Block heater HOT HOT HOT

Eighty_six

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Anyone elses block heater plug get so hot it starts to melt the plug on the extension cord?? Been plugging mine in for about 45mins each morning for the past week or so since nightly temps have been in the low 50s and high 40s. The plug is always warm when I unplug it but I just noticed that the plug on the extension cord was starting to melt this morning. Here's a pic.
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Also I went on a 200mile round trip to the mountains this past week and the morning after the trip I had a no start situation. Jumped the starter solenoid on the fenderwell and was able to start it. Replaced the solenoid, still had the same issue. GPs come on and cycle properly but the start position on the ignition cylinder seems to be dead... I'm NOT tearing apart this steering column to fix it so I'm going to run a momentary switch from the solenoid so I don't have to pop the hood every time I start it.... Unless someone thinks it could be an issue somewhere else.

Hope y'all have a diesel day dudes and ladies!
 

Thewespaul

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There’s the famous phrase that comes up from time to time about the block heater

“you know it’s working when you plug your truck in and all the street lights on your block go dim”

Those heaters pull some serious amps, the cords are replaceable and not every cord is sure to be able to handle that many amps, looks like yours isn’t. Make sure the male end is clean and not corroded/bent
 

Hydro-idi

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You might need a heavier duty extensiok cable.
Also, all your doing is running up your electrical bill plugging in a block heater when it’s hi 40’s/lo 50’s outside. These engines don’t really need to be plugged in unless your seeing temps around 20 degrees F or less. Even then, they will start just fine if your glowplugs are up to par.
I got a neighbor that plugs his truck in when it dips down to a freezing 60 degrees F at night LOL. Can’t help but chuckle
 

Eighty_six

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You might need a heavier duty extensiok cable.
Also, all your doing is running up your electrical bill plugging in a block heater when it’s hi 40’s/lo 50’s outside. These engines don’t really need to be plugged in unless your seeing temps around 20 degrees F or less. Even then, they will start just fine if your glowplugs are up to par.
I got a neighbor that plugs his truck in when it dips down to a freezing 60 degrees F at night LOL. Can’t help but chuckle

Well my glow plugs are not up to par, I have known they need replacing for a month or so now just have not had the time to do it. I just replaced the starter a little over a month ago and I'm trying to treat it well by plugging in the truck for a short period in the morning. It really helps.
 

Eighty_six

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Thats a replacement end that has melted. Time to upgrade to the correct plug end.
The picture is of the female end of my extension cord. Not the plug on the truck. Yes it is a replacement. It is rated for 20amps. The cord itself is a 12/3 cord. (12guage wire x3 wires) so I don't believe the extension cord is the issue. I'll check connections and clean stuff up and see if that helps.

Thanks for everyone's replies, what I am gathering from all the input is that this is pretty common and that I could certainly benefit from heavier guage wiring to the heater.
 

chillman88

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I was in a pinch and replaced my harness with an old air conditioner cord. They make a new cord and it's only like $20 at NAPA I think. Amazon has them too, plug and play to the block heater. The insulation was shot on my factory cable.
 

Hydro-idi

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Try and use the shortest, thickest cord possible. A longer extension cord will wick some of the juice away, and can sometimes cause problems. That’s all I know when it comes to electricity lol.
 

Oledirtypearl86

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In my opinion getting the glow plugs up to par is cheaper than the power bill plugging the beast in for the winter . And the starters are tougher than you are giving it credit for mine I can get started with temps as low as 0 dagrees f it's not till temps are 20 or so in the morning that I plug the truck in and even then I have it on a timer to keep the power company in check
 

adamsanders

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I agree that fixing the glow plugs is the correct move. The cost to run the block heater overnight is pretty small though. As of today, average price of electricity in the US is 12 cents/kwh. With a 1000W (1kW) block heater, it costs about 48 cents a night to run it. (That's 4 hours per night using a timer) Figure 3 months of that, it may wind up costing you about $45 per winter to run the block heater.
 
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