matelot

Had engine block heater installed a few days ago.
Wanted to give it a test - 30F today I pluged in for an hour or so and started car.
But temp needle was at bottom, idled for about 30 secs - no change.

Turned heat on - no difference I could tell than w/o the heater.

Isn't the needle supposed to NOT be at the bottom ?
Basically I could tell no difference. This sounds right ?

matelot

BTW: temp is +30F NOT minus !

KJSmitty

I suspect the heating element on the TL block heater is quite small. Even at +30F and plugged in for an hour probably wouldn’t have done much. I know some on the board have mentioned just plugging them in for an hour or so….. I grew up in MT and spent many a year in Nebraska with -50F (yes -). I would plug mine in when I came home at night and unplug when I would leave in the morning – thus about 12-14 hours.
Like I said, the element is quite small, it has quite a bit of antifreeze and engine block etc to warm up, and the outside temp/wind-chill is working against it… In the negative temps, i.e. -01 to say -30F it would only heat up to about 50 maybe 60 degrees. Anything above 0 it would be about a 1 degree addition to 60, so say +30F outside temp = engine temp of about 90F. Just guessing (logical) it would max out at about 100F. So depending on your gage it may or may not “move the needle”. My estimated numbers are based off of what I felt from my heater in our Maxima and 4-Runner at the time… Not from actual readings etc.
Plug it in all night sometime and see what you get. Either way, if it’s working properly your engine/and you will benefit from the additional warmth. Just so you know, leaving the unit plugged in all night is probably equivalent to leaving a 100 watt light bulb on all night. I never really noticed a difference in elect bill etc. (w/2 cars plugged in).

matelot

thanks for the analysis,

>>Just so you know, leaving the unit plugged in all night is probably equivalent to leaving a 100 watt light bulb on all night. I never really noticed a difference in elect bill etc. (w/2 cars plugged in).<<

oh really, cause in a thread dedicated to this topic someone claimed it the heater takes a lot electricity & such and suggested getting a timer.

fasttl

It doesn't really heat the engine that much, it warms the block enough for good oil flow. It really isn't needed in the lower 48 unless your car is not garaged in ND or upper MN.

KJSmitty

All I can give you is my personal experience/expertise (33 years in cold climates/installed literally 100's of block heaters over a 8+ year stint at Dealership etc. I would think the packaging/box of your block heater would specify the amperage/wattage requirements. If you can get to your power meter, perform a test. Keeping everything else normal, take a reading one night then the next morning without plugging in your car. Next take the same reading (same amount of time etc.) with your car plugged in over that time. Pretty easy to compute the additional “elect “units” used by your block heater.
I worked two jobs putting myself through college, my electrical bill was allows of concern. I guarantee that my use of a block heater was the least of my worries
A timer is not required if you plan to use/unpug every morning. If your car sits plugged in for days then yes a timer could be usefull.

KJSmitty

Just so you know, a block heater will not heat the oil (other than from radiant heat which would be minimal). It helps oil flow due to the oil heating faster as it “enters” the block etc. If your worried about cold, thick oil,,, A magnetic oil pan heater works well. Many months in NE I would have both plugged in on my 4-Runner. I knew many folks that had a block heater, oil pan heater, and battery heater. All three plugged in all night during -70 below wind chills…
Now, do most of us need that in 0 to +30 degree weather? No. But a block heater can assist if you don't mind the small hassle and minor additional electrical cost... just don't drive off and forget to unplug it Replaced many a heater due to that issue - including my own....

Cheers

Road Rage

The cost of operation is simple. Take the current draw in amps - let's say it is .5 amps. Multiply by 120V. This yields 60 watts, which is the draw. 10 hours of operations is 600 watts. Since the cost of power is figured in kilowatts, divide the 600 by 1000, and that is your kW draw for the 10 hours. Here, a kW is about 4 cents. So the TCO is 2.5cents/night, or $.75/month. Big deal.

matelot

haha you know I spoke with 2 dealers and none of them had done the install before.
in fact the tech chucked the drain plug that I am supposed to retain. I just hope he did it right

Now keeping any eye on the coolant level - is this good enough to ensure it is not leaking ?