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Simple block warmer...

S

Senior_XJ

NAXJA Forum User
Location
NY
-- Lookin thru my searches & after reading many opinons & options, I decided i wanted somethin "simple!!" SO i googled & googled, until i found this puppy,,,,
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/...39105_200339105?cm_sp=RVC-_-Footer-_-Products
-- Price is good,, 6' cord,, thermostat,, etc. My only question,, wheres the best place to put this puppy?? 2nd question, can i just plug it in at night & unplug it in the am since it has a thermostat??

-- Thank you in advance to those with good,, helpfull answers!! :wave:
 
Kats is a good company and have been around a long time. I have used their product and have no complaints.

I have used both Frost plug heater (sometimes called head bolt heater), and the Lower hose circulating heater. My favorite being Frost plug type.

Why?
- Frost plug has only one place it could leak and it never did on any of my cars.
- Once installed (and install is somewhat easy) thats it. Never have to do anything else but plug it in when needed.
- Cost is very low.
- No moving parts.
- Engine will be plenty warm after about an hour or two plugged in. Depends how cold it get at night there.

The type you are looking at, has to magnetically mounted to the engine or trans oil pan. I would think crawling under once to set it up then again to take it off before going somewhere would get old. It could also get stolen easily versus something mounted to the engine.

I suppose there are many other points to consider but the frost plug heater will no doubt give you the best results. And people will think you have an electric car when they see the 110V plug hanging out of your grill. :D
 
Senior_XJ said:
-- Lookin thru my searches & after reading many opinons & options, I decided i wanted somethin "simple!!" SO i googled & googled, until i found this puppy,,,,
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/...39105_200339105?cm_sp=RVC-_-Footer-_-Products
-- Price is good,, 6' cord,, thermostat,, etc. My only question,, wheres the best place to put this puppy?? 2nd question, can i just plug it in at night & unplug it in the am since it has a thermostat??

-- Thank you in advance to those with good,, helpfull answers!! :wave:
Click to expand...
It gets cold enough in the Southern part of North america?j/k:wierd:

most popular up here is a frost plug type or circulating type is even better.
 
The block heaters the factory puts on the diesel I had are crap, so what myself and some others do is get an oil pan heater and use that instead. They're mounted permanently to the bottom of your oil pan (they do stick pretty well) and you've got the power cord under the hood, or through the grill, or wherever you rout it, and then you just plug it in when necessary.
Here's the link to their product page:
http://www.wolverineheater.com/products.shtml
The Model 9.0 or 9.1 should be perfect for your application.
 
mcantar18c said:
The block heaters the factory puts on the diesel I had are crap, so what myself and some others do is get an oil pan heater and use that instead. They're mounted permanently to the bottom of your oil pan (they do stick pretty well) and you've got the power cord under the hood, or through the grill, or wherever you rout it, and then you just plug it in when necessary.
Here's the link to their product page:
http://www.wolverineheater.com/products.shtml
The Model 9.0 or 9.1 should be perfect for your application.
Click to expand...


Interesting, Been having problems with the DD with all this cold, maybe this is the best idea.
 
I've always been partial to the frost plug style heater. As I live in central Minnesota, we often have temps of down to -30 f. About 2-3 hours with that frost plug heater plugged in ensures quick starts, easier on the engine, and you'll get quicker heat into the cab.
 
mcantar18c said:
The block heaters the factory puts on the diesel I had are crap, so what myself and some others do is get an oil pan heater and use that instead. They're mounted permanently to the bottom of your oil pan (they do stick pretty well) and you've got the power cord under the hood, or through the grill, or wherever you rout it, and then you just plug it in when necessary.
Here's the link to their product page:
http://www.wolverineheater.com/products.shtml
The Model 9.0 or 9.1 should be perfect for your application.
Click to expand...
Orly? Funny, the factory block heater on my CTD seems to work just fine. Works well enough that the temp sensor in front of the radiator rises 10 degrees after it's been running for a couple of hours around zero.

I've never used one of the magnetic mount heaters. I'm just not interested in crawling under a vehicle to slap it on the oil pan, or to take it off.

My XJ has pretty much always started pretty easily, even in cold temps.
 
