OK, ordered an Engine Block Heater from Ebay 2 weeks ago and it arrived in the mail today, now the question is, where do I put it?

 

whats it look like. never seen one before so i can;t tell you where it goes.

jeff

 

From what I know about them, there are 2 types: One that replaces the oil dipstick and heats the oil, and one that mounts in-line in the heater hose to circulate warm water trhough the block. Do you have one of these, or is there another kind I don't know of?

 

It's the block one, small round round water heater, looks like it's just to plug in somewhere and then tighten the screw.

 

Any pictures of it?

 

There's a picture on the Ebay page:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...sPageName=WDVW

Still got 15 left for $5 a piece.

 

That one's designed to replace one of the freeze plugs on your motor. Those 35mm or so diameter recessed round brass hole plugs on the sides of your block. Should be at least two of these plugs one each side. You'll have to drain the coolant and get the old plug out and put this one in instead. Not as easy to install as the other two I mentioned earlier.....

 

You pop out any convenient freeze plug and replace it with that.

There's 2 freeze plugs on the front of the block, and 2 on each side. I'm guessing that one of the ones on the front is probably easiest to put it into.

 

Oh yeah I'm also gonna have to buy an adapter since we run on 230volts @ 50hz instead of 110v @ 60hz.
I was wondering, does the adapter require this or can it run on other voltages, I mean is simply an adapter that changes the plug physically all that is needed instead of one that changes voltage and everything?

I don't think so but I figured it's worth checking out.

 

It needs to change the voltage; but not the frequency.

It'll burn up FAST if you plug it into 230V.

 

There are a lot more than two types.

The best one's I've had were the tank type heaters that are plumbed into a heater hose and circulate heated water through the engine. They are available in both voltages and many wattages.

It doesn't get that cold around here (only about -35°) so I don't have one any more, but for those in cold areas a heater is a really nice item to have. Up until about 10-15 years ago I used them all the time, and on everything.

I would avoid any heater that directly heats the oil in the sump, whether it is the dipstick type of the magnetic type that attaches to the outside of the pan. Not only is that the least efficient and least effective way to heat the engine, it tends to cook the oil quickly. Heating only the oil is not very efficient since most of the heat is lost to atmosphere through the thin stamped oil pan, and never heats any of the block.

Heating the water jackets warms the entire block and head casting assembly. Most importantly, it heats the rings and pistons so that the oil on the rings isn't as thick as gorilla snot, which is the main reason cold engines crank slowly. The oil in the sump will warm up as soon as it pumps through the engine and drains back over the warmer castings. Another benefit is that the and warmer water is available sooner for the heater and defroster. I used to connect to a timer so that the heater would start about an hour before I planned to leave. Now I just use Mobil 1 and allow some time for warmup before moving the vehicles.