Topic: Block Heaters

[Bam]

I'm sick of having to warm up the 4runner for 15 minutes before the windshield starts to thaw. Looking for an inexpensive block heater for a 3slow.  Maybe something that can go to the new motor when I finally upgrade?

Whatcha got?

[H8PVMNT]

Those stick on oil pan heaters work pretty good and I think you could probably peel it off and re-stick it to another pan later. We have no power thse days so I have taken to putting a dutch oven full of hot coals from the wood stove under the oil pan sump for about 40 minutes.  Works good at the 17 below we had last week.

[Nation]

Haha wow

[OVRAROK]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Toyota-Block-Heater-Kit-Engine-Heater-4-Runner-Tundra-Land-Cruiser-Truck-NEW-/170729055716

[alaskanrider]

I used a generic Katz heater. Head is warm to the touch after a few hours. Neither my local napa or oreilly's listed a block heater for the 2.7 so they directed me to the dealership. 111$ got me searching on amazon.

Heres what i came up with. Looks like they jacked the price to 20$, when I paid 14.50$ for mine. It'll probably go on sale again. Just make sure the 3.0 uses a 35 mm frost plug.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I8TPH8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Rockcrawlintoy]

Those stick on oil pan heaters work pretty good and I think you could probably peel it off and re-stick it to another pan later. We have no power thse days so I have taken to putting a dutch oven full of hot coals from the wood stove under the oil pan sump for about 40 minutes.  Works good at the 17 below we had last week.

My truck started like a champ at those temps.

[Cheesemaker]

If you cleaned out your damn garage Bam!! You'd have a place to park it, or is it too tall now?    

[GRW]

Not a big fan of any type of heater that goes in the oil.
That said Block heaters work great (used them since I was a kid, my dad has used them forever).
My dad also used charcoal brickets to warm up the Case in the dead of winter.
Put a bunch in a pan get them good and hot and slide them under and through a tarp over the top to keep the heat in. In a half hour or so it usually started right up (not the preferred method I might add, I would hate to have a fuel leak while trying that one).
I grew up in western Montana so it was cold but not that cold.
I spent two years in Cody Wy (not Alaska but gets cold enough) while living there we used a variety of different type of heaters. One hooked into the radiator hose and you had (needed) to leave you heater controls open so the water can pulse through the system. When it got in the -30 to -40 we also used heat lamps under the truck to try and warm the trany.
Either the block heater of the inline are the best two I have used.

[Bam [OP]]

If you cleaned out your damn garage Bam!! You'd have a place to park it, or is it too tall now?   

Garages are not for running and driving vehicles!

[Bam [OP]]

I used a generic Katz heater. Head is warm to the touch after a few hours. Neither my local napa or oreilly's listed a block heater for the 2.7 so they directed me to the dealership. 111$ got me searching on amazon.

Heres what i came up with. Looks like they jacked the price to 20$, when I paid 14.50$ for mine. It'll probably go on sale again. Just make sure the 3.0 uses a 35 mm frost plug.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I8TPH8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This looks like the best option. Not too spendy either.

I've never pulled a freeze plug. Any tricks or tips?

[alaskanrider]

This looks like the best option. Not too spendy either.

I've never pulled a freeze plug. Any tricks or tips?

The way I've done it is to get a smallish punch or screwdriver and pound on it towards the edge. If it goes smooth the thing will spin in its bore and you can pull it out the rest of the way with a plier/vice grip. Otherwise it ends up in the block, which isn't a big deal if the motor is out of the vehicle but it's not fun if the motor is in.

Looks like theres a tool that could be improvised in this kit, lower right hand corner of the picture. The problem with this project is that once you start theres no going back, so if it doesn't want to spin it would be good to have a backup option so you aren't down until you can figure something else out.
http://www.amazon.com/OTC-Frost-Plug-Remover-Installer/dp/B000XSGKYO/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1416322307&sr=1-1&keywords=frost+plug+puller&pebp=1416322312161

[ninja turtle]

This looks like the best option. Not too spendy either.

I've never pulled a freeze plug. Any tricks or tips?

It's easy. Just make sure you grease the o ring when putting the heater in, other then that it's cake.

[alaskanrider]

Not a big fan of any type of heater that goes in the oil.
That said Block heaters work great (used them since I was a kid, my dad has used them forever).
My dad also used charcoal brickets to warm up the Case in the dead of winter.
Put a bunch in a pan get them good and hot and slide them under and through a tarp over the top to keep the heat in. In a half hour or so it usually started right up (not the preferred method I might add, I would hate to have a fuel leak while trying that one).
I grew up in western Montana so it was cold but not that cold.
I spent two years in Cody Wy (not Alaska but gets cold enough) while living there we used a variety of different type of heaters. One hooked into the radiator hose and you had (needed) to leave you heater controls open so the water can pulse through the system. When it got in the -30 to -40 we also used heat lamps under the truck to try and warm the trany.
Either the block heater of the inline are the best two I have used.

Cool stories! My personal favorite was a trick this miner showed me for wore-out cold natured diesels. He got a weed burner and about 10' of stove pipe with an elbow at the end. He would slide the elbow under the oil pan and and point the weed burner down the stove pipe. Worked great!

I kept expecting to see his truck in flames but he pulled it off successfully on a weekly basis. He swore that as long as the stove pipe was long enough so that no flames were coming out the end you were good to go. It worked until the propane was too cold to vaporize.

[turbo this..]

electric water pump and heating element in a chamber would be my choice if in a place that darn cold turn both on and it would heat the coolant and everything it touches just make sure there is a by pass so the rad dosent take the heat out only want the rad to flow when its above thermostat setting any time before that you want it to recirculate

hear is aus we dont get that cold to need anything like that but id though of it to run tighter internal clearances but thats sort of F1 tech and requires all fluids to be at full running temps before the engine will actually turn over!! ie full life support system heating the coolant and oil as well as pumping it around the engine