[kristeen]

i have a '86 6.2 that i bought about 7 years ago and i am finally running it in the cold. i have what looks like a factory block heater, but unfortunately no paperwork on it. i am wondering how it works, is there an internal thermostat that will heat to a pre-set temp, or does it continously heat until i unplug it? i'm asking b/c i don't know if i can leave it plugged in overnight and all day without burning the truck or the house down. any help would be awesome. thanks!

 

[Dieseldad97]

:welcome: kristeen

I live in the cold!! Sucks sometimes.
Anyways, the block heater is your best friend in the winter.
The block heater fits into the bottom of your engine block where a frost plug would normally sit in. It is an element that will turn red hot when plugged in and stay that way till you unplug it. It sits in the water jacket so it heats the water (anti-freeze) when it's cold. This is what will help start the engine when it gets cold.
I leave mine plugged in all the time so it's always ready to go if I need the truck.

Hope it helps.

ps, fill out your sig. so we all know what you drive.

Take care.

 

[JustOneTruck]

Yup its in the frost plug area of your truck . Mines on the drivers side rated at 1200 watts . And it runs all the time when plugged in that I know of.{when you plug it in and its quiet out you can hear like the noise of bubbling water}. I now have it on a timer so it will only be on for about 3 hours before I go to start it . I also park mine in the garage to help with cold starting . It was Zero this morning started right up. And I also am lucky I can plug it in at work with a heavy ext cord.

 

[High Sierra 2500]

Welcome to the forum! :welcome2:

The block heater goes in one of the driver's side frost plug holes. The factory heater was rated at 650 watts. I leave mine plugged in all the time whe it is below freezing. Above freezing it doesn't really need it...

If you have a good extension cord and a good electrical outlet you can leave it plugged in all the time. It won't hurt anything. I've even forgotten to unplug mine when the temp goes into the 50 degree (F) range.

The block heater is great. There's nothing like climbing into a truck when it is 10 degrees out and having it start like it is 80. The hood stays pretty clear of snow so you don't have a bunch of it blowing back and hitting the windshield. Did I mention the fact that you get nearly instant cab heat?

JustOneTruck, you are lucky... Where I work we don't even have electric outlets available... Then again, my truck often stays running much of the time I am at work.

 

[JustOneTruck]

I for got to say welcome Kristeen ...

And High Siera I got a 25` heavy ext-cord that does the trick. Funny thing at target a few weeks ago. I saw a truck plugged into the light pole outlet that they use for christmas light Im guessing . Made me think for a sec then better not . lol

 

[High Sierra 2500]

There's a guy around town here with a late '80s or early '90s Dodge 3/4 ton with the 12V Cummins who always drives around with about 100 ft of extension cord wrapped around his front bumper... Good idea, but I think I'd carry it inside the truck... ):h

The problem I have is that where I park at work there aren't any buildings within sight half the time... I suppose I could use the plug on one of the industrial generators that we use to run the equipment, but those are just a little more voltage than the heater is rated for... I think they are 440 volts... It'd probably cook my truck.

 

[jhow66]

Do the ones that are in the lower radiator hose work as good as the block ones ? (mines in the hose)

 

[High Sierra 2500]

That type of heater has been used for many years in various types of tractors and heavy equipment... I haven't personally owned one, but they do seem to work good. The freeze plug type block heater is a bit small for the job (takes a long time to heat up)... The in-line type heater may be a bit better, actually.

 

[MrBrink]

my old 6.2 won't even start if its below about 30 unless I plug it in(bad glowplugs and no money to replace them). so when I come home I plug it in and leave it like that. starts like its warm after a night of being plugged in, I sure like it

 

[1974vega]

Block heater

Also what you should try, if your in a cold climate is battery blankets. I have a pair on my truck and they get plugged in the same time as my block heater. Nothing like having a warm motor and warm, powerful batteries to start a truck at -26C {-41 with wind chill}. Myron.

 

[the_other_matt]

my old 6.2 won't even start if its below about 30 unless I plug it in(bad glowplugs and no money to replace them)...

do you have a pull a part or pick and pull in your area? if so, it will only cost you about 10 minutes and $5-$10 to get some new ones. testing is easy enough, so grab all 8 and then only replace the ones you need.:ro)

 

[rock_shoes]

Also what you should try, if your in a cold climate is battery blankets. I have a pair on my truck and they get plugged in the same time as my block heater. Nothing like having a warm motor and warm, powerful batteries to start a truck at -26C {-41 with wind chill}. Myron.

Where did you get the battery blankets?

 

[leader of men]

Good advice Rock_shoes, I have an 85 K20 also. new motor, and did a fillerup with what I believe BAD fuel. Oh well,,, Ill wait till it warms alittle. Have you ever used the magnet block heaters?

