# Block heater



## Lone136 (Sep 18, 2010)

So I go to start my truck tonight and and it turns over very slow. After doing some checking some to find out the block heater isn't working. Must have a short in the heater and trips the breaker in my home. What would be the best way to warm the motor at this point or the water and oil. The truck is a 2004 6.0


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## seville009 (Sep 9, 2002)

If you have a forced air heater, direct it under the truck. If it's outside, put a tarp over it to help contain the warmth. 

Could also tske the battery out and warm it up in the house; may just help give a little more starting power to deal with the thick fluids.


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## Lone136 (Sep 18, 2010)

I have a large tarp, but No heater at this point. Would you put the heater under the truck say under the bed of the truck and point it to the front of the truck at the motor. I have my plow on the truck so I can't put the heater at the front. I put a call to a friend and he is going to bring his heater over for me to use tonight


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## beanz27 (Dec 22, 2012)

This is why my diesels have 2 heaters. The factory one and a coolant heater on the lower hose. The hose heater helps but doesn't do much, but the one time my factory heater wire was messed up it did help keep it warm enough to start.


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## Lone136 (Sep 18, 2010)

I will be looking for new heaters tomorrow, but I have to be able to get it started. I have no time to wait. Snow is coming tomorrow, but will do what has to be done. What a time to have a problem like this


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

Battery charger,
Or just mp start it.
Your battery s are getting tired.
My diesel will start in -32*F with 15w-40 conventional oil,
Without being plugged in.
But then again it's a cummins


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Original starter?

Those get tired too. Trust me.....

Never really had much problems with 6.0s and cold starting, it's more of a 7.3 issue.


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## MXZ1983 (Mar 8, 2015)




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## Grump1 (Feb 19, 2015)

I have successfully used a drop light with a 100 watt incandescent bulb , positioned against the base of the block. I could get the bulb against the oil pan to help transfer the heat.
I know it's not ideal, but I would think it's a bit safer than pointing a heater under the vehicle. 

I have 2 of the small, I think 200 watt, magnetic, external block heaters. They have worked well for years. 

Have a Gorilla brand base heater on current plow truck. It's a gasser, so my friends ask why I bother. But when it's -30 to -40 degrees windchill, things work better with a bit of warmth.
After the constant cold last winter, my father was convinced he didn't want to deal with another diesel ( truck).
My buddy has brand new Massey Ferguson tractor, technicians insisted no block heater would be needed, that their's sat outside all last season and fired up no problems. Well guess what, thing wouldn't start all day, until several hours of an external base heater in use. 

Good luck


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## Lone136 (Sep 18, 2010)

Thank you all for the input. I was able to get it started just now. Got a turbo heater and put it at the the front of the truck P side to get the heat under it. Also put a tarp over the truck as well. After 1 hour it started right up with no problems. Thanks again for the input. Now I just pray for snow and not rain


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## MXZ1983 (Mar 8, 2015)

Grump1;2117685 said:


> I have successfully used a drop light with a 100 watt incandescent bulb , positioned against the base of the block. I could get the bulb against the oil pan to help transfer the heat.
> I know it's not ideal, but I would think it's a bit safer than pointing a heater under the vehicle.
> 
> I have 2 of the small, I think 200 watt, magnetic, external block heaters. They have worked well for years.
> ...


You know windchill doesn't change the temp of the block. 
Ambient temperature is ambient temperature. That's the temp of the block and metal parts of the truck and such. Ambient temp is the temp.


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## Grump1 (Feb 19, 2015)

MXZ1983;2117699 said:


> You know windchill doesn't change the temp of the block.
> Ambient temperature is ambient temperature. That's the temp of the block and metal parts of the truck and such. Ambient temp is the temp.


Thanks! -12 air temp. Not exactly balmy! 
Wife's Subaru likes a block heater when temps go into the single digits. 
How nice a large heated shop would be... oh well


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## Lone136 (Sep 18, 2010)

Welll it was down to -3 last night and didn't get above 5 today so it was cold here. It's going down to -3 tonight. Now that it's running I will go out and start it every 2 or 3 hours so I don't have the same problem tomorrow morning.


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## Grump1 (Feb 19, 2015)

Lone136;2117720 said:


> Welll it was down to -3 last night and didn't get above 5 today so it was cold here. It's going down to -3 tonight. Now that it's running I will go out and start it every 2 or 3 hours so I don't have the same problem tomorrow morning.


 I also have a smart trickle charger hooked to several vehicles batteries during cold conditions. That seems to Often be one of the first things to give a hastle. 
Had a heating pad left over from one of the kids pet iguana set ups, slide it in beside the battery in the wife's car. Last year with the cold not letting up, would plug the heating pad as well as the block heater in and had no troubles starting early mornings with temps consistently below zero. 
Full fuel tank, diesel conditioner, a block heater, battery warmer, park in a sheltered area , sums up my cold weather prep.


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## beanz27 (Dec 22, 2012)

Heated shop solves all lol. All my diesels except mine sit inside, it gets to cold here, they take too long to actually warm up. I've actually started to plug them in inside the shop a few hours before we go out. I heat my shop anywhere between 55-65 idle temp. Within 5 minutes they pump out hot heat, generally I'll get to shop 15-20 minutes early and start pulling trucks out.


