block heater replacement

[jmpidgeo]

well, tonight i took an ohm meter to the plugs on the block heater cord...no circuit.

removed the cord, cord had a full circuit in all plugs

plugged back in, no circuit...so something is wrong


how hard is a block heater to replace for a block heater? is it hard? can i do it myself in my garage without a hoist, or should i just have a shop do it, and how much would that cost me?


thanks in advance

james

[DmaxMaverick]

The block heater is a piece of cake. It's a little tight on some trucks, but you shouldn't have to disassemble anything. You have to drain the coolant, though. The heater is located in the middle frost plug hole on the driver side (in front of the motor mount), which puts it at about the lowest point in the coolant circuit. There will be a bolt (hex head or socket head) in the center of the heater, and it works like a drywall anchor. Loosen the bolt as far as you can and work out the heater. Be sure to remove all the pieces and clean the hole well. Use some medium sandpaper or wire brush if you have to, to knock down any rust. Careful to not remove any solid iron. I use RTV to seal in the new heater, but it does make later removal a little more difficult. It is better than a leak, though. If you don't use RTV, grease it with some plumbing grease or marine (waterproof) bearing grease. Don't overtighten the new heater, or you'll have to start over.

BTW....You don't have to go to the dealer for a new heater. Napa has them, and I haven't noticed them to be inferior. You should get a new cord with it, as well. Sometimes the parts folks rob the cord from a new heater, so check to make sure you get one.

[jmpidgeo]

well, i am physically too big to maneuver around the block heater...im a big dude, and had a very, very hard time getting up in there to get at the heater just to unplug the cord. part of the problem probably was that i am doing it while looking at it upside down, lying on the ground, but i will take another look at it to see whats going on with it. ill probably get a quote next week for the work done, but for now i made a spot in our garage up here, and if it doesn't start in the non-heated garage (going to be -0 out), i can turn on the porta-heater to get it goin.

i couldn't get it started today...had to have it hooked to a set of jumpers, and took 3 attempts, each of at least 30 cranks to get it to fire...sucks not having a block heater.

[twaddle]

Hi there,
Are you sure the glow plugs are operating ok?
When the engine was turning over did you notice smoke at the and of the exhaust pipe?

Regards

Jim
Biggar, Scotland

[jmpidgeo]

Hi there,
Are you sure the glow plugs are operating ok?
When the engine was turning over did you notice smoke at the and of the exhaust pipe?

Regards

Jim
Biggar, Scotland

glow plugs are fairly new, as i bought the truck june 06, and they were supposedly replaced march 06 according to the owner. when it was cranking, i noticed white smoke, followed by more and more black smoke as it started to fire more and more. eventually, there was only black smoke as it was firing, and started up after that.

[DmaxMaverick]

If you are getting black smoke, you are not short on heat. Black smoke is burning excessive fuel, or the inverse, too little air. A too cold combustion event will billow white smoke, which is normal in small amounts on a cold start. Check your intake for obstruction. What is the condition/age of your air filter. If the air filter is/was wet, it could choke it off, and cause a lot of black smoke once combustion occurs. If the filter got wet and you parked it shortly after, the water will freeze on the filter, blocking airflow until it thaws.

At the tempuratures you are seeing, a block heater will help cold starts, but it should start near normally without. Perhaps a little more white smoke and rattle, but it should start without too much complaining. It is a very bad idea to rely on the block heater for cold starting near or above 0

[jmpidgeo]

[QUOTE=DmaxMaverick]If you are getting black smoke, you are not short on heat. Black smoke is burning excessive fuel, or the inverse, too little air. A too cold combustion event will billow white smoke, which is normal in small amounts on a cold start. Check your intake for obstruction. What is the condition/age of your air filter. If the air filter is/was wet, it could choke it off, and cause a lot of black smoke once combustion occurs. If the filter got wet and you parked it shortly after, the water will freeze on the filter, blocking airflow until it thaws.

At the tempuratures you are seeing, a block heater will help cold starts, but it should start near normally without. Perhaps a little more white smoke and rattle, but it should start without too much complaining. It is a very bad idea to rely on the block heater for cold starting near or above 0

[DmaxMaverick]

Sounds like you are short on the glow heat. Either too short a cycle, or some have failed. If the plugs have been replaced with 60G's, your results could be typical of not enough heat at first. Try allowing 2 or 3 complete glow cycles before cranking. If your start improves, you need to extend your glow cycle or use a hotter/quicker plug.

[jmpidgeo]

Sounds like you are short on the glow heat. Either too short a cycle, or some have failed. If the plugs have been replaced with 60G's, your results could be typical of not enough heat at first. Try allowing 2 or 3 complete glow cycles before cranking. If your start improves, you need to extend your glow cycle or use a hotter/quicker plug.
i tried that too, but after the initial, real long cycle, they come on for just a second or so, unless i wait a bit, which (i am assuming) cools it back down?

[DmaxMaverick]

If it's 0

[Bnave95]

My 95 through the years has always had a cood frist cycle. If it failed to start,a quick key cycle and the next attemp the glow would be very short.
For another long cycle it would have to be key off for a short while.
I just thought of it as being a 94-95 thing.
It does start on the frist cycle and am using Bosch glow plug from KD installed in 92. Had a miss when started and had one glow bad.
The Bosch do heat quick and have done me well.
I can always tell when a plug is not working.
Number 8 has never worked. Back than old plug would not come out.9g.

[jmpidgeo]

anyone have thoughts on the glow plugs that can be bought from heath diesel? i am thinking on ordering a set.