Hi all, winter is coming around the corner and i've been wondering how good are block heaters? Are they half easy to install? and how can you tell if one is working. I've noticed my truck has one installed already but i have never used it. Will they help much with those brutal cold mornings we get? I plan on running fully synthetic oil as well to help with cold and viscosity issues.

 

If you have one, use it.
The faster the engine gets up to temp, the better it is for the engine.
Yes it will help a lot, but you have to plug it in the night before you plan to drive it.
Many people just leave it plugged in 24/7 during winter.

More wear occurs on a gas engine because the computer leaves the injectors open longer so the engine will start when cold.
The extra fuel washes the oil off the cylinder walls causing wear, around 80 to 90% of engine wear occurs on cold start up.
People who leave their vehicles sit and warm up for 20 minutes are just damaging their engine.
So the block heater pre-warms the coolant making the compeer believe it's warmer then it is and is warmer.
The PCM dumps less fuel in the engine and less wear occurs.

With the heater, thick oil isn't an issue anymore, but if you want to run full synthetic, then it won't hurt, but be aware that if you have any small oil leaks now, they will leak more with synthetic.
New leaks may even appear because old seals don't do their job well with thinner oil.

We have one in our diesel and the warm up light barely is on, it turns over easier and there's even some heat coming in the cab.
If I had my way, I would use it in the summer time too.

 

Yes, when outside temps are low Block Heaters help alot, shorten warm up time so you get heat in the cab much faster.

Most Block heaters install in place of a Core Plug(freeze plug) on either side of the block.
So you drain coolant then find easiest to access Core Plug, knock it out and install the Block heater
Route the 115vAC power wire to avoid exhaust heat and spinning fan, lol, thru rad support and locate plug behind the grill so you can get to it without opening the hood.

The heat generated by the heater causes some circulation, warm liquid rises, but not than much, as soon as you start the engine that warmer coolant will circulate.

Some use a timer on the house/garage plug in, so it only starts heating a few hours before expected time you will leave, how long before depends on wattage of heater and outside temp, so only you can decide on that.

There are also lower rad hose heaters, and tank style heaters
Core Plug heaters, IMO, are best, KISS(keep it simple stupid)

Lower rad hose heaters work on most engines, if thermostat is on upper rad hose.
Heated coolant should flow up into water pump, since rad is closed off by upper thermostat the transfer of heat is not as good, and the water pump and hoses tend to bleed that heat off fairly fast in cold climates, so quite a bit more wattage is needed.

Tank heaters are added to the cooling system, heater only heats coolant in the tank, these can be equipped, and often are, with a 115vAC pump that circulates coolant through engine when in use, so can be better in very cold climates, especially for diesels.
They do take up some room in engine bay and added cooling system connections are future leak points, lol

 

Ah nice! much appreciated. I remember the spot you are talking about when I installed the new engine in my truck ( on side of the crankcase ), it had the plug in for the heating element. The timer is a smart idea! Would it warm it enough to be hot to the touch or not really? just wondering if theres a easy way to tell if its working or not? Thanks again