Engine Block Heater Install

I just did this install tonight. Super easy. Just route the cord how you want. Also the block heater itself comes with the screw so you don't need to purchase it separately which I did. haha. 15 mm for the starter and 10 for the heat shield. I used a 1/4 inch ratchet and tossed the toro bit in that in order to get the screw tightened for the heating element.

I did mine today. Dads was yesterday. I didn’t route mine behind the block. This is where I did mine. Up the left side and up then along the batter and down by the air dam. Uses all the cord too.

Tried to install a new block heater (5149022AB) today after mine quit working during the cold winter months. After disconnecting the battery and removing the starter motor I found the factory installed block heater on the back left side of the 5.7L Hemi. Problem is the old block heater is badly rusted in the cylinder shaped hole bored in the engine block. Could not get it out but managed to break off the element leads and the circlip that the single bolt used to hold it in place. Still could not get it to come out. Tried soaking it with WD40 and then with BreakThru Penetrating Oil. Still won't come free. Anyone else have trouble getting the old heater unit out of the engine block cavity?? All solutions and suggestions welcome. Thanks for any help you can offer.

tedk said:

Tried to install a new block heater (5149022AB) today after mine quit working during the cold winter months. After disconnecting the battery and removing the starter motor I found the factory installed block heater on the back left side of the 5.7L Hemi. Problem is the old block heater is badly rusted in the cylinder shaped hole bored in the engine block. Could not get it out but managed to break off the element leads and the circlip that the single bolt used to hold it in place. Still could not get it to come out. Tried soaking it with WD40 and then with BreakThru Penetrating Oil. Still won't come free. Anyone else have trouble getting the old heater unit out of the engine block cavity?? All solutions and suggestions welcome. Thanks for any help you can offer.

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Wow that sucks, and there's really not much room to get in there to drill it out....

Not even sure what you can do to prevent it either....

Finally got around to replacing my old block heater today. This is not an easy job if you have to replace the block heater rather than just install one. Its really difficult to get the old one out of the bore that is machined into the block. I bought some Silver and Demmings HSS hardened drill bits as I knew the old block heater had to be drilled out. After I broke off the heater's element, this is what I was left with and started to drill it with regular HSS drill bits. This metal (not sure what it is) is extremely hard.

This was the progress using a 9/16" Silver and Demmings with 1/2" reduced shank.

Next went up to a 3/4", then to a 7/8" Silver and Demmings bits. Finally drilled with a 15/16" Silver and Demmings and got it free.

Here is the bit sequence I followed to get the old block heater out of the block bore.

And a picture of the bore ready for the new block heater.


Here are a couple of others showing how the old block heater came out.




Very happy that job is done and the RAM is ready for the -40 C temps we get here during the winter months. Feels good!!!!!

That looks like it was a nightmare!!

Um

Wow.


Sure cant wait to do this. How long did the heater last? Ima be ****** if this needs replaced often.

Wonder if putting high heat antiseize in there would help at all.....

I kind of laughed when I checked on Youtube because most of the posts said it was a "piece of cake" to install these. It is when the truck you bought doesn't have a block heater installed from the factory and all you have to do is install one. That part takes maybe two minutes to do. Not one post on youtube actually mentions removing an old burned out block heater in preparation for a replacement.

U&A said:

Um

Wow.


Sure cant wait to do this. How long did the heater last? Ima be ****** if this needs replaced often.

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When I bought my RAM Laramie Longhorn new in 2012, the block heater was already installed. As we get winter temps here in Canada that are often -40 C to -50 C mine got a lot of use throughout the cold stretches. The block heater worked right up until the 2020 winter which is when I noticed difficulty turning the engine over when trying to start it. Not sure if that longevity was typical of these heaters or if it should have lasted for a shorter or longer period.

Hemi395 said:

Wonder if putting high heat antiseize in there would help at all.....

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That is exactly what I did when installing the new block heater. I coated it with Permatex AntiSeize 133H before sliding it into the bore in the block. If I ever have to replace it again I guess I will find out if that precautionary measure is worth while.

Glad I found this thread, I was going to pay an automotive shop to install mine but now that I see how easy it is I'll just do it myself. I like the idea of the mounted plug jacks into the bumper but mine is chrome and I don't want to put holes in it so I'll look for another spot to put them. Also going to add a battery blanket and oil pan heater for those real cold spells we get up here.

I've been debating between the wheel well, the bumper between the tow hooks, and a few kinds dumb spots. Battery heater is a great choice, but oil pan and block heater tend to overlap in function and are a mostly a waste of power in general.

Tim7139 said:

I've been debating between the wheel well, the bumper between the tow hooks, and a few kinds dumb spots. Battery heater is a great choice, but oil pan and block heater tend to over lap in function so tend to be a waste of power.

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Yea no,an oil pan heater in conjunction with the block heater work great.The block heater doesn't heat the oil,and at -40 i want the oil warm not the block. If you're worried about the power a 125 watt oil pan heater uses,put the block heater and pan heater on a timer. The block heater on the Hemi is around 400 watts if i remember right,it's cheaper to run a 125 watt pan heater then it is a block heater,and it'll start better with just a pan heater,then it will with a block heater. Cold pistons aren't what makes an engine hard to start in the winter,it's the oil pump trying to pump oil when it's thicker then molassis

Wild one said:

The block heater on the Hemi is around 400 watts if i remember right,

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The Hemi heater is 6.5 amps, so it draws over 700 watts.

Tim7139 said:

The Hemi heater is 6.5 amps, so it draws over 700 watts.

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I stand corrected.A 125 watt oilpan heater is far cheaper to run,and does a better job at making a 5.7 or 6.4 start in the cold,lol

Wild one said:

i want the oil warm not the block.

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If you place a warn fluid on a cold surface or a cold fluid on a warm surface you have a transfer of energy that works against your effort.

It's easy to get into the weeds quickly when you compare placing more energy into a larger surface or less energy into a smaller one then moving fluids between the two, but at the end of the day both the math and real world testing show minimal benefit of either or both for a gas engine with an aluminum block at -40.

We've come a long way from straight weight oils and steel blocks.

Tim7139 said:

If you place a warn fluid on a cold surface or a cold fluid on a warm surface you have a transfer of energy that works against your effort.

It's easy to get into the weeds quickly when you compare placing more energy into a larger surface or less energy into a smaller one then moving fluids between the two, but at the end of the day both the math and real world testing show minimal benefit of either or both for a gas engine with an aluminum block at -40.

We've come a long way from straight weight oils and steel blocks.

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LOL what real world testing are you referring to.I know my winter beaters start better with just the pan heater plugged in,then they do with the block heater plugged in,as the oil the pump is trying to pump is warm,with both block heater and pan heater plugged in for a couple hours,they start like it's a summer day at -40C and build oil pressure sooner,that's my real world testing,lol

I've been peripherally involved with testing at a few organizations which evaluated different operational options for their fleet assets, several of which involved cold weather operations and light duty pickups.

AGMs and battery disconnects are all my backup beaters get, they all start the same no matter the weather or time of year. It's my daily drivers that don't start after I wait too long before changing the original battery.