Last night I used the block heater for the first time. It got down to Negative 7 here at my house in Colorado and was probably about 15 in my garage where I park it. I put it on a timer so it came on about 3 hours before I fire it up...Worked like a charm...when I got back I noticed about 3 ounces of light pink clear watery fluid on the garage floor. Looks like coolant? It was just a very small puddle, and it was not under the radiator. There are no leaks under the truck anywhere that I can see at all....Was this from the block heater firing up and weeping a little fluid from somewhere down there when it got warm??
Thanks in advance.....

 

My heater doesn't do that at all, last year or this year. My guess would be the puke bottle connection ( I know you said it was not under radiator). My truck leaked there when running, but it leaked right by the radiator cap. But warming from -7 to 70* or so expands somewhere inside the block. May help if you could narrow down leak location better, even just a guess.

 

Yep, mine did it at the puke bottle too, I put a hose clamp on it, hasnt done it since....

And block heaters are great!
Nothing like starting up the truck and having heat, and not waiting forever for it to warm up...

 

Mine works great too. Last week we hit -38C. I left the truck on high idle for 20 mins and then hit the highway. A little slow to start out but had full temp within 10kms. The worst part is the "square" tires effect that lasted almost 20kms before working itself out.

Last year we hit -45 so I guess this isn't so bad yet.

 

Same here, small hose clamp fixed it. I did read a thread yesterday about coolant loss and possible causes and someone said that their block heater plug was only hand tight . After reading yesterdays thread I plan to check and tighten up all connections in the coolant system this weekend.

 

I bet it was the puke bottle then. I dont remember exactly where the truck sat last night in the gargage. I will keep an eye on it. Yeah, the block heater was nice this morning. Wish I was able to plug myself in a few hours prior to waking up on mornings like this!!!

 

Anyway to actually tell if the block heater is working. I live in Iowa and last night/this morning it was 15-20 degress. I had mine plugged in for about three hours, on my 06, outside and it high iddled for about 15 minutes still no heat for a while.

 

Your temp guauge should not be sitting directly on the peg, rather just a little off of it....and the heat for me was only luke warm right away but within a couple minutes of driving it warmed up quick..

 

If I'm using my block heater at -20C then My Outlook Monitor shows 105 for coolant temp at first and I get heat in a few minutes. Letting it run for more than 10 minutes is a waste of fuel which doesn't generate any more heat than 138. I get full heat in under 5kms of driving with a solid grill cover installed and show 205 for coolant temp, same as in the summer.

I still maintain that there is something wrong with my truck because I can get my EGT's to 1400 (preturbo) while cruising at 120km/hr on the highway with no program selected and an outside temp of -38c. And it will produce enough heat to cook me out of the cab at -38c outside.

 

i fired mine up for the first time for 4 hours and the same thing happened. i had a puddle of reddish fluid in the driveway about 1 foot in diameter. i called the dealer and they said it isn't normal and to bring it in tomorrow, so i am. sounds like it might be common but it's under warranty, so they can look at it.

 

Alright CTD experts.........I plugged it in again this morning and isolated where the coolant is coming from. After the block heater warms up the coolant it is leaking at some kind of hose right in between the Turbo and the block....There is some kind of coolant hose that travels horizantally with a couple small clamps around it right by the turbo....its dripping a little right where those clamps are. Once I unplug the block heater it does not leak at all anymore. Estesbubba, I bet thats exactly where yours is leaking too..no way Im going to the dealer if I dont have to, Im going to crawl under there and try and tighten up the two hose clamps.....Anyone know what that is??
Thanks

Scott

 

That's too bad, stuff happens I guess. You must have some bad dealers around by you not to want them to do that. I have to drive about 30 miles for a good dealer, but they are worth the trip. Good luck, gald you found it.

 

I was under my truck changing the oil and i noticed a leak where the heater wire pluges into the engine block. You guys might wanna check that fitting.

 

I have only been back to this dealer once for the two recalls and an oil change. So far the have been very good, its just over the last ten years or so Ive received 4 door dings at various dealers, oily door handles, couple of scratches etc....The dealer here in Golden Im not going to say anything bad about at all, like I said, they have been great.....service has been spectacular but if its just a matter of tightning a couple clamps its not worth the risk. Anyone know exactly what that hose is? Maybe its a cooling line that circulates coolant to the block heater?? It only leaks if Im using the block heater.....