I recently bought a 97 outback. It has a block heater, but I have no idea how to use it. Can someone help me because I'm a moron. thanks

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I belive you just hook up the little plug that hangs out from under the car to an extension cord and thats it. I dont think it has any on-off switch or anything.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I belive you just hook up the little plug that hangs out from under the car to an extension cord and thats it. I dont think it has any on-off switch or anything.

 

Hey thanks! any idea how long it takes to warm up or do you leave plugged in overnight?

whats the temperature there? I have a timer on mine (get at a hardware store, its just a 10 dollar timer) set to turn on two hours before I goto work in the morning. I dont plug my car in until it gets before 0 F. Even then, just an hour of being plugged in, it would start right up. At -50F, I plug it in for 3 hours.

 

Flow is right. There is no on/off switch.

 

There should be a plug with wire running from under the engine. On the older ones, its between the 1 and 3 cylinders just inside of the exhaust port. the plug will run to a brass dealy bobber that screws into the block. its like 50 mm wide I think.

whats the temperature there? I have a timer on mine (get at a hardware store, its just a 10 dollar timer) set to turn on two hours before I goto work in the morning. I dont plug my car in until it gets before 0 F. Even then, just an hour of being plugged in, it would start right up. At -50F, I plug it in for 3 hours.

 

Flow is right. There is no on/off switch.

 

There should be a plug with wire running from under the engine. On the older ones, its between the 1 and 3 cylinders just inside of the exhaust port. the plug will run to a brass dealy bobber that screws into the block. its like 50 mm wide I think.

 

50 below...Damn! I'm in Chicago, it has rarely been in the single digits this winter. But it's better to warm up the engine with the block heater than to start it cold, right? Even if it is above 0. Thanks for the timer idea, genius.

Just plug the damn thing in before you go in for the night. It's only drawing as much juice as a large nightlight. It'll take you twenty years to recoup the cost of a timer.

 

The job of a low wattage block heater is to KEEP the engine warm, not warm it up. If you allow the block/fluids, etc. to get cold soaked, the heater won't be able to recover. I start up in the morning with no clatter or complaint ('specially since I Seafoamed). THe heater is ready and willing and afer a five minute warm-up, the whole car is toasty.

 

What's $00.15 or so per day against the cost of an engine rebuild ... or a cold butt?

mtsmith - a nightlight huh? no, the block heaters are 100 watt +.. I think mine says 450 watt on it. Add the 60 w oil pan heater and 60 w battery blanket, you are up to 200-600 watts an hour. Add on another car for the average house hold, You got up to 1200 watts an hour. 8 hours of sleep thats 3 kW to 10 kW your car/cars just used. say you plug your car every night for a month like we've had to this winter, thats 90 to 300 kW that your car used being plugged in all night compared to spending 10 bucks now and not having to worry about it.

 

And not everyone lives were electricity is 3 cents/kW.

Its 20 cents/kW where I live now. Where I grew up, 27 cents/kW

 

THe heater is ready and willing and afer a five minute warm-up, the whole car is toasty.

 

Find me a car that warms up toasty warm in 5 minutes when its -50 F outside, and I'll show you a c#%% sucker from guatemala.

One thing to consider...

 

If its super cold, I think leaving it plugged in would be a good idea. If its only kinda cold... I think the timer would be worth it. Even if your power isnt that expensive, consider where it may be coming from... buring coal? Creating nuclear waste? Hmm makes a $10 timer seem good

 

Don't get me wrong I am not a total environment freak... though I do still think its kinda wasteful to leave a car plugged in for 8+ hours if its only 30 degrees outside.

I hate parking in the street. Couldn't plug in a heater even if I had one.

 

 

(Fuel powered heaters scare me. Not so much the concept, but the dealers insist on installing them, and ain't no-one but me messing about with my fuel and coolant systems!)

I have mine a on a timer. It goes on at 4am and off at 10am. That gives me a large window in the morning. It means that the car is not fully warm, but it warms up as it would on a 40 degree day. Makes as real difference, but I don't use it unless it is below 20 degrees.

I recently bought a 97 outback. It has a block heater, but I have no idea how to use it. Can someone help me because I'm a moron. thanks

First of all you are not a moron. You asked a question and got 10 posts and hardly any of us agree! :-) I live right across the lake from you and on our 96 OBW we plug it in at night and leave it. We are on a "time of day" electric plan so they all but give the surplus electric away from 9:00PM to 7:00AM (that is when we plug it in) and all day Saturday and Sunday. Temp wise, if it goes below freezing we plug it in (it is on the same switched plug as our birdbath heater) and I credit the block heater for helping our original battery last 9+ years and still going. The only thing I would STRONGLY suggest, is use a grounded extension cord and plug.

