I grew up here in Alaska and have had the ample opportunity to use both - block heaters, espar heaters, and circulating heaters. While the circulating heater gets the engine warmer, the cost of electricity to run the unit can be quite expensive. The block heater on the other hand is rather inexpensive to install, inexpensive to maintain and is alot easier on the electrical bill. The espar heater is a great system but does cost a pretty penny to purchase and install but allows one to have a heated engine where there is no electricity available or at least have a heated engine without having to plug it in to AC.

For me, the block heater works fantastic if plugged in overnight when it's -10 or colder...for you Texans and Californians, that mean really, really, the pounding surf is really frozen dude

When I start it up the next morning, it's ready to go...the only other thing I have done is add a pan heater to help warm up the oil...warm oil, warm antifreeze with the block heater and all is good the next morning.

 

I use a timer with mine when it gets cold too. Its nice to have warm air blowing at startup on those cold mornings.

The hard part is when the gremlins hook it back up when I thought I unplugged before backing down the driveway. Thats only happed a couple of times and it still percolates away just like new.

 

Well, I guess despite lack of cool design it sounds like it works sufficiently, at least to get it started. Is the factory block heater thermostatically controlled, or can any damage be done by leaving it on all night?

 

[quote author=Lightman link=board=20;threadid=17741;start=15#msg166157 date=1059619807]
Is the factory block heater thermostatically controlled, or can any damage be done by leaving it on all night?
[/quote]

No, either on or off.

Only damaging to your electric bill.

Most, as I, get a cheap plug timer and set it to turn on 2-3 hours before you need to start it.

Generally I'll plug mine into the timer if it is going to be below freezing (32F for them southerners).


phox

 

Sounds great. Doubt I will need it here in SoCal, but I would like to be able to find it!

Manual no help.

Any ideas where to look?

 

follow the cord back to the engine. The heater itself is most likely a small round (~ 2-3" dia) device installed in place of one of the freeze plugs on the lower engine block.

 

Don't know on the Dodge but most block heaters I have seen run around 800 watts. Very few go over 1000 watts. Never seen one with a thermostat and it is safe to run them all night. All week if you want to because at 800 watts it cannot heat up that mass of material enough to damage anything except your wallet for the electricity bill.

 

Thanks for the replies guys.

Mexstan, almost every mb diesel since the 80s has a thermostatically controlled block heater, and all of the zerostart block heaters are thermostatically controlled. They are 1500 watts and up though, so I can see why they have a thermostat.

 

Maybe I'm confused (a rare thing). ???

I thought the '03's didn't even have a wait to start. I KNOW we've got grid heaters instead of glow plugs. But....the wait to start has nothing to do with that, does it? I thought the little yellow squiggly "wait to start" light was there only while the little fuel pump pumped some fuel into the system so it would start quickly. I didn't think it had anything to do with how cold it was outside. Mine comes on for about 4 seconds no matter how cold (or hot) it is. Am I missing something??

I know that has nothing to do with the block heater...but some of these guys are saying it affects how long their wait to start light stays on. ???

 

hoss, yo'uve never had to wait because tx doesn't get that cold. Not sure with the cummins setup, but with glowplugs, the colder it is, the longer they cycle. When you have an engine block heater warming the block, the engine is in a sense, not as cold, so it takes less time to cycle the plugs and start the engine.

 

yup. lightman is correct. the wait to start light manages the grid heaters as well as the other stuff. Where I live, I get the 4 seconds 'wait to start' when the grid heaters are not required (its not too cold). when they are required (below 40 degrees I think), the light stays on longer.

In cold weather, cold enough to normally require the use of the grid heaters and the long wait to start light, I find that the use of the block heater does indeed heat things up enough so that the grid heaters are not required and I get the standard 4 second wait. But our SE Idaho winters are mild compared to the upper midwest...

 

Well....I'll admit that I haven't had my truck long enough to experience any cold weather. So what you're saying is that the little yellow squiggly "wait to start" light will stay on LONGER when the grid heaters are required....but when they're not required it will come on just long enough to prime the fuel (I assume that's the fuel pump I hear running when I turn the key on and wait 4 seconds). Is that right??

 

you got it.

 

Now I know I want to find this thing.

For the life of me I cannot find the plug. Not the plug going into the engine, but the receptacle for the extension cord.

Anybody help me look? ???

 

Somewhere around the passenger side headlight is where most find 'em.


phox