I plugged the ol' Moosewagon in last night for the first time since I've owned it. I'm used to hearing a sizzle shortly afterwards, but it was so cold and I wasn't dressed for the job, so I ran back in quick without listening. She started fine, but I was expecting to see the factory temp gauge show a little life, and maybe have some heat right away. Neither was the case. I suspect the block heater wasn't working at all. Can someone confirm what 8 hours plugged in in 17 degree weather would be like?
Proper block heater behavoir
- Thread starter Agnem
- Start date
17 degrees with no block heater I would expect a rough start and rough idle with some white smoke. If the heater is working and being plugged in for 8 hours I would expect it to start and idle smooth like a 60 degree morning with no white smoke at the tail pipe.
NJKen
is a daddy!
I usually run mine for 5 hours when it gets cold. There is no sign of life on the temp guage when I start er up in the morning but I get heat real quick. By the time I get to the local convienence store about 1/2 mi up the road you can feel a hint of warmth.
My 90 used to make noise when I plugged it in too but the powerstroke is different. I have never heard a peep from it.
If in boubt, amp it out. Get an amp draw reading. At 120v you should have a draw of about 9.5 to 10 amps. If not, its not working.
Good Luck
Ken
My 90 used to make noise when I plugged it in too but the powerstroke is different. I have never heard a peep from it.
If in boubt, amp it out. Get an amp draw reading. At 120v you should have a draw of about 9.5 to 10 amps. If not, its not working.
Good Luck
Ken
69oiler
I don't feel tardy
my extension cord has a translucent end on it and i can see the spark when i plug into to my block heater. the BH does not sizzle like on my IDI. i have only plugged mine in for a couple hours before starting to take the edge off since it has been near zero here the past few days. 2 hours may not be long enough to help much.
before i replaced all my glow plugs i would leave it plugged in all night. it would start like a spring day and heat would arrive quickly.
i have slightly weak batteries now so i have not been taking any chances if the temps are below double digits. my starter may be a little weak too. so far it has started every time though.
before i replaced all my glow plugs i would leave it plugged in all night. it would start like a spring day and heat would arrive quickly.
i have slightly weak batteries now so i have not been taking any chances if the temps are below double digits. my starter may be a little weak too. so far it has started every time though.
res0wc18
Full Access Member
the block heater on my powerstroke does not make noise like my idi used to either. I think that my block heater comes on slowly instead of the in rush of amperage like the idi's. That being sad i can see on the temp guage and feel/ hear the difference when its not plugged in, also when it snows/ freezes there will be melted ice crystals hanging off parts of it from the radiant heat of it.
BigRigTech
Diesel junky
Plug it into a drop light and watch for the bulb to dim - if it does then she works!!!....Mine sizzles on the 91 but is dead quiet on the 97....The temp guage doesn't move and the heat is hardly noticable but I can tell by cranking time and the engine noise if it's warm or not.
Papabear
Papabear
or when the engine is cold plug in the block heater and wait like 30 mins. than trace the cord to where the heater is and CAREFULLY touch the block beside the heater and if it is working you will feel the heat radiating from the block.
mojoman
Registered User
pop the hood and feel your rad hoses...if its workin' you'll feel a warm hose in your hand.....errr.....ummm.....nebber mind...
mojo
mojo
h2odrx
Anti-O
on mine the PO never used the heater,(i had to dig for it under the battery still zip tied) so it makes noise when I plug it in. And I saw it on my last electric bill!
hheynow
the misanthrope
I can hear a faint shhhhh on both my vehicles.
93turbo_animal
Registered User
ours started right up this morning at only 8 degs but I'm thinkin some of you old gezzers need some hearing help 
I'm about half deaf and can hear all of our block heaters workin
I'm about half deaf and can hear all of our block heaters workin
When they work well, they have the nice sizzle sound. It was mentioned that taking an amp draw is the best way to check, I agree.
And as far as plugging it in and for how long, isn't it easier and cheaper to just plug it in a bit longer to ensure the engine starts as opposed to drawing heavily on the starter, glow plugs, and batteries? When it's really cold, I keep it plugged in overnight as I just like to know that when it needs to be started, I want it to start. You could always setup a heavy duty AC relay that starts up on a timer, if you only want it to run for a few hours without physically going out and plugging it in by hand at a late hour or on last minute notice.
And as far as plugging it in and for how long, isn't it easier and cheaper to just plug it in a bit longer to ensure the engine starts as opposed to drawing heavily on the starter, glow plugs, and batteries? When it's really cold, I keep it plugged in overnight as I just like to know that when it needs to be started, I want it to start. You could always setup a heavy duty AC relay that starts up on a timer, if you only want it to run for a few hours without physically going out and plugging it in by hand at a late hour or on last minute notice.
k_williams1982
'01 Excursion 4x4
Mine is an IDI and I don't know if the following information will be useful to you but I was leaving mine plugged in from about 9pm to 6:30am when the temps dipped into the negatives here. I could hear the "sizzle" within a few seconds. When I'd start it at 7 degrees (F), the truck would fire right up, but would still take about 5 minutes of idleing to produce heat out of the heater. After running about 5-10 minutes, the temp gauge would be coming up, but not all the way to "operating temp" until I was down the road about a 1/2 mile. I never start it up and take right off. It always idles for at least 10 minutes BEFORE I take it out on the road and I always "idle it down" by letting it run about 5 minutes after getting back home before I shut if off. I don't know if it's required, but it's what I always saw my dad do in his diesel trucks and the semis he drove. He always claimed the two worst things to do was run something cold, and to just pull in and shut it right off, so I've just gotten in the habit following his actions.
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By killing a turbo'd engine right away after getting where you go to, you can really cook the oil in the turbo. A good shut down period will always be helpful in the long run.
The same for a warm up period. By waiting until you get fluids moving completely around the tranny and engine, you ensure that you valvetrain and other parts gets sufficient lubrication to help ward off damage and premature wear.
My dad raised me to wait when warming up a vehicle to the point where the heater kicked out heat. I guess in some cases that may be overkill, but I never saw him kill an engine due to lack of lubrication.
The same for a warm up period. By waiting until you get fluids moving completely around the tranny and engine, you ensure that you valvetrain and other parts gets sufficient lubrication to help ward off damage and premature wear.
My dad raised me to wait when warming up a vehicle to the point where the heater kicked out heat. I guess in some cases that may be overkill, but I never saw him kill an engine due to lack of lubrication.
By killing a turbo'd engine right away after getting where you go to, you can really cook the oil in the turbo. A good shut down period will always be helpful in the long run.
The same for a warm up period. By waiting until you get fluids moving completely around the tranny and engine, you ensure that you valvetrain and other parts gets sufficient lubrication to help ward off damage and premature wear.
My dad raised me to wait when warming up a vehicle to the point where the heater kicked out heat. I guess in some cases that may be overkill, but I never saw him kill an engine due to lack of lubrication.
The same for a warm up period. By waiting until you get fluids moving completely around the tranny and engine, you ensure that you valvetrain and other parts gets sufficient lubrication to help ward off damage and premature wear.
My dad raised me to wait when warming up a vehicle to the point where the heater kicked out heat. I guess in some cases that may be overkill, but I never saw him kill an engine due to lack of lubrication.