Thanks guys!! A few last questions & i'll have all the info i need 2 order....
1) Greenz,, thanks 4 the confidence boost on the BRAND, i may try it!!
2) Bcmaxx,, i read that the inline pump is best but "CAN IT RUN ALL NITE??"
3) Mcantar18c,, sticky pads R simple but 2X the price? Can it run W/a thermostat??
4) BirchlakeXJ,, frost plug heaters seem popular but how exactly do they work??
-- Can u guys elaborate on that style heater cause i read that the frost plugs R the least efficient heaters!! Seems a thermostat controlled heater is what i need 2 safely leave it plugged in ALL NITE!! I dont mind reachin under & pullin the magnetic heater on & off just as long as it does its job!! Can i run any of these heaters on or thru a thermostat so i can LEAVE it PLUGGED in ALL NIGHT LONG & Sleep Peacefully??

U guys are great,, better then my search results!! Thank You!!
 
Frost plug heaters should be a lot more efficient than a magmount oil pan heater. The resistive elements are immersed in the coolant in a frost plug heater. A magmount pan heater depends on conduction through the mag base and any crud between it and the pan.

[Edit:] And a pan heater will really only heat what's in the pan. With a frost plug coolant heater, convection will tend to warm up more than the area right around the heater.

I may leave my CTD plugged in all night, but it's connected to a 20A timer that starts the heater a couple of hours before I leave in the morning. The timer was less than $20 at the local hardware.
 
ChiXJeff said:
Frost plug heaters should be a lot more efficient than a magmount oil pan heater. The resistive elements are immersed in the coolant in a frost plug heater. A magmount pan heater depends on conduction through the mag base and any crud between it and the pan.

[Edit:] And a pan heater will really only heat what's in the pan. With a frost plug coolant heater, convection will tend to warm up more than the area right around the heater.

I may leave my CTD plugged in all night, but it's connected to a 20A timer that starts the heater a couple of hours before I leave in the morning. The timer was less than $20 at the local hardware.
Click to expand...


-- Can you reccomend a few brands of frost plug heaters so i can compare?? Maybe drop a few links?? I appreciate it greatly!!
Could i run a smaller wattage sticky on the pan & a frost plug at the same time?? I know the stickies just heat the oil but instead of using that as my only heater, why not reduce the sticky size & get a frost plug heater & double the bang????
Dont worry about my electric bill,, im covered!!
 
The original MOPAR block plugs are still available for sale at a very reasonable price as far as I know.

if you can afford to piss away gas money and don't worry about your electric bill, why can't you afford longarms or drop brackets?
 
Senior_XJ said:
Could i run a smaller wattage sticky on the pan & a frost plug at the same time??
Click to expand...
No, you can only heat your engine one way at a time. If you do this you might cross the streams and that would be bad. It would stop all life as we know it, instantaneously, and every molecule in your body would explode at the speed of light.
 
kastein said:
No, you can only heat your engine one way at a time. If you do this you might cross the streams and that would be bad. It would stop all life as we know it, instantaneously, and every molecule in your body would explode at the speed of light.
Click to expand...

Thats something you don't hear on other forums. Why did you let the secret out Dude? :D
 
kastein said:
No, you can only heat your engine one way at a time. If you do this you might cross the streams and that would be bad. It would stop all life as we know it, instantaneously, and every molecule in your body would explode at the speed of light.
Click to expand...

Yes, Its called "Cross-electrification". It occurs when the polarity of one of the heaters is reversed when compared to the other. This causes strong magnetic fields which result in high amounts of heat and eventual engine fire.
 
CherBear said:
Yes, Its called "Cross-electrification". It occurs when the polarity of one of the heaters is reversed when compared to the other. This causes strong magnetic fields which result in high amounts of heat and eventual engine fire.
Click to expand...
Now you're giving him conflicting information, one saying you will explode instantly and one saying eventual.. I assume I won't be exploding at the speed of light (though I really think I would like to see that someday) so FWIW eventual fire due to running both is just that... eventual. Could always run one at night and time the other to come on in the AM. Just gotta get the timer set just right. It's like toast. Too much heating and it will be burnt to a crisp and your morning will suck. Too little and it just wont be warm enough to really work properly and your morning may not suck quite so much, but just will be sub par
 
I'm for a block heater. Use the correct lubricants for your area/temperature and don't worry about the pan.

Using a simple timer will save running the heater all night, but depending on the temps you may want it to run the whole night.
 
They also make dipstick heaters too.
 
should i be using both a pan heater and a "frost" (dont know what that is) plug heater for the chilly 50* arizona mornings?? sometimes it takes for ever for my jeep to start and it never seems to get warm!! i start to shiver violently before my 5 minute commute to work is done!! oh, and will they cause my engine to over heat when it gets to be 115*+ summers?? i can turn them on in the summer heat to help keep the engine thing from overheating like i have to do with the heater right??
 
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