eng block heater

[pascooter94]

do you plug it in and leave it on all night or plug it into a timer and turn it on a few hours before you leave?

dont know what to think...

[vman11]

I leave mine plugged in all night, but it is probably overkill. I think I've heard setting a timer a few hours before you leave gives you the same effectiveness.

[nobody05]

People still plug in their vehicles? I dont think my car even has one, my truck is a duramax and well I've never used that one either and he resides outside all winter.

[Hookmaster]

I've used a block heater on a timer and I'd say 4 hours is needed to achieve max effect at 10 to 20 below 0.

[Powerstroke]

While my truck will start on its own in the cold, I can only imagine how many miles I've taken off the life of the engine. It is a Ford 6.0L diesel.

I plug mine in on a timer. I've read a couple of things where people have plugged in the truck and then taken temp readings of the block every half hour. Most vehicles only need 2-3 hrs to get to max temp. After that you are just keeping it warm. So, I bought a heavy duty timer and run mine for 2.5hrs before I head to work. I'm sure they all take a lot of juice so thats why I bought the timer. I believe my heater is 1800 watts.

Your vehicle will start easier, warm faster and there will be less wear on the motor in the cold temps.

[pascooter94]

thanks all Im going to put it on a timer..

[lugnut]

after reading i wondered what it would be like not plugging my truck in, as i always plug it in when i get home from work.so i didnt plug it last night went out this morning and boy oh boy the truck didnt like me. i have never had it not start but it sounds ugly when its this cold out compared to when its plugged in.

[Jeremy airjer W]

The last time I plugged a car in was the early nineties.