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block heater question

1K views 17 replies 6 participants last post by  NCHornet 
#1 ·
when i have my truck plugged in it doesnt seem like it warms up much faster. the only thing i have really noticed is that the glow plug light goes off a little bit faster. how can you tell if its for sure working? also im just using a kind of cheap extension cord. do i need to be using a cord that has higher amps?
thanks
 
#2 ·
I would use a high quality extension cord. Mainly for safety reasons. The only way I know to tell if the block heater is actually working is to use a multi meter. Check the cord for continuity, and check the cord where it hooks to the block for amps and volts.
 
#3 ·
:agree:YUP,,,,, Larger Drop Cord before a fire starts
 
#4 ·
i know the extension cord pluged into the house works since i use it out in the garage all the time. im just not sure if the truck part is working. i know this much... last year when it was icy outside there was some ice on the truck cord and the extension cord and when i pluged the two into eachother it did give me a little bit of a shock...
 
#6 ·
Ok it should NOT shock you. Throw that cord away like now. When I used to plug it in it would make a blue arch when the prongs touch but I had the ext cord plugged in already so that's a given, but it never shocked my hands. That's bad.
 
#5 ·
How long are you plugging it in for? In cold (20-30degree) weather if mine is plugged in for an hour it doesn't make much difference, 3 hours it starts easier but doesn't warm up too quick, plug it in warm and leave it all night it takes two minutes or less to warm up.
 
#7 ·
ok well im going to go to home depot or something tomorrow and get a new one. and i was always leaving it plugged in all night. and what do you guys mean its warmed up in about 2 min? like the heater in the truck is warm? or the engine or what? also what kind of a cord should i get?
 
#8 ·
I mean warmed up in two minutes as in the coolant temp was in the "normal" operating range, when plugged in all night. Guess it was your cord. I got two 100ft cords from Kroger and put 'em together. Dunno the gauge, but they weren't the pathetic thin lamp-cord ones. Worked great, but then I got chewed out by my apt. managers cause it was a "trip hazard" running a bright orange cord out my window on the ground to the truck. :rolleyes: Stupid. So now I gotta glow-plug it for a minute and let it warm up for 10 minutes. Hope they're happy with the hellacious rumble and WHISTLE of the warm-up 1000rpm idle. :rofl:
 
#10 ·
ok. well im going to get a more expensive cord tomorrow. and ill see if i can hear any hissing from the front of the truck and see if it warms up any faster wed morning. cuz right now even for having it pluged in overnight and started for about 10-15 min i usually drive about 2 or 3 miles before the temp guage is at normal opperating temp. so i think somethings wrong
 
#11 ·
Ok as for the cord you should use. If the plug is not GFI then get a GFI protected cord. This is for your own safety. I have a plug on the outside of my house. It is GFI protected. So when I plug my truck in if there is any shorts I am protected and I remove the risk of the getting shocked or burning my truck up.

I recommend you get at least 12gauge cord for your truck. Try to keep it with in 25ft of length if you can.
 
#12 ·
i think it has to be 50 or longer. the prob is that the only outlet is in the cealing of my garage. so i have to run a cord across the cealing, down the garage wall, and outside to the truck. so i will check tomorrow before i get the cord and see if the outlet is GFI and if it is ill get a 12 guage cord and if its not ill get a 12 guage GFI cord.
 
#13 ·
Well what I would do is get some 12gauge house wire, a plug box for outside use with gfi plug. Then I would wire in the box so you can use a shorter extension cord. Plus I bet you will find more uses for that plug come other times of the year.
 
#14 ·
ya thats a good point. im just not exactally a electrican lol. the other thing i just thought of is this... last year i was in a hurry one morning and left my truck pluged in and backed out of the garage causing the truck cord to rip off the truck. about 8in from the original plug. i then took an orange wal mart 3 prong extension cord and cut and spliced those wires onto the left over truck wires. should i replace the whole truck block heater wires? or is what i did ok? i didnt realise at the time the truck needed this much electricity for the block heater. is it hard to do this? and is it expensive? cuz i dont see that being a cheap part.
 
#15 ·
I have seen several cords fail from all the yanking people do to unplug them. That is why I always recommend the Marinco mod for those who plug in often. My guess is your cord is bad further up. You need to test it with a multimeter, a new cord is about $45 from Ford and plugs in up near the oil filter. Takes 2 min to replace. If you can splice on a new section of cord you can install a outlet closer to the truck. It isn't that hard and better than running a cord that far. You should be able to see your meter really spped up when you plug it in, it's equal to 10 - 100 watt light bulbs!!



NCH
 
#16 ·
I ripped my plug off once. I went to the hardware store and bought a replacement plug end. Cost was like 2 dollars.

I cut the cord, stripped the wires and hooked up the new plug end. Now I have no problems.
 
#18 ·
I didn't say a repair like this wouldn't work, but if you're not getting power all the way to the heater what good does a new plug do? A cord can fail from the inside and you won't see it. A cont test will tell you if the wires are in good shape.

NCH
 
#17 ·
well thats basically what i did i just wasnt sure if the cord i used on the truck was thick enough. im going to try to go look right now for a new extension cord. and maybe see how much it would cost to have an electrican come out and install a new outlet.
 
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