First winter

[Dirka13]

Hi there, this will be my first winter with a Diesel and i have a few questions for people who live in colder climates. I live in southern Ontario and I may not see extended cold days like Alberta we do however see a few days in the -30 degree Celsius. just today we hit -17 with the windchill. I have started using my block heater the other day and plugged it in for 3 hours before i had to leave for work, yet the instrument panel still said 0degress for my trans temp and the minimum of 40 for my coolant and 40 for oil when i started my truck. Am i plugging into the wrong plug? (near the tow hook on passenger side) also i just went to plug it in just a few minutes ago after my shift and stupid me forgot to unplug the extension cord before plugging into the block heater cord and a few sparks came off the connector, do you think i fried the block heater? and is there a way to check? its a 2016 3500. also is there any other advise anyone could share about winter climates for my diesel? like how low should my oil kpa be before i put the truck in gear or anything like that. thank you so much this forum is very helpful.

 

[crash68]

In those kind of cold temps, leave it plugged in when it's parked.

 

[MADDOG]

Sparks won't be a problem, smoke will be a problem.

It won't heat much up in 3 hours. Plug it in the night before you go to bed for the next day's start up.

 

[CDN Ram]

although I agree sparks aren't the problem smoke sure would be. but if you plug in the block heater when the engine is cold you should be able to hear peculating noise, kinda like a kettle when you first plug it in, that will tell you the block heater is working, apart from that you can multimeter it and look for continuity.

As for the length of time to plug in, on a gasser three hours is lots, on a diesel I still think 3 or 4 hours is enough, but it's a personal thing I guess.

Taken from another site "the block heater is 1500w or more, which is like running a hair dryer all the time, or 15 100w lightbulbs. Or 5 average home computers. 7 laptops. You get the idea."

Would you leave 15 lights on all night and not expect the hydro bill to climb?The longer you leave it on the higher the electric bill.

 

[Dirka13]

Hello again, was unable to post yesterday as the power went out. so i have a couple pics. the one shows how cold the readings are even after being plugged in all night, and the other two are the block heater plug after the sparks. im very new to this whole block heater thing as ive never used one. i mean the truck started without the use of the glow plugs when i used the key so does that mean the block heater did its job, it just doesnt show on the instrument panel right away? thanks again for all the help, its greatly appreciated.
"][/URL]

"][/URL]

"][/URL]

 

[MyTruck]

Your heater block seems to be working. The temp shows 40 C while the outside temp was at -8C.

Carlo

 

[Dirka13]

40 degrees is the lowest it will go that's why I'm a little iffy on it.

 

[MyTruck]

Yes you are right 40 for celsius and 100 for fahrenheit. Another way telling if your block heater is working is:

In the morning start, check if the grid heater is taking a while before the light goes out. If it takes less than 5 seconds, then that means the coolant was warm enough for a start.

Carlo

 

[crash68]

"the block heater is 1500w or more, which is like running a hair dryer all the time, or 15 100w lightbulbs. Or 5 average home computers. 7 laptops. You get the idea."

The OEM Cummins block heater is 750 watts.

 

[Dirka13]

thank you for the helpful info.