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## tjctransport (Nov 22, 2008)

before you buy a block heater element, check the cord. i replace 10 cords for every one element.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

tjctransport;2117868 said:


> before you buy a block heater element, check the cord. i replace 10 cords for every one element.


Excellent point.


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## Grump1 (Feb 19, 2015)

tjctransport;2117868 said:


> before you buy a block heater element, check the cord. i replace 10 cords for every one element.


Someone is thinking today haha! 
Yep, same here, I found the cord had split on one of the Katz brand magnetic heaters I had, so I just replaced the cord and it's still in use. Forgot about that.


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

tjctransport;2117868 said:


> before you buy a block heater element, check the cord. i replace 10 cords for every one element.


Bingo! I was working my way threw all the posts looking to make sure no one had not posted that yet.

I can't even think of the last time that the block heater itself was actually bad and not the cord. (although it has happened, it has been years for me)


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

tjctransport;2117868 said:


> before you buy a block heater element, check the cord. i replace 10 cords for every one element.


X4 bingo.......


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## Brian Young (Aug 13, 2005)

Mine trips the breaker too but I think it's due to water getting between the plugs, before you go and spend a bunch of money maybe it's just a matter of covering the plug so it doesn't get wet and trip the breaker.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

We're playing bingo?


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

Mark Oomkes;2118010 said:


> We're playing bingo?


Yeah... tag your it


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

duck
duck
duck

Goose......


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

yahtzee!!!!!


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Checkmate!!!


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

Uno!......


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Go fish........


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## 1olddogtwo (Aug 6, 2007)

Well least you guys ain't playing strip poker


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## beanz27 (Dec 22, 2012)

SnoFarmer;2118032 said:


> duck
> duck
> duck
> 
> Goose......


You live in MN, it's grey duck not goose.

X5 for the cord


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

1olddogtwo;2118070 said:


> Well least you guys ain't playing strip poker


That is after lunch, figured youd showed up


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## 1olddogtwo (Aug 6, 2007)

Philbilly2;2118073 said:


> That is after lunch, figured youd showed up


Almost home, ready to play striper then sleeper.


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## 1olddogtwo (Aug 6, 2007)

beanz27;2118072 said:


> You live in MN, it's grey duck not goose.
> 
> X5 for the cord


In Illinois its Grey Goose and OJ.


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

Philbilly2;2118073 said:


> That is after lunch, figured youd showed up


No Hooters trip today?


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## 1olddogtwo (Aug 6, 2007)

Nah, I plowed across the street from it all night...

And a added bonus, there was a lot of nice trim at the mall yesterday. Rarely do I plow so slowly.


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

beanz27;2118072 said:


> You live in MN, it's grey duck not goose.
> 
> X5 for the cord


 kids play Duck Duck Gray Duck in North Dakota, South Dakota and Western Wisconsin and i guess the outsiders who fill up MPLS...

yea , like my great great grandparents who came here called the game and those before them
Dudk, duck, goose. in the north land, regardless of what ya read on facebook.

iIt was outsiders who migrated here or those from the "south.ern" part of the state who used grey duck...not northern Minnesotans who have been here for generations.
o(the game is said to have originated in Germany, Ireland, Sweden,
the Swedish name is similar to the English: Anka Anka Gås (i.e. duck duck goose.

then Digging around a bit more, I did find a site which referred to the Swedish game by a different name: Anka Anka Grå Anka, which happens to translate to duck duck grey duck.

sooo, go figure...

a visual aid...http://www.buzzfeed.com/babymantis/the-truth-behind-duck-duck-goose-a-visual-gui-1opu

I never heard of grey duck until the internet came along.
.
so what your saying is, i got it right, its duck duck goose.


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

SnoFarmer;2118100 said:


> kids play Duck Duck Gray Duck in North Dakota, South Dakota and Western Wisconsin and i guess the outsiders who fill up MPLS...
> 
> yea , like my great great grandparents who came here called the game and those before them
> Dudk, duck, goose. in the north land, regardless of what ya read on facebook.
> ...


Where do you find this crap?? :laughing:


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

Philbilly2;2118109 said:


> Where do you find this crap?? :laughing:


Yo moma.....
....


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

SnoFarmer;2118110 said:


> Yo moma.....
> ....


That's good at least... I figured you were going to post the entire ancient definition of the word crap from Swedish or German standpoint...:laughing:


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

Philbilly2;2118116 said:


> That's good at least... I figured you were going to post the entire ancient definition of the word crap from Swedish or German standpoint...:laughing:


You mean truflais?
:laughing:


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

SnoFarmer;2118118 said:


> You mean truflais?
> :laughing:


Tuigim......


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

Naw, Scheiße.


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

, Scheiße
Wissen Sie, was diese Scheiße den Staat heute gekostet hat?
You got any idea what this crap cost the department today, huh?


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## Charles (Dec 21, 1999)

This thread is closed for obvious reasons


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