My 06 have a heater block that heats up the coolant that is the one that get plug in. When you turn the key there is a heater on the air intake and the oil filter. They come On @ 32 degree.

 

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Scott, you asked about whether "anyone ever had to replace their block heater?" Yes,..... I have had to put two (2) of them in my 1996 Dodge CTD 12 valve since I bought it new.

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John_P

 

Thanks.. ok checked my temp this morning yes it is warming up faster so it must be working...it was 17 degrees and I had heat after 5 minutes of idle time. Thanks to everyone jumping on here and helping me out.


Scott

 

I just put on in my '05 at about 96,000 miles. I'll snap a picture of the bad one some time soon, and then post it.

 

On 05's and all other previous Cummins model's, the grid heater's cycle and the wait to start light come on no matter whether it has been plugged in or not. Starting with the 06's, the grid heater's were reprogrammed to only cycle if the intake manifold temp get's below 55 degrees. That's why people with newer one's won't see the wait to start light in the summer or when the truck is plugged up.

 

before you start it, remove the radiator cap and stick your finger in ....should be warm

 

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On my 1996 Dodge CTD 12 valve truck, when I plug the heater in to my extension cord in the garage, after about ten (10) seconds, I can hear the heater start up. It makes a real light hissing type noise. This may not be the case on the CR Trucks though. Hope this helps you some.

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John_P

 

I live in a similar climate temp wise right now. When my trucks not plugged in, 38 degrees out I get the light on when I turn the key on in the morning. If the truck is plugged in, the wait to start light does not come on.

 

One of the easiest ways to tell your block heater is working is wait a few seconds and listen after plugging it in. You'll hear a sizzle after about 5 seconds. Of course it has to be a quiet environment to hear it. Mine makes that noise, as did other vehicles I owned with block heaters. The other way to test it is just use an ohm meter and measure the resistance at the two prongs of the plug. If resistance is negligable, you're good.

 

Also, I should add that I would expect that a block heater isn't enough to bring the entire engine up to a temperature where the glow plugs don't go on, which is what I assume the yellow "coil" light is. Typically the engine block heater looks like an oven element about the length of your thumb since the orfaces in the block that flow coolant are not huge.

 

with my 06 being plugged in in a non heated shop at 15*F (-10*C) the intake heater wont come on before i start the truck, it will start to cycle on and off immediatly after startup but not before. the entire head on my truck is warm before i start it, the hoses and the rad are cold but the engine sure aint

 

It is amazing, considering the size of a block heater, that such a small thing can generate this kind of heat. But then again, if sizzles in just a few seconds at even -40 deg C (like it was here a couple of weeks back) I can believe what you are saying. I suppose I should "lay hands" on my engine and check!

On these trucks there is the yellow coil light which is the glow plugs then there is of course the intake manifold grid air heater. The glow plugs only ever cycle once at cold enough temps on key ignition just for starting purposes. But the intake manifold grid heater cycles whenever required: I've been at a stop light or drive-through in severly cold weather and the engine temperature starts to drop...when this happens, the grid heater cycles a few times...but never when driving.

Are there any other heating functions?

 

as weird as it sounds there is no glow plugs in these trucks just the intake heater. the little yellow coil light that comes on prior to start up is just warning you not to start it cuz the intake heater aint done runnin yet, and ya it will come back on after the temp starts droppin as long as the temp is low enuf and the speed is below 20 MPH

 

Sorry sir, but if resistance is negligable, it ain't workin! It should be in the range of 19-20 ohms for a 750W block heater. If you have a clip-on ammeter to read current draw, it should draw 6.25 amps.