I have a 95 2500 CTD 4x4, and the block heater is not seeming to work. The truck is still hard to start in the cold, and still takes a while to warm up in the morning. Is there a way to test to see if its working or not, and from what I can tell its just a 110v cord running in to the block. I just had to pull out the alarm system which I din't know was there, so I had to patch a bunch of wires together, like the ignition wire. I'm wondering if there is some kind of thermostat that would shut it off and leave it off, or if its just a heater in the engine block. Maybe I just need a new cord???

Any suggestions or ideas.

 

Check for voltage at the heater, ohm out the heater, or plug it in overnight and see if your needle has moved at all if you don't have the technical prowess for the first two.

Or you could put an amp meter over the hot lead and see if it's drawing anything.

 

The most comin is that the wires break inside of the insulation , just behind the plug , to test , use a multi meter , probe the insulation a couple inches behind the plug .
Cut off plug , replace with new plug from hardware store .
No thermostat , heater is direct to cord , unplugs at heater , maybe you knocked lose , front passager side of block , middle , or forward freeze plug hole .

 

if you have access to an ohmmeter check the the cord across the two blades, you should have less than 75ohms. If you get infinte(greater than 1000ohms) then either your cord is bad or the block heater itself is bad. Or simply when you plug it in listen on passenger side wheel well you should hear it crackle(for lack of a better word).

 

So if it crackles it is working? Or its dead...I can probably get my hands on a multimeter, so I'll try that. I just ordered a new cable from Cummins in Saginaw MI...for 16 bucks it'll be nice to have a spare if I need it.

 

If it crackles or makes noises it should be working. Also if you can put your hand on side of block near BH after an hour of beening plugged in it should feel warmer than the rest of it.

 

Its working now...I think the outlet I used here at the house is dead, so I just tried a different plug. So I bought a new Cable for nothing...oh well, it'll be nice to have if this one ever dies in the winter sometime... Incase your wondering why I didn't know the outlet was dead...I live in a Frat house, so I just came back from break and apparently **** changed around here. Thanks for the help guys.

 

start at the bottom and work your way up.

 

"honey, do you honestly think I would check thousands of little lights if I wasn't sure it was plugged in?" -Chevy Chase



In most cases, the element rots away inside the heater. like previous post says, check for continuity between leads as close to heater as possible to rule out a broken wire.