32tudor

I have and 03 and it has a block heater and I was wondering ,how long or whats the time frame you can leave it plugged in , it's supposed to get in the teens tonight and I thought plugging it in would be a good idea
any and all all help appreciated

BibBubba

plug it in.

32tudor

how long can I leave it plugged in before it goes bad or wears out ?

CoastalDav

Depending on Temp, I used a timer, set to turn on 4hrs before you intend to drive the vehicle. Down here, I don't use it much, but occassionally, it will get below 40 (LOL) and I set it up. Seems like every year I end up going way up north for something and use it then for sure.

You can leave it plugged in as long as you want. It just heats the water up in the block. If the wind is blowing hard and its cold, it will take longer.

Dave

32tudor

can't seem to find any info on it

1985cucv

you dont have to plug it in at all if you dont want to this is not a 6.2 liter dieselhowever it is better for it if you plug it in. if you dont want to plug it in jsut make sure you have good batteries and fuel additive so the thing will crank and the fuel wont gel.

brentbiely

In 20 degree weather, I noticed that even 1 hour plug in time will make the truck start easier.

Cab heat also comes up sooner if you've had it plugged in. Worth doing it just for that, IMO.

madhat

I have left mine plugged in all night many times, and I know people that leave their trucks plugged in for weeks at a time.

Get an outdoor timer from Lowe's and set that. You can leave it plugged in all night, and it will only run for when you want it to.

torquefan

As everyone has stated, you can safely leave it plugged in as long as you want. However, if you are worried about the extra power you will burn, I have found plugging in as little as one hour before startup will make a big difference. It has also been said that any more than 4 hours of block heater operation is unnecessary. I try to use a timer when I know what time I'll be leaving. When I don't know, I leave it on all night.

dott

On that note, I heard about some kind of pump that circulates the heated coolant. Anybody know about this?

scottsjeeprolet

I have a timer on mine that comes on 3 hours before leaving for work. The block heaters draw a lot of current and will drive up you utility bill.
The ones that circulate the coolant are cool. My bro inlaw has a Wabasto in his truck. They are very expensive!

akrammit

for effectiveness you should plug it in about 2hrs before driving it if you do plug it in. And as said before many times, you can plug it in as long as you want. I have one rig that can spend a week or more plugged in with multiple heaters. As for temps I think it is up to you. I plug mine in around freezing or so and that's mostly so I get in the habit of plugging it in all winter. Of course that's only at work as I baby it and park it in the garage at home. Plugging it in when it gets real cold will help it warm up better, improve emissions, and improve fuel mileage.

cdennyb

I'm a real puss when it comes to a cold air blowin heater in the morning. I plug in about 9-11 pm whe I feed my dogs and put them up for the night and when I get up at 6 to go to work I unplug and enjoy a quick start and a warm heater!
If it drops to 40 or below I plug it in.

JustLuckey

I had the same question about 2 years ago. I remember (consistent with the posts above) that most have theirs plugged in (on a timer) from 1-4 hours before the time you want to start it. I have found success with 1-2 hours, but my temps (only) get down to 0F on the worst of days. Mostly, when I use it, it's usually in the teens.

Those things draw a decent amount of power, so I wouldn't recommend leaving them plugged in overnight.

ram4tow

1500 or so isnt bad? cummins has them for a bit cheaper i think around 1100 bucks its an easy do it yourself job if your mech inclined.