I live in the mountains of colorado and have to keep my car outside. During the nights, the temperature almost always dips near 0. I've heard that engine warmers can potentially extend engine life as well as keep fluids from freezing and such. Is this purchase worth the 40 or 50 bucks i'd spend on it?

 

Thanks!

block heater do help out

 

50 bucks will save both time and gas , plug it in keep it warm, drive away windows clear.

Very much worth the cost if you live in a cold climate. It'll mean easier starting, faster warmup (which means less fuel), and less cylinder/ring wear.

One thing you need to know only the motor and cooling system is warm.........The trany is stiil......... COLD ..........So drive like its still cold till it warms up

And put the heater on a timer. Havr it come on 2 hrs before you are ready to leave, if you have a regular scheduale.

 

 

And as stated above, the rest of the car is still ice cold so give it a little time to warm up.

 

 

nipper

sounds great. thanks for the tips.

Getting the cooling jacket plug out of the bottom of the block can be hard. Get a proper sized hex key in 1/2" drive and put a breaker bar on it. Breaking it loose while the engine is still warm helps, then drain the coolant and unthread it. It's a 14mm allen key by the way.

Edited January 30, 201016 yr by WoodsWagon

Hey Ned whatsup.

 

I use mine all winter and love it. All my cars get one. I leave it plugged in all night if it's gonna be less than zero f., or if it's in the teens an hour before i leave for work is good.

 

You Will notice a huge difference on startup.

 

Make sure it works before you install it. (ie just plug it in to your wall outlet).

 

Ryan in Loveland

I've never run a block heater in my subarus, as they've never failed to start at -10F... however, I have a block heater in my diesel truck (it won't start below about 15F without it)... and it is awesome. I'm sure it reduces wear on the engine. It'll start as if it's a 90 degree summer day, without the cloud of white smoke and other horrible sounds it makes if started cold without it.

 

Putting it on a timer to turn on a few hours before you need it is a good idea... no need to run it overnight unless it's -10F out -- on 10 or 20F days two or three hours is plenty, even for the diesel engine.

 

Like someone else said, remember the transmission will still be cold, so drive it gently till that warms up too.

synthetic oils also help prevent cold weather damage to the internals.

Just pour out some oil from regular SAE oil on a cold morning, its like molasses.

Then pour out syntec, it pours quite nicely.

same thing inside the engine, it moves lots easier getting to wear it needs be

synthetic oils also help prevent cold weather damage to the internals.

Just pour out some oil from regular SAE oil on a cold morning, its like molasses.

Then pour out syntec, it pours quite nicely.

same thing inside the engine, it moves lots easier getting to wear it needs be

 

Yeah... I run synthetic in almost all my vechicles... I know some people claim it will destroy them, but I'm not convinced yet

I have one in a block that I can sell to you for cheap. make me an offer. It will fit in a small box, so shipping will be minimal.