Shops, Barns, Varmints, and Trucks - Block Heater For A Gas Engine ??

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Block Heater For A Gas Engine ??

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Topic: Block Heater For A Gas Engine ??

Posted By: FREEDGUY
Subject: Block Heater For A Gas Engine ??
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2021 at 3:56pm

Do any of you that run gas engines(P/U's/tractors) have any type of block heater that is necessary for the diesel engines in cold weather??

Replies:

Posted By: Thad in AR.
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2021 at 4:00pm

My wife’s keep has one from when she worked in Alaska.
We use it on occasion and it sure starts nice and warms up quick.
Not needed here but nice.

Posted By: Coke-in-MN
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2021 at 4:05pm

Have them in quite a few things , don't use them much of late as car and pickup start OK , don't use tractor now in winter , park the skid loader inside but if i dont that has one .
When I used backhoe in winter have block heater on that , HD5 2-71 has a tank type, when I had the 785 New Holland with Perkins had block heater , Dump truck (both gas) also had tank type heaters .

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Faith isn't a jump in the dark. It is a walk in the light. Faith is not guessing; it is knowing something.
"Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."

Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2021 at 5:00pm

the biggest problem with older cars and trucks was trying to get the gasoline to ATOMIZE in the intake manifold so it could burn in the cylinders... With fuel injection , that is not a problem.. Should start no matter how cold it gets... If you got a carburetor, its a good idea when real cold... and as mentioned, it makes warm up time a lot better for any vehicle.

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Like them all, but love the "B"s.

Posted By: Coke-in-MN
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2021 at 5:19pm

remember back in high school I had a 50 Oldsmobile and when it was cold out i would put a 125 watt spot light under the hood next to the carburetor to warm it it for about 15 minutes when it was below zero out - turned over slow on the 6volt battery but would pop right off in a few revolutions .
Later i took the same engine and put it in my 56 Olds but left the 6 volt starter in and ran it on 12 volts started good with the extra power to starter .

Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2021 at 5:24pm

YEP.. i had a 62 OLDS with an aluminum motor and manifold... Use to put a 100 w bulb inside the air cleaner at night when it was below 10 degrees.

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Like them all, but love the "B"s.

Posted By: Boss Man
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2021 at 7:41pm

My 79 F250 with the 400 all ways started better when plugged in. 8N Ford wont start if its down around 15 without being plugged in. My 05 Freestyle I've plugged in when the daytime highs were below zero. Sure made for a lot nicer ride in the morning having heat in a half mile instead of 3 miles.

Posted By: klinemar
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2021 at 8:56pm

170 gas that ran our TMR mixer wagon we fed dairy cows with I installed a lower radiator hose engine heater. Worked great in cold weather as tractor had to start to feed cows.

Posted By: jaybmiller
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2021 at 9:05pm

every engine will appreciate being warmed up before being started ! especially diesels as it takes a LOT of amps(BF Battery) to spin them long and fast enough to get them going. My Kubota is in a 50*F garage so it's reasonably happy to start, Forklift with 2 batteries wishes it was in there...needs 3-4 tries with 3 squirts ether to st-st-st-start to run on 2.5 ,then 3 then 4 cylinders

friend's 2018 F150 ,gas, starts a LOT better with 400watt heater on for 7-10 hours.

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3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112
Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor)

Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water

Posted By: Dakota Dave
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2021 at 9:27am

Have one in just about every vehicle. We've been colder than minus 20 F for a week. With daily highs in -10 F. Most will start without it even the diesel pickup but there not very happy. The tractors won't start without heat and there parked in un heated shed. Magnetic heater stuck on oil pan for a few hours will work but in block heaters work the best. I have a outdoor pool timer in the shop with cord out door it cycles the power on at 0500 and off at 0800. Leave my old lumina APV plugged in. We're 40 miles from town so it's just a good idea to have something ready just in case. The he corvette will start any time but it's in the heated shop and I won't drive it. Old corvettes have poor heat and convertibles don't manage to keep any of it in.

Posted By: Tbone95
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2021 at 11:59am

Dad used to put a "trouble light" down inside the old Chrysler New Yorkers we had (3 in a row, from mid 60's to 75 model year). As I recall, he put it on the lower hose. Mom got "tired of" taking it out and messing with the hood, so dad put an actual block heater on the '75 so all she had to do was unplug it.

Dad was a cop. Home, off duty, before he had the cop car onsite, a drunk took out our row of mailboxes one night. Dad knew who it was and was instantly super pissed off (not good!) Flew outside in his sock feet, jumped in the car and chased the guy down. Yeah....didn't unplug the heater! Hahahaha