Winter is here.

AKDuramax

AKDuramax

Rice-Burner Burner
Joined
Aug 10, 2007
Messages
145
Well, its been staying in the single digits here for the last week. I'm all stocked up on fuel additive, warm clothing, and beer. I plug my truck in at about 11pm and it stays plugged in all night until 6am when I have to go to work. Just wondering if it does any damage or whatnot when I use my remote start in the morning with the ol' girl still plugged in? I've heard that it's ok, and that it's not. Any input?

Kev
 
Don't know if it hurts anything or not but just as a precaution you could always put the block heater on a timer. Set the timer to turn the heater off just before you get ready to start it.
 
Ehh, leave it plugged in and crank her up. It'll just help heat the block quicker.
 
The block heater won't do much more for you after about 4 hours. It would be easier on your electric bill if you used a HEAVY DUTY OUTDOOR extension cord and timer. Then, set it for 2 am and you will get the heat you want without the added wear on the heater or your utility bill.
 
i don't leave mine plugged in when i start mine. i've been told (don't know if this is true, of course i have powerstroke) that it might short out the blocker heater. not sure though!
 
The block heater is not connected to the vehicle electrical system, so I do not see how starting your truck would cause any damage to it. It is just like a heating element that runs off AC current stuck in a freeze plug. There is not really a reason to leave it plugged in while starting, but there is no reason not to, either.
 
I've been meaning to get a timer for it, just get busy and forget...or lazy. thanks though.
 
The only thing about leaving them plugged in while starting is that if your coolant level is low you could get an air pocket around the heater and will burn itself up. Seen it on the same truck 3-times before figureing it out.
 
i think that it has to do with the heater being in hot water then turning it over and the hot heater hitting the ice cold coolant. i don't know where u are from but it was -2 here (and it's in early winter) the day after thanksgiving so i can see it POSSIBLY happening. just a guy told me that it had happened to him a couple time before. thats all.
 
99 7.3 said:
i think that it has to do with the heater being in hot water then turning it over and the hot heater hitting the ice cold coolant.
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But the coolant is not ice cold. With the block heater on the upper radiator hose will be hot after a couple of hours. That means that all of the coolant in the block is warm.
 
After installing the 3rd block heater I did the unthinkable and read the instructions.
It states that not haveing enough coolant and/or starting the truck with the block heater plugged in may cause damage from air in the system/not being fully submerged in fluid.
 
Not to be thread jacking but, lets say you had a remote starter and you had a home made high idle kit like a stick and you had the stick pushing the pedal before you started it would that be bad for the motor.
 
ya but the cold coolant is going to pass through the block when u start it. like i said that is what i was told. not coming from experience. that and i have not the slightest idea where the block heater is on ur ride. the 7.3's is on the bottom of the block on the driver's side.


JSPulliam21 said:
But the coolant is not ice cold. With the block heater on the upper radiator hose will be hot after a couple of hours. That means that all of the coolant in the block is warm.
Click to expand...
 
futrcumminsownr said:
Not to be thread jacking but, lets say you had a remote starter and you had a home made high idle kit like a stick and you had the stick pushing the pedal before you started it would that be bad for the motor.
Click to expand...

I would imagine it wouldn't be good considering that all of the oil would be at the bottom of the motor and trying to crank the motor over with the idle set up high wouldn't be to easy on the starter. I wouldn't do it. I always give my motor a good minute or two of idling before I bring it to a high idle. I've watched how long it takes oil to get to the rockers when starting the truck and even with the motor hot it took a good few seconds. I can't imagine how long it would take on an ice cold motor with ice cold oil.
 
Not much longer than hot, with almost 100PSI pushing it even cold oil will flow fairly quick.

So long as you are keeping the idle to no more than 11-1200RPM's you should be fine, lower RPM's with no load on the motor aren't that big of a deal. When you start pushing the revs up over 1500 is where I would get worried.
 
It oughta be well over 100psi. My oil pressure gauge would peg 100psi just at a normal idle when cold.
 
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