Best of luck,

Greg

 

BTW-the block heater from Subaru (1996 to 2004) is 400W.

It's not just a question of what the electricity costs, but how much fuel you are actually saving because the engine is warm. Well worth it!

Thanks for the feedback everyone, it's much appreciated! Hopefully spring is around the corner.

Additionally, the benefit of heating the engine to a warmer temperature before starting means less carbon monoxide in the air/ less greenhouse gasses/ less polutants/ less global warming. It's not always about what saves us the most money.

Additionally, the benefit of heating the engine to a warmer temperature before starting means less carbon monoxide in the air/ less greenhouse gasses/ less polutants/ less global warming. It's not always about what saves us the most money.

 

Sure it is. Just a difference in what kind of money we are saving. Repairing the environment costs money just like everything else. In this light, spending a little bit now saves a lot later. Good investment, IMO. . .

 

Last time I used a block heater was when I was stationed in WI while I was in the Army. All of Jan would never have highs above 0F (let alone 0C. . .) lows every night in the double digits below. . . I left it plugged in all night every night at that time (this was also 23 years ago. . .) and that worked out well.

I NEED a block heater for my Subaru, adn my truck came stock with one (Diesels are a little bit more of a pain to start when they are cold) The manual for my truck says the heater is not required above 40 degrees, and it's recommended between 0 and 40, adn it's required below zero, although the other morning it was -9 and it started up just fine (Had to cycle the manifold heater a couple of times) But I just went to Wal Mart and got a $20 outdoor timer, and a big arse extension cord (ended up getting TWO of the dang things since my heater cord broke, and it's $30 for a new cord from the dealer, or $6 for an 1875W extension cord from Wally World :-)

 

(Oh, and my heater draws 1800W, so I wish that stupid heater drew the 400W the Subaru heaters draw!)

Ahhh Ummm.. .. Plug It IN, maybe!

 

BTW...HONDAS SUCK??? please!

 

*All do respect to my 99' Scoob Leggy*, which I have mad respect for cuz she transports my 3 favorite girls (Wife n 2 Daughters), joyfully & safetly where ever they go, in style!

 

Buh Buh Bu Bu But, my B18c5 Type-R power'd 91' CRX Si, would run laps around her backwards rollin on pizza-cutters on ice with 2 drunken fat native chics rollin shotgun, without any kinda of piston slap!!! (which I'm not a fan of!!!) :-p

it's not HONDAS SUCK it's HONDASUCKS lol I was way against Hondas when I joined the board, and now I'm just anti-rice (and before you get all hostile, go to http://www.anti-rice.com and look @ some of da cars on there...) but kept the name cuz it's ME

it's not HONDAS SUCK it's HONDASUCKS lol I was way against Hondas when I joined the board, and now I'm just anti-rice (and before you get all hostile, go to www.anti-rice.com and look @ some of da cars on there...) but kept the name cuz it's ME

 

I've been there.. I HATE RICE ALSO! I've been tuning IMPORTS since 93' & there's nothing I hate more than RICEBOYS! Thinking big nasty wings & stickers produce power. Not hostile.. just trying to figure out WTF!

Just plug the damn thing in before you go in for the night. It's only drawing as much juice as a large nightlight. It'll take you twenty years to recoup the cost of a timer.

QUOTE]

 

They draw 400 to 600 watts. That's a hella bunch of electricity. (more than a "nightlight") It's cheaper to use a 5wXX or a 0WXX engine oil. On cold mornings, start the car and let it idle in the driveway for a few minutes before driving off.

 

It's a Subaru for Pete's sake. Unless you're going to leave the car to your great- grand children, the difference in engine wear isn't worth mentioning. Lots of Subarus with 200k or 300k miles on this site get cold started every morning.

Plug tha sumbeesh in!!!

Has no-one hear listened closely to George Carlin??

 

The planet is FINE!

 

 

If mother earth doesn't like us, she'll kill us off. It's just human arrogance that leads us to believe that we are in control of the environment.

wish i had a block heater.....

block heaters rule! i dont worry about the power bill if its gonna keep me from freezing to death on the 25 mile drive to work each morning.i also use a 1500 watt interior heater that i stole out of moms bathroom. its almost like summertime in my 89 gl when i get up in the morning.

Thought I'd add something that affects the heater's effectiveness: wind.

 

The heat-dissipation of all-aluminum construction (plus the large surface area of boxer 4 layout) allows wind to pull heat out of the block as fast as the heater puts it in.

 

Engine blankets are a pain but will keep the heat in really well.