hear a noise...like the coolant is boiling in the block when it's been plugged-in for several hours.

The BLOCK HEATER has a cord that plugs-in to 110ac...and it heats the engine coolant.

The GRID HEATER is in the intake manifold and heats incoming air, and works with the "Wait to Start" light. It works off the 12v vehicle electric system...sort of like a big toaster in the intake...heated intake air fires the engine much easier.

Vinny

 

I'm a real wimp - I plug mine in when it gets below 40 overnight. I have some heat within a mile.

 

it gets to below zero up in northren ohio were i got to college, and i have no place to pulg my truck in never had any problems with starting. Going to work one morning it was -2 cycled the grids twice and started it.