874runnersr5

So its -37*C here in Calgary and well, my truck started fine this morning without even being plugged in. My question thoe, is it okay to leave the block heater on all the time? Besides wasting my parents electricity, everything should be fine?

leebee

it will be the prolonged cold weather that gives you trouble. a battery blanket in conjunction with a block heater will ensure optimal starting, provided, your battery is in relatively decent shape.

get an outdoor timer to go with the above, set it to come on a couple hours before you would normally leave, so you are not wasting as much hydro by them running all night.

lee

Junkers88

Back when I still had a diesel I had the block heater plugged in the entire winter. I'll admit that the weather here isn't a cold as it is there but it never hurt the heater or made much of a difference on the electric bill. The great thing was easy starts and the cab heater was warm really really fast.

Junkers88

One of the neatest one's I've seen was a magnetic heater that stuck to the oil pan (Ford 1 ton diesel) that was wired into two heater blankets that wrapped around the batteries. That thing would fire up on the first crank with snow piled on the hood and it was warm inside in a matter of minutes.

leebee

diesels are a different animal when it comes to the cold weather, they pretty much have to be plugged in. as with any vehicle, proper maintenance goes a long way to reducing down time in inclement weather.

lee

874runnersr5

oooh thanks alot!
yeah, haha my dad couldn't believe my truck started today when his 95 gmc wouldnt..
i just laughed and said you should get a toyota... other note, i think i got some weird noises coming from my power steering when cold.. and my clutch feels weird..

toyota4x4907

well, as far as block, etc., heaters go, I sometimes leave mine plugged in for 18+ hours with no ill effects, and it was about as cold as you're having! You should get an oil pan, transmission and battery heater, IMO, along with the block heater.

Also, I know you read that thread of mine I sent you. Maybe ice in the PS fluid....or the bearings having ice on/in them.

scuba

Whats a block heater...?

toyota4x4907

I cant tell if you are really asking that or not...the hill-billy face can either be sarcasm or you're trying to be cute because you asked a simple question..

are you being serious?

874runnersr5

lol!! trying to be cute.... haha.

he's joking..

scuba

Sarcasm...

RobD

You're not going to be leaving it on all month long. Just for the next few days while we have this brutal cold snap.

If you're really worried about it, Canadian Tire has the Noma multipurpose timer for $21.99. I've used one before and they're quite easy to set up.

874runnersr5

yeah i know i know
just making sure that it wont wreck anything leaving it on.
Yeah my dad has a timer for his truck, and he plugged mine in normally so itll be on all the time.

toyota4x4907

Naw..it wont mess anything up. None of the wires are connected to any of the wires on the vehicle. all it is is the 4-way plug (or 3-way) with the heaters plugged in that, then the cord from the 4-way to the outlet.

schmooot

don't mean to hijack the thread but I'll be installing a block heater in my truck today because it doesn't have one, I have done them many times before but not on the truck so which hole does it go in? Is it the first frost plug I see behind the timing chain cover but in front of the oil filter? or does it go in one of the further back ones? 22RE

Flash319

What ever holes is easiest to get at. I have one infront and one behind the oil filter. Both worked fine. I never used them though because the 22re will start at absolute zero

schmooot

cool. I just didn't want to pop a frost plug out only to realize that there isn't enough clearance for a block heater behind it

Ezrider_92356

so far i have started my 22re in -20*f with -45* windchills started like as if it were warm out. i do plan on installing a block heater in it though to help avoid unnecessary startup wear in the cold

javadoody

just had to replace the block heater on mine today. I guess they don't live forever. original owner put it in when he got it new. i flip it on for an hour on the coldest of days and i'm ready to go in no time. recent -6 and letting it sit for a couple of days was a little hard (it was out at that time) so i figured it was worth putting in another, although the new battery and 5w-30 would probably get me through the winter. never really needed to keep it on all night, but it's way colder up north. btw, mines forward.