 

[83gmc2500diesel]

We've used the magnetic block heaters and the dipstick block heaters on our old Allis diesel tractors. Works pretty good, at least with the block heater plugged in too. I have a block heater on my 83 2500 diesel but I don't think it works. The prongs are all beat up and there's about half a baseball size pile of black electrical tape around it too. Probably have to replace that next.

 

[dmollner]

Block Heater help

I bought an '84 6.2 a few months back. I love it already. I understand that a factory block heater is installed but I can't locate it. Earlier in this thread it was described a being "where the frost plug would go", but I don't know where in the heck that is. Can someone help me with a different set of directions? Thanks in advance.
This is my first post. Love this forum. In a short time its helped me a great deal. Great work everyone!

 

[High Sierra 2500]

Welcome to the forum! :welcome:

If you open the hood on the truck and look at the engine from the driver's side you will see the exhaust manifold. On the side of the engine block just below the exhaust manifold there are three round openings about 1.5" in diameter with plugs in them (freeze plugs). The middle opening has the block heater in it (if the truck has one - some didn't).

If you would like some pictures to help you find it I can get them. I'm going to have to go under there because one of the freeze plugs on my truck is leaking and I'm going to have to replace it. I've been putting it off for - let's see - six months or so... The stupid part of it is I have all the replacement freeze plugs in my glovebox...

 

[jdemaris]

Do the ones that are in the lower radiator hose work as good as the block ones ? (mines in the hose)

The heaters that fit in-line in a radiator hose are pretty useless in a large diesel like a 6.2. The OEM frost-plug heater that comes with the 6.2 is 400 watts and works fine - but is slow. It's intended to be used by plugging in all night, or being plugged into a timer set to come on a few hours before starting.

You can add, in addition to the standard heater, a large tank heater if desired. I have dual heaters on all my diesel plow trucks. A 1500 watt tank heater will heat up a 6.2 in half an hour - even when it's below zero. Costs about $40 and not the easiest thing to install on a 6.2. It must be tapped into a lower block-drain.

The only reason I have dual heaters - is I don't want to leave my trucks plugged in every night - electricity is not cheap anymore. So, when snow is predicted, I plug in the small heaters the night before and all is fine. However, sometimes no snow is predicted, I get up in the morning and find two feet of snow anyway - and a bunch of very cold diesels parked outside. That's when I use the tank-heaters - they are great for that.

Also, if you really want to blow some money, there are diesel-fired block heaters that tie into the truck's fuel line and are thermostatically controlled. They work great - but cost a fortune. Neat thing is - you can be out in the middle of nowhere - where no AC electricity is available - the those heaters work since they run off the truck's batteries and fuel. Ford now offers it as an option in their diesel trucks and many big rigs use these heaters.

I carry a small portable gas generator with me on rural trips where I might have to park overnight and no electricity is available. My 1200 watt gas generator only weighs 50 lbs. and can only run the 400 watt frost-plug heater - but it takes a while. But - I camped once at a cabin and it was 15 below zero in the morning with no electricity around. I started the generator and plugged my truck into it for an hour - and got started no problem.

 

[Fred482`]

If you use a timer and/or and extension cord, the current draw on a block heater is high enough that it requires the heavy duty stuff, as stated above. Minimum rating should be 12 guage wire, rated for 20 amps @ 120 Volts. If the cord is longer than 50 ft., up the rating to heavier guage wire.

The light duty timers sold at chain stores are often not rated for heavy loads, be careful, I've seen structure fires caused from less loads than a block heater. (Christmas lights, etc.) Electrical fires are second only to improperly installed wood burning appliances in my district.

Chief Fred, SMRFPD

 

[jdemaris]

If you use a timer and/or and extension cord, the current draw on a block heater is high enough that it requires the heavy duty stuff, as stated above. Minimum rating should be 12 guage wire, rated for 20 amps @ 120 Volts. If the cord is longer than 50 ft., up the rating to heavier guage wire.

The light duty timers sold at chain stores are often not rated for heavy loads, be careful, I've seen structure fires caused from less loads than a block heater. (Christmas lights, etc.) Electrical fires are second only to improperly installed wood burning appliances in my district.

Chief Fred, SMRFPD

You can buy a good HD timer, rated at 20 amps for around $30. I use them for timed heat lamps and water heaters in my barns for chicks and baby goats. The LD timers meant for lights are kind of useless.

I've got at 12 gauge ext. cord 100' long that works fine with a 1500 watt tank heater. It does create a 4-5% voltage drop and the cord gets a little warm. I've also got a 150' cord I made from a roll of 10 gauge romex - that is kind of awkard to use - but runs a 1500 watt heater fine.

 

[dmollner]

Thanks High Sierra. Great description of the location. I'll get under the hood this weekend and hope she came with a block heater. Don't think I'll need the pics, but if you do get a chance to change your freeze plugs soon it would certainly be helpful to have a photo to help guide me a bit. Again, many thanks and I appreciate your generosity and intelligence!