source for engine block heaters?

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Hillbilly solution

A friend of mine went to college in Rochester, N.Y. He said they used to put a 100 watt light bulb(which produces about 95 watts of heat and about 5 watts of light) in a box under the oil pan of the car...car always started fine on the cold mornings.
 
Hammer, I don't see anyone arguing with you. You tossed out incorrect assumptions and myself and others replied with accurate facts. No hard feelings involved.

FWIW, "Cold" is a matter of perspective. It's doubtful that Jersy ever gets the temps where the Northern Canadians and us Alaskans start to think about maybe plugging the rigs in. ;)

Mark...
 
I don't understand that Freeze plug that is on the SOR site. Where does it go?

BTW, New Jersey might be cold, but I'd rather use something that has Canadian merit. I go snowmobiling about 2 hours north of Quebec city, and it gets COLD. I have personally seen a -40 degree morning. THAT is cold.

:beer:
 
Oh. Gotcha. Do 2F engines have that spot for the freeze plug to go into?

:beer:
 
Four of them on the left side of the block. The two center ones give the nost efficient heating.


Mark...
 
GLTHFJ60 said:
I don't understand that Freeze plug that is on the SOR site. Where does it go?

BTW, New Jersey might be cold, but I'd rather use something that has Canadian merit. I go snowmobiling about 2 hours north of Quebec city, and it gets COLD. I have personally seen a -40 degree morning. THAT is cold.

:beer:


Two winters ago when I was snowmobiling in Old Forge, NY it dropped down to -38 It was F'ing cold!

BUt I think I want the block heater in my 60 this year. Is the freeze plug type hard to install?

Zack
 
My buddy has a camp about 10 miles from Old Forge on a lake called Inlet. Ever heard of it?

:beer:
 
Zack1978 said:
BUt I think I want the block heater in my 60 this year. Is the freeze plug type hard to install?

Zack


It's rock simple. Toughest part is getting clear access to knock the old one loose.


Mark...
 
I'm going to be going up there sometime this winter. It'll be quite a change for me though because I usually ride up in canada. It'll be fun!

:beer:
 
I know that this is an old thread, but I am reading up on block heaters now that I have gone a couple of mornings with VERY hard starts.

My new question is that on the SOR website posted earlier, they refer to freeze plugs in the block and in the head. I know that block heaters of are made to replace the (block) freeze plugs, but are there heaters that replace the head freeze plugs? I would think that if you could have heaters in the head and in the block, that you would eliminate the extra advantage of having a tank heater, plus it would be easier to install.

Also, those who have block heaters already installed, how many do you have and which freeze plugs did you use?

Any ideas?

:beer:
 
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THe "freeze plugs" in the head are not accessible. The ones under the vavles cover are additioanlly very small.

There would be no point in putting a heater in the head. It has to be as low as possible so that the convective circulation of the coolant will work.

A heater in the block warms the entire engine. At least all of it thatcan be ewarmed by the flow of coolant. Not just the block.

Unless you have headers and a fluid heat exchange warmer on the intake manifold, there is no advantage to having a tank heater.

Unless you are dealing with ambient temps (NOT wind chill) in the -40 range there is not reason to need more than one block heater.

Adding an oil pan heater pad will gain you more than another block heater. A battery heater is better yet. A battery heater is arguably more important so far as simply getting the rig started when it's cold

Look to the engine state of tune (primarily the carb) and the condition of the battery if your rig is reluctant to start in the cold.


Mark...
 
Thank you for the advice. The only reason why I asked about the head freeze plug was because an earlier post mentioned that the block heater would only heat the block and not the head, therefore allowing the possibility for hard starts even with the heater.

That definately answers my question. Thank you.

:beer:
 
What is the best way to get those plugs out? Still hoping someone will give good sources for these heaters. Learned a lot already. Thanks.
 
I put a sheet metal screw through the original freeze plug about 1/2 way, then I attached a wire to that screw (wind it around the top of the screw). Take a long drift and pound the freeze plug INTO the block. You have attached a wire to it so now you can ensure it doesn't stay in the block, so pull it back up to the hole, grab with some vice grips and bend the thing out of there.

It's easy to now install the heater. I have them in my 40 and 80 and work flawlessly. Yes, I live in AZ but they're used for CO winter mountain nights and trips across MN and WI.
 
I don't know where the comment abiut the block heater not heating the head came from, but that's not correct. Anything that can be warmed by the heated coolant will be. If you don't have a fluid intake manifold heater, then the intake and carb will not be heated by the coolant. But there's no avoiding that unless you have a header and intake heater. If you do, then the block heater will heat that to a small degree, but that's where the tak heater can make a big difference if you plmb it right.

Getting the freeze plugs out... Pretty simple really. Use a hammer and a drift. Hit the plug on one side (angle the drift outward away from the center of the plug). A couple/few sharp raps will punch that side of the plug in and pviot the other side outward. Once it is turned in the hole a little bit, grab it with a pair of pliers or vicegrips. Wiggle it and yank it out.


Source... Just about any of the larger parts chains will carry them if they don't have them in stock. Katz is the most common brand. They make a 400 watt and a 600 watt version that works in and is sold for the F/2F/3F engines.


Mark...
 
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