Block heater and battery tender

[Stavinksi]

All the talk of dead batteries, has anyone spliced up a battery tender to connect at same time as engine block heater to ensure the battery is strong on a cold morning or waste of time? Maybe a summer project..

 

[BossHogg]

I don't but can. The block heater I don't mess with unless the temperatures get down to the single digits. Then I run the block heater for about 4 hours before departure. To tell you the truth, I don't see much benefit from the block heater. I think the owner's manual suggests using it when the temperature falls below zero.

A battery maintainer, I only use when the vehicle will be sitting without use for a week or more. For over night or a few days no, if the battery or batteries are on the edge, I want to know about that before leaving my property.

Here is a device I have on both my diesels.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TLNQ328/?coliid=I2WVBZ1GIQ9BL3&colid=2MHRI27S01408&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

[Stavinksi]

That’s even easier than hacking together some sort of splice, thanks

 

[crash68]

To tell you the truth, I don't see much benefit from the block heater. I think the owner's manual suggests using it when the temperature falls below zero.

That's a bit harsh about not seeing much benefit from the blocker heater given the crazy weather we have here in lower MI... LOL
It does help speed the engine heat up faster but you usually don't notice it as much until the weather is approachs the single digit territory which around us doesn't happen much.

Spot on about no benefit to plugging the block heater and battery maintainer in together. If the truck is going to be parked for over a week, no point in keeping the engine warm the whole time.

 

[JayLeonard]

Block heater? I'm from Florida, what is that?
LOL only kidding. When I had my old '91 in CT, I would plug it in every night in the winter. It was on a timer, and would be on for about an hour before I left for work. That was enough time to warm up the grid heater sensor so it didn't come on.
Plus, on those snowy or freezing rain days, the engine was warm enough to keep the windshield from icing up.

 

[zrock]

even when i ran diesels i rarely ever used my block heater unless the temps dropped below -20. A good synthetic oil and making sure everything was in good condition i never had issues starting. If i did use it i would only plug it in for a hour before i had to leave just to get a little heat in the engine. I know truckdrivers that never ran a block heater in their life, they would just go out and start the truck and once it had oil pressure start driving down the road.. On these gas engines their is no point i start it get ready for work and 3 blocks down the road the heat is starting in the cab..

 

[bcbouy]

where i am a block heater is non negotiable.-30 c is the norm for a good chunk of the winter and early spring,and a battery tender? wouldn't even think about not having one.if i had a heated garage it would be different,but i don't,yet.i just this week stopped plugging it in.i have mine both plugged into a splitter.

 

[stevenP]

I have hard wired my tender connection to the outside of the front fender. My truck sits a lot, as I mainly uses it for towing an RV.

 

[RamCanada67]

When I lived in Northern Canada a block heater was essential. During the day too. It got down to -40, -50 and below. In Nova Scotia it's not as essential. If it's going to dip below -25C I'll plug it in. We had a few days of -40 this winter and I plugged it in overnight.

 

[Dean2]

I run a block heater and an in car warmer any time it is below 0 C or 32 F. It is easier on the engines, and the in-car warmer keeps the frost off the windows. No scraping of windshield or side windows required, even at -40. I have an extension cord permanently mounted to the truck and just plug each into it behind the front bumper.



Same setup on my 1996




115V in Car warmer, sort of similar to the little electric space heaters used in your house.

 

[Wild one]

https://www.amazon.ca/Zerostart-2600900-Interior-Electric-Portable/dp/B000NM73ZA

 

[BossHogg]

That's a bit harsh about not seeing much benefit from the blocker heater given the crazy weather we have here in lower MI... LOL
It does help speed the engine heat up faster but you usually don't notice it as much until the weather is approachs the single digit territory which around us doesn't happen much.

We did have a very mild winter this year and I do not recall seeing temperatures much below 18 degrees.

I'm curious and I ask this because I don't know. Does the ECODiesel have an actual engine temperature sensor or is the coolant temperature calculated? I've seen some rather bizarre engine coolant temperature spikes, for example, the temperature would read in the 143s and then all of a sudden, it would jump to 194 or somewhere close to that and take forever to get to 203 degrees.

I have a Banks iDash installed but it duplicates what the DIC shows so I'm assuming the engine controller s sending the temperature out in a CAN message. The question is, where does the engine coolant temperature come from, a sensor or is it calculated?

On the Cummins, the block heater makes a difference and the coolant temperature is more linear during warm-up. On the ECODiesel I can't tell. Because of the supplemental heater, the cabin is comfortable after a five-minute runtime from a remote start and the reported engine coolant temperature, well, I question its accuracy in real-time.

 

[crash68]

I'm curious and I ask this because I don't know. Does the ECODiesel have an actual engine temperature sensor or is the coolant temperature calculated? I've seen some rather bizarre engine coolant temperature spikes, for example, the temperature would read in the 143s and then all of a sudden, it would jump to 194 or somewhere close to that and take forever to get to 203 degrees.

The coolant and oil temperature sensors readings are real on the EcoDiesel. If your seeing a large jump in temperature it's possibly a slightly bad connection.
Depending on the OAT, I'll usually see the coolant temperature get up to about the 140s-150s fairly quickly when I use the block heater. Then it does seem to take longer to get up to the 200s but then again I'm usually traveling much faster by then. Until it drops into the teens I just have the lower grill openings restricted, uppers are still open(I have stainless winter block off plates).