Block heater thought?????

[Darrell Martin]

So I was searching parts for my International farmall tractor and came across a magnetic block heater for tractors. It plugs into 120v. Since I cannot for the life of me post a picture, look up Zerostart MBH1153. I have a 7.3idi and am trying to find a way to add a block heater without pulling that plug out.
Thanks in advance for y'alls advice.
P.S I love how this site is set up with cool emojis. Lol. I'll be alright, a kid at heart,

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only 51 years young.


OH LOOK I found out how to add pictures. Lol.

 

[Farmer Rock]

So if I am understanding correctly,you don't want to replace the freeze plug heater,you want to add a magnetic heater?If so the best aftermarket ones from what I always hear,are the heaters that you splice into the lower radiator hose.But I am curious why you don't want to replace the freeze plug heater.It takes a little over an hour to do,,including pulling the starter,and draining and replacing coolant,and the heater is 50 bucks with a cord from napa.

Rock

 

[nitroguy]

From what I have heard, there are three options.

Option 1 is the factory block heater, and it works the best and heats up the most parts of the engine. However for my flatbed, being an early 84, it has a bad block in that area, so this one's not an option for me.

Option two is to heat the oil. That's a heater you stick to the oil pan to heat the oil to help with cold starts to get the oil flowing through the top of the engine faster since it'll be warmer. Two options here as well - magnetic or adhesive. From Bob Is The Oil Guy, the adhesive ones are far and away more efficient, as the small gap that's left with the magnetic ones lose a lot of efficiency.
In the adhesive category, Wolverine Zero start seems to rise to the top. Something like this, although I have no idea the wattage requirements we'd need, I haven't gotten that far in my research)

Option 3 is to heat the coolant, like is done with a lower rad heater. This heater will help bring heat into the cab faster, but doesn't do much to mechanically warm the block itself to keep wear down from a cold hard start.

All that to say, any heat you can add to a cold engine to help it warm up faster is a win. Just because there's good-better-best, doesn't mean good isn't still good. If it's your only option, run what ya got and get after it!

Hope that helps!

 

[hce]

Look into tank heaters such as a kats 13100, plumbs into the block and a heater hose. Besides warming the engine up it is effective for melting the snow off the hood of the my ford major.

 

[Cubey]

Odds are that your stock block heater element is fine. Have you tried it at all? A cord will cost you about $20-30.

 

[Randy Bush]

With a magnet block heater you better make sure you plug it in as soon as you shut the truck off. 200 watt heater is not much compared to the 1000 watt one have in the block. Lower radiator hose one are ******* the hose all that heat makes the hose get bad in shorter amount of time. In a 7.3 I would for sure do a block heater one.

 

[Oledirtypearl86]

@Randy Bush has a point I use one to keep my chickens water from freezing in the winter and at -15 it will still get frost around the edge unless on all day they. Help on a small gas engine but the larger engines diesels dont get enough heat from the small magnetic ones to make a difference when the temp really drops

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Here's another point to bring up. Seeing that you're from Conyers, GA, I don't think that you'd actually need an engine heater of any kind very often. As long as your glow plugs are working, I think your truck should start fine.

 

[nelstomlinson]

I use a 150W stick on heater on my oil pan on these trucks. If it gets cold, you definitely want that block heater!

 

[snicklas]

One think to keep in mind when it comes to "hot" or "cold" threads or questions.

In the human perspective, cold or hot is a relative thing... to me here in Indiana, anything over ~80f is hot, and below 0f is cold. I have lived at this latitude my entire life... I grew up in Illinois, and moved almost straight East by Indianapolis... On the other hand, Momma was born in North Carolina, and grew up in NC (near Hickory) and then moved to SE Kentucky... She has only loved here in Indiana about 15 years, and to her it never gets truly hot here, and below 60 she thinks it's cold........

When talking about machinery, we need to think around how it's been designed. Just because a human thinks it cold, say 45f, that doesn't mean the truck does. I've started my IDI's and my 6.0 into the upper 20's with just glow plugs (and 5w40 in the 6.0). Now, they sound like a bag of hammers, but they start and run fine. If it is going to be below 32f I try and plug it in, but that is more so the heat works fast.... (I've gotten spoiled with the remote start in the SuperCrew).....

So keep in mind that, to a human, hot and cold in Florida, or Arizona is different than hot and cold in Indiana, and is different than hot and cold in Alaska.....

There are days I leave the house in shorts and a t-shirt and Momma is in jeans and a hoodie........

 

[u2slow]

So I was searching parts for my International farmall tractor and came across a magnetic block heater for tractors. It plugs into 120v. Since I cannot for the life of me post a picture, look up Zerostart MBH1153. I have a 7.3idi and am trying to find a way to add a block heater without pulling that plug out.

That magnetic heater may be suitable to heat the oil pan. Coolant heaters don't end up putting heat into the oil. The factory block heater is a coolant heater without circulation (very similar to an electric kettle.) Most stationary/marine engines are kept warmed-through 24/7 with a circulating coolant heater. (Best plumbed to high and low points on the engine block.)

What do you mean about "pulling the plug out"? Doesn't everyone have a plug hanging out their grille? Not gonna get 120VAC into truck wirelessly....

 

[Philip1]

@u2slow I believe he was talking about the block heater which plugs the coolant passage and somewhat looks like the freeze plugs.

 

[u2slow]

@Philip1 that makes more sense!

Yeah... I'd be looking for something like the Zerostart 3308003

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[IDIBRONCO]

In the human perspective, cold or hot is a relative thing...

This is why I asked how often his truck actually needs to be plugged in. I almost never plug mine in unless I have to go somewhere and it's going to be below about 5* or so. I make sure to have enough time to let it run long enough to be fairly warm. So it may 15 minutes or so, I figure where's the truck going to go?

 

[engineertppllc]

Any heat we add to our engines helps. Go ahead with the magnetic pan heater if you don't want to repair the stock element. My employer has big Cat engines in the tugboats. They have tank heaters like U2slow mentioned. BIG heaters. They run on 208 V 3 phase AC shore power. But we also have half a dozen of the magnetic oil pan heaters like Darrell showed us. We put those on the forklift or shop truck engine. All of these work splendidly. We can start-up instantly, and the engines have a happy life. My own Ford F450 warms sufficiently in two hours with the stock element in one of the core plug holes. Blue skies.