# 2011 Engine Block Heater Question



## thelettuceman (Nov 23, 2010)

I have a 2011 F250 6.7 Diesel with an engine block heater. When I have this plugged in, I do not hear any sound coming from the engine. I used to have a 1979 Jeep CJ7 gas engine with an engine block heater and I would hear a "sizzling" sound when it was plugged in. I thought I would hear the same with the 6.7 but I hear nothing. Is this normal?


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## 1olddogtwo (Aug 6, 2007)

on my 011 i dont recall hearing any sounds..i've only used it once so far.....on my 6.4 and both 6.0's and the old 7.3 i never heard any sounds..

u should see a spark when u plug it in..


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## thelettuceman (Nov 23, 2010)

I think my Jeep may have had a heating element right in the oil pan and I heard the "oil being heated" A friend of mine has an 03 f250 7.3 and he does not hear any noise either. So how can you tell if the engine block heater is working or not?


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## 1olddogtwo (Aug 6, 2007)

Look for the spark when plugging in


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## bigbadbrad (Mar 1, 2009)

if your truck starts when it's forty bellow then its working


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## thelettuceman (Nov 23, 2010)

bigbadbrad: LMAO!!!!!


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## bigbadbrad (Mar 1, 2009)

haha, I could not help myself, well another thing you could do to make sure it works is take a heat gun theremometer and after you have it pluged in all night and check the temp of your coolant hoses, or block or even oil on the dipstick


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## PabstBlueRibbon (May 11, 2010)

Feel the top of the radiator in the morning if it is war then the heater is working. I have never heard any noise coming from my heater on my 7.3


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## gtstang462002 (Dec 23, 2009)

thelettuceman;1174526 said:


> I think my Jeep may have had a heating element right in the oil pan and I heard the "oil being heated" A friend of mine has an 03 f250 7.3 and he does not hear any noise either. So how can you tell if the engine block heater is working or not?


If you don't have the Rapid Supplemental Heater option and have relatively "instant" heat it is working. I didn't bother ordering the block heater on mine since I opted for the rapid heat option. This engine will start at -18F without requiring the block heater. Anything colder the heater is there to help with the viscosity of the oil. The coldest I have started mine up at was 13F according to the thermometer in the cab and it had no problems with it. I always let my diesels warm up for 5-10 mins before taking off though.


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## thelettuceman (Nov 23, 2010)

gtstang462002: Why do you let your diesel warm up for 5 - 10 minutes before you take off?


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## gtstang462002 (Dec 23, 2009)

thelettuceman;1179584 said:


> gtstang462002: Why do you let your diesel warm up for 5 - 10 minutes before you take off?


Old habits die hard, mostly to let the engine oil warm up and let the heaters do their thing so I am not climbing into a 20 degree truck. With the rapid supplemental heater and the seat heaters My truck is comfortable within 5 mins of turning everything on. It also gives the coffee time to finish brewingThumbs Up.


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## thelettuceman (Nov 23, 2010)

gtstang462002: I wish I had heated seats. I used to have them in a 2004 Jetta Diesel. Car got great mpg's but the engine was a POS. I got rid of it after 2 years. Did I say that the diesel in that car was a POS?


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## plowfever (Nov 2, 2010)

I always let my diesels warm up 10-15 min. With 4 gallon of oil I figure it takes awhile to get it all warmed up and moving good. I have two friends that are diesel mechanics and they preach this habit. I figure it is cheap insurance if it makes the engine last longer. As far as the block heater goes none of my 7.3 or 6.0 have ever made any noise. I think it would be a good idea for the truck manufactures to have a light come on the dash when the cord is plugged in and working plus a friendly reminder for those times you might forget to unplug it.


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## Ford Guy (Feb 7, 2007)

this is something i picked up a couple years ago, the green light tells you the extension cord is plugged in and the red light tells you the block heater is working properly


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## thelettuceman (Nov 23, 2010)

Ford Guy: Where do you plug that in at?


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## pwrstroke6john (Nov 30, 2007)

I picked up a cheap electric volt tester from menards a few years ago. its about the size of a sharpie and once the heater is plugged in, I would push it to the truck side cord and it would beep. Alot of this was because i didnt trust my outdoor cord, but it was comforting to know it was getting power. My link is a fluke model, but the one i have is some off brand and i think i only paid like 15 bucks. http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/FLUKE-Voltage-Detector-2KU25?Pid=search


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## Ford Guy (Feb 7, 2007)

it's plugged in between the extension cord and the plug for the block heater. i paid $20 for it, it's cheap peace of mind i think. One cold night i plugged in the truck but failed to realize the extension cord had come out of the wall socket just enough that it wasn't working, found out the hard way.


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## thelettuceman (Nov 23, 2010)

Ford Guy: Plug Alive in Canada. I can order from them but b4 I do that I need to contact them according to the website. I did not see this item for sale from any U.S. retailers or on ebay. Anyone know of any U.S. retailers


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