Engine Block heater
 

Anyone know where to get one made for the LS1?

Never heard of one, trying to keep it warm this winter?

You might try your local GM parts dealer. I believe it was an option on cars for cold climates. I remember seeing it somewhere. It has a benefit in racing, brings the oil to operating temperatures faster. The aftermarket does have heaters, but the ones Ive seen work on the oil pan.

hey if you find one let me know i also am looking for one. I know that on LT1 cars you could get them from the dealer cause they were istalled on the canadian cars. I dont know about the LS1 though...

Jr
izombie668@hotmail.com

you should be able to order one from any parts store. I lived in Wyoming for 25 years and every vehicle sold there has one its the"cold weather" package. Go with an aftermarket unit they have a bigger heating element and are cheaper than the GM units. :) Also get the unit that goes in a freeze plug on the block. don't go with the oil dipstick or stick on the oil pan or the types that go in the radiator hose. I think Kat's was the best brand. hope this helps. most of the places i worked had electrical outlets in the parking lots so you could "plug in" My T/A is the first vehical ive ever owned that didnt have one.

I got mine from GM. It threads into the brass coolant drain plug in the bottom of the motor. It's sweet. It was ~$20.00 from my GM parts guy. Here's the part number:

12367827

cannibal, how do you activate it and how long does it take to start heating up? i have been considering one since i run 10w40 and it is a little thick for cold weather. i didnt know they were that cheap though, maybe ill go to my dealer tomorrow and pick one up

You plug it in to an electrical outlet in your garage or wherever. I don't know how long it takes to heat up. I'll know after I install it. I wouldn't think it'd take more than an hour.

I'm buying one of those timers so that the timer will kick on at about 6:00 am and it should have my car warm by 7:00 am when I leave ;)

I don't think they have the capacity to actually heat up a cold engine, they will help maintain the heat to a point, if you plug it in after driving. If you start it 1 hour before you want to leave, I don't think you'll get anything at all really. This will be a worthwhile experiment though ;)

are you supposed to turn it on before or after you start the car?

I use Delvac 5w-40. Mobile says it works great down to 0 degrees and you don't need a block heater.

i use mobil 1 10w-40 and it seems to slap more on cold startup but supposedly protects better when the engine is nice and hot(ask patman he knows ALL about engine oils).

Hey Levi, its Andy. On our 99 Hummer used to own, it had a block heater. GM said it would keep the fluids warm after you turn it off and plug it in, but would not heat up a cold motor. Maybe they have since changed the block heaters? We had our Hummer plugged in all winter long, it sat outside and was a diesel so it was even harder to get heat into it in the mornings.

If your trying to warm up a cold engine with a block heater its going to take 4 to 6 hrs depending on the temps. They are really made to plug in when you park and unplug when your ready to start. Not worth trying to use the timers, they dont use that much electricity to begin with.

I have one of those on my 02 ws6 . I think the canadian cars get them . Maybe Ill plug it in and see what happens :)

Ditto what Joedirt said, I have one to from the factory, my car came down from canada. I dont know if its a oil heater or block heater thou. Good old piston slap still slap slap slapping away. Knock Knock Whos there GM , GM who , GM we dont care about you.

My Jeep wranglers block heater draws 800 watts. I let it warm the block on a timer for an hour on a timer. I get coolant temps over 100 after driving 2 blocks in -20 degree weather and I park the thing outside. Also, there are some 1,500 watt heaters out there. I don't know where you got your information from.

I am seriously considering installing heaters on the engine block, transmission, and differential on my CTS-V and I park this in my detached garage. I would prefer to be able to tear up the road immediately in the morning instead of waiting for things to warm up. No amount of AMS oil Torque drive will make my T56 smooth when it's subzero:(

How do these block heaters actually work...? If you screw it into the engine plug hole...what does it do?


Also.....might sound funny. My grandfather told me that in the winter in Brooklyn, NY he ran his electrical cord out to the driveway and split it off so he could use two heat lamp bulbs. One bulb was directly under the oil pan....the other was under the transmission. He said it kept the engine warm no matter what the temps were. And it warmed up the engine when it was totally cold in a couple hours.
The heat lamp bulbs that are in the ceiling of bathrooms is what he used. Did it for 50 years till he moved to Miami......lol
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Thread from the dead!

These engine heaters are designed to keep the coolant in the block warm which allows the engine to reach operating temperature faster than without. It's no replacement for getting it up to temps by running it.

You will do damage if you beat on it before the entire engine is at operating temps.

It's an electric heater coil in a tube. It goes into the coolant system somewhere. The factory usually installs it where a freeze plug goes.

There are aftermarket units that get cut into a radiator hose and others that go into the dipstick tube. The racing community has heating blankets and pads that go onto oil pans to keep temps up between runs.

Depending on the outside temperatures, it will NOT heat the engine from stone cold to running temps.