Engine Block Heaters

White95Max · 12-16-04, 08:16

I was mentioning how cold it's getting here overnight (-1F on Sunday night

) and Beercan31 brought up the idea of getting an engine block heater.
Can anyone tell me a few things about them?
I have a few questions in particular:

1. How much do they cost?
2. Are they universal? If they are, I would be very interested since I could use it on any car I bought in the future as well as my Max.
3. Where can I get one?
4. How much ($$) worth of electricity would it use over a 3 month period?

DetailGirl · 12-18-04, 04:35

They really are not that great IMO. They are plugs that you put in place of your frost plugs on your engine block. The frost plug is there so if your block gets cold and conracts it will break the plug not the block. They are pretty cheap I think that you can get them for under $25. You would not want to remove and resue on different vehicle because they are a PITA to remove if sealed properly. I dont want to crawl under the Maxima and remove them frequently. They use very little energy. YOu can get one at any major auto parts store, AutoZone, Champion, Pep Boys et al.

chaotik · 12-20-04, 12:35

You can also get the ones that replace your oil dipstick.

Then you just run the cord from it out thru your grill and plug it in....warm oil= warm block.

Half the time its not a cold engine thats the problem...its a cold battery.

Lowejackson · 12-20-04, 12:41

Many years ago, I had one of these http://www.kenlowe.com/pre-heaters/cars/index.html. It worked very well on cold damp British mornings

White95Max · 12-20-04, 04:06

^^^^ link didn't work for me

And I have a new battery with 780 Cold Cranking Amps. Last year I only had 650 I think and I still got through the winter fine.
I'm not too worried about the battery, or the car not starting... I just like the idea of having heat sooner, and having the engine reach normal operationg temp sooner. (I always warm the car up in the driveway until the temp gauge needle lifts off of the peg.)

Eliot Ness · 12-20-04, 05:35

Paul, I held off posting a reply because I figured there were others more familiar with these heaters. If you do a Google search on engine block heaters youâ€™ll find some interesting info, such as an Anchorage and Canadian site with engine block heater programs. Here is a link to some info by Car Talk:

http://www.cartalk.com/content/colum...7/June/11.html

Seems there are at least three different styles out there: the heater that replaces a freeze plug, one that replaces your dip stick, and a style that goes in a coolant hose.

Iâ€™ve never used any of these, but an old Air Force buddy from Iowa had one on his car (donâ€™t remember which style). They seem to be most popular in the really cold areas. It was either the Anchorage or the Canadian site that recommended putting it on a timer to come on a couple of hours before you plan on starting the car. HTH

FalconGuy · 12-20-04, 05:49

Some MFG's like BMW make a block heater as an option, really nice to get heat the first mile on a day like today. It was 9F when I started my day, 14F when I finished. Wish I ordered one......

Lowejackson · 12-21-04, 08:46

Quote:

Originally posted by White95Max
^^^^ link didn't work for me

Sorry, www.kenlowe.com look under pre-heaters

obbop · 12-26-04, 07:50

There's the magnetic style that grab onto the iron block. Keeps the oil warm(er) and, to an extent, if it is not too cold, the heat radiated through the metal block can reach the coolant.

Another type is glued to the oil pan.... it's akin to the heating pad you use when your back hurts. I don't know how securely that glue will hold, though.

If it is really cold I suppose you could use 2 or more of those magnetic heaters. When it's super cold out the heat is sucked away so quickly you need a fairly large heat output to overcome the transfer of heat to the atmosphere.

SilverBelle04 · 12-27-04, 01:41

The idea of the block heater is that it keeps the engine a little warmer which helps in making it easier to turn over and start on cold mornings. It helps in saving some wear and tear on your engine as well.

It's often -30F with wind chill in the morning up here and you need all the help you can get. Block heaters are usually installed on most canadian cars at the dealer. I'v had one on all of my cars in the last 15 years and had never asked for it as an option.

Bob

EdLancer · 01-03-05, 08:39

Yup, block heaters and Canadian winters go hand in hand, with -35C cold spells your motor oil turns to jelly, a block heater will keep the coolant warm and in turn warn the engine block up help fuel vapours ignite better and oil stay liquid. 99% of dealers will intall them for $100cdn. The part itself cost under $35cdn, but its the labour and that jug of $25 OEM coolant that jacks up the cost of the install to $100. One important point of notice is that dealers must know at which clock position(12, 3, 6 , or 9 o'clock) at each particular model car they should install the blocker heater for maximum efficiency. My Mitsu dealer had to make sure from Mitsu head office for the install. I use a timer to set the block heater on 3 hours before I need to get to work and every other 3 hours and 3 hours off if the temperature is really cold outside, my neigbour sets his auto start to start the car every 3 hours for 10 minutes, what a waste of gas !