Engine Block Heater Thermal Photos (3.5L EcoBoost V6)

[Chease44]

Definitely interesting photos for sure. I live in Ontario and plug my truck in on a timer usually if its below -15C, lots of the guys at work brag about their truck not needing to be plugged in…..I have never had an issue with it starting without the block heater but if you stand beside it while starting the noise coming from the engine is certainly different. I usually have it set to come on at 4am and start the truck at 7am, certainly speeds up warm-up time and I usually just let it run 2-3 minutes before leaving. Block heaters are a funny topic around here as it’s almost a macho thing to say you never plug a vehicle in.

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[ForrestO]

Definitely interesting photos for sure. I live in Ontario and plug my truck in on a timer usually if its below -15C, lots of the guys at work brag about their truck not needing to be plugged in…..I have never had an issue with it starting without the block heater but if you stand beside it while starting the noise coming from the engine is certainly different. I usually have it set to come on at 4am and start the truck at 7am, certainly speeds up warm-up time and I usually just let it run 2-3 minutes before leaving. Block heaters are a funny topic around here as it’s almost a macho thing to say you never plug a vehicle in.

I agree 100%, I don’t have mine for easy starting, it starts just fine at the very cold temps, but to ease the stress of cold starts.

 

[nomarhits400]

Hello everyone, I'm brand new to the forum and purchased my new-to-me 2021 F150 w/3.5 Ecoboost on 12/1/2023. One of the first things I did was have a factory engine block heater installed. I live at 7600' elevation in western Colorado where it was -2F this morning. The heater is on a timer that kicks on at 4 am and these thermal images were taken at 7 am. Thought you might find it interesting. I got the heater since the truck will live outside and I want to reduce the stress of cold starts to improve longevity of the vehicle.

Cool pics; Is there any way to calibrate the thermal sensor? The -22.2 F reading seem a little strange given the air temps you quoted..or no?

 

[ForrestO]

Cool pics; Is there any way to calibrate the thermal sensor? The -22.2 F reading seem a little strange given the air temps you quoted..or no?

My thermal camera is cheap. Its specs say lowest temp is -4. Having said that, within its operating specs it seems pretty accurate. When I measure walls, hand, oven door, etc., the device appears to be plenty accurate. Also, when measuring within device specs, readings are consistent with my infrared thermometer as well as what OBDlink reports as coolant temperature and cylinder head temperatures. Notice how the -22 reading is a shiny hose clamp reflecting the sky. I took a photo of the front end where the chrome reflected the temps from inside of my garage. I’m not worried about the -22 and interpret it as either out of range or reflecting the sky (don’t know & really don’t care). It is plenty accurate for graphically showing thermal variance across a large area - meets my needs while only costing $235.

 

[Kanuck]

I know GM had a temp sensor on the block heater cord that the temp had be down to -25C before the block heater would come on. I am not sure if GM still has this or not.

 

[ForrestO]

I know GM had a temp sensor on the block heater cord that the temp had be down to -25C before the block heater would come on. I am not sure if GM still has this or not.

That’s a great idea! I’ve thought about looking to see if there’s a thermal switch of some sort that I could combine with the timer so that it only comes on at 4am if temp is lower than 10/20F.

 

[Kanuck]

That’s a great idea! I’ve thought about looking to see if there’s a thermal switch of some sort that I could combine with the timer so that it only comes on at 4am if temp is lower than 10/20F.

You can get a thermal switch that would do what you want. HVAC company or supply would have it. Used on electric furnaces up here to cutting half the elements out in mild outside temperature. Run your power to the timer, live all the time. Then to the temperature switch, turns on when temp at or below setting. Then to the block heater outside plug. Timer turns on every morning at the set time but the temperature switch stops the power to the block heater.

 

[HammaMan]

Surprised they don't offer it with a 2 or 4a batt maintainer. Just seems like a logical option. Warm block, give batt a boost.

 

[Kanuck]

Surprised they don't offer it with a 2 or 4a batt maintainer. Just seems like a logical option. Warm block, give batt a boost.

You could run your maintainer off this set up as well

 

[gb7FRz26]

I appreciate you posting the pics of the engine, I bought my 2021 with the block heater and I've never thought to take my FLIR cam and look. I'm very much after longevity as well with the BH, a 50W Zerostart oil pan heater, 5A Noco on the battery, and I also have a small space heater in the cabin bolted to a headrest mount for defrosting the windows. All of this is run through two Shelly 2.5 PM's in a small DIN rail box, connected to a 15A plug attached to the hitch that I can drive off (if I forget to unplug) and it breaks away from the extension cord. I wanted a Deep Sea Sure Eject or a Kussmaul Super Auto Eject but haven't found one at a good price, plus this has worked very well for almost three years now.
I live in North TX! It's not usually super cold (last week excluded) but even in summer the block heater and oil pan heater come on for 2 hours and 1 hour respectively before I leave, and I really don't notice a difference in the gauge or feel it warming up any faster than a true cold start. Interior heater only used in the winter.
I had a Katz 100W heater but it failed, it had it's own thermostat and that part broke so I replaced it with a 50W. There's room for another 50W pad next to it.

If I'm sitting at my desk and know I'm going to leave soon, I push this little button on my Pi and it turns on the BH and oil pan heater.

All Amazon links in this post are non-tracked, non-referral links.

 

[gb7FRz26]

That’s a great idea! I’ve thought about looking to see if there’s a thermal switch of some sort that I could combine with the timer so that it only comes on at 4am if temp is lower than 10/20F.

Wall -> Timer -> Thermo Cube -> truck.
https://amazon.com/dp/B000M4ZJ6Y/
They make a few versions that come on and off at different temps. Or get fancy with some scripting and smart plugs.

 

[gb7FRz26]

A friend of mine worked at Temro in Winnipeg. They made block heaters and interior car warmers. They we designed to reach the maximum temperature of the motor in 4 hours. They are anywhere from 400 to 750 watts, depending on the size of motor.

I always plugged my vehicles in during the winter when they sit outside overnight. I found they turned over easier and warmed up faster.

That's a good point too - the manual says you're wasting power after 3 hours, so I don't leave mine on all night. But I just noticed something...
220-240 volt!? Mine came with a 15A 120V plug (NEMA 5-15P).
I.. suppose that might actually be true - my stock (ordered with the truck) F150 block heater uses about 450 watts at 120V. But in the screenshot of the manual below they say it will use between 0.4 and 1.0 kWh per hour -- that sounds like it's rated for 240V use. Now I'm really curious.

 

[BUDXR7]

All this talk about the block heaters being used at -10f, -20f…. Wtf. That’s pretty rare for most, even in the coldest climates. I run the block heater on my wife’s explorer parked in the garage when it’s below 30f. Why? So the cabin warms up right away. And we don’t run the engine in the garage. At the extreme temps there is benefit to engine wear but that’s not the primary purpose in my climate. I don’t plug my truck in but it sits outside so I run it for a couple minutes to warm up before climbing in. There is nothing worse than fogging up your windshield with your own breath.

 

[BUDXR7]

One item I do wish the block heaters had was an idiot light/chime that informs you you’re about to rip an extension cord out of the wall. You know, for the wife.

 

[Kanuck]

One item I do wish the block heaters had was an idiot light/chime that informs you you’re about to rip an extension cord out of the wall. You know, for the wife.

We call them " Manitoba Road Snakes"...lol

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