Improvised Block Heater

I don't have a conventional block heater, but I just discovered a technique that's worth sharing. I took a household clothing iron, which was old and not currently being used, and by using a ball-joint separating fork (you could use anything convenient), wedged the iron up against the oil pan of my truck. I left the iron on its high setting, and now I have a block heater!

Provided that the iron can take being left on full for hours on end. It may be beyond the intended capability of the iron and thusly be a fire risk. Not to mention the paint on your oil pan.

Reminds me of a neighbor back in the late 1960's...would put a 100-watt light bulb under his hood at night to keep his engine warm. Well, somehow a fire started under the hood at about daybreak...almost burned down his house (and maybe ours too) in the process (car was in a carport). It did burn up the insides of his car...was towed to the scrap heap a week later. Lesson learned...use only items for the use for which they are intended. A iron is designed for _intermittent_ use....not continuous use. Don't they sell dipstick heaters at AutoZone? They can't be that expensive...buy one of those and keep from burning your car (and who knows what else) up.

On Sun, 25 Jan 2004 21:03:59 +0000, Nehmo Sergheyev rearranged some electrons to form:

And likely to set your truck on fire. For pete's sake, buy a magnetic oil pan heater. They aren't that expensive, less than $20 or so.

- James C. Reeves -

- Nehmo - Normally an incandescent bulb in, say, a trouble light won't cause a fire. However, I could envision if your neighbor placed the light somewhere where gasoline dripped on the bulb, then perhaps the bulb burst, and the filament, now exposed to oxygen, ignited the gas. It's possible.

- James C. Reeves -

Lesson

- Nehmo - Sure, I could buy a block heater, but why should I? I don't see how an iron is going to burst into flames. The heating element is completely enclosed, and the cord lies on the ground.

True, the iron's designer didn't plan for the iron to be on continuously, but the designer _did_ plan for the maximum heat setting. It should be able to handle it. I imagine after some period of use, the heating coil will burn out, that is, break like a fuse. Then the electricity and heating would stop.

I left the iron on its high setting,

No......You do NOT have a block heater.

A block heater heats the engine block.

You now have an cobbled up oil pan heater which is probably not as efficient or effective as a real magnetic oil pan heater.

Bob Paulin - R.A.C.E. Race Car Chassis Setup & Dial-in Services

- Rob -

- Nehmo - 'cause I'd have to buy the heater, drain the cooling system, remove an old plug, install the heater plug, refill the cooling system, and worry that it might leak.

I'd have to do all this outside in the cold too.

I like the simple heaters that attach by magnet to the oil pan, but I have an alternative with this iron arrangement.

or cut the lower radiator hose and install one there ?

shoulda thought of this 6 weeks ago..................

Then why is leaving a clothes iron on in a house considered a fire risk when nobody is home?

Or it could fail catastropically and start the plastic housing on fire. The only thing that will keep it going IMO is the cold temperature of the air around it. This could keep it cool enough to survive.

Needless to say, I wouldn't do this with any of my cars, not even the winter beater.

I am going to Wal-Mart after dinner and gettin some irons, J.B. Weld, bailin wyre and since irons do not have the third prong for grounding I can use the cheap extension cords. My car will be the hottest one on the block.

Ken W

:> - Brent P - :> > Some risks are worth it, some aren't. Risking the whole car to have :> > warm oil isn't worth it. :>

:> - Nehmo - :> You risk the whole car just by driving down the road. The question is, :> How risky is it? You have to establish a danger mechanism and then :> evaluate the probability. I haven't seen anybody yet explain *how* this :> iron is likely to misbehave. : :would you be willing to take the iron inside, plug it in, and leave it on :its hottest setting while you go to work for the day? : :most people wouldnt. hell- id bet some people would turn around and go home :even if it has an "auto-off" feature. :

Kris Baker does it all the time!

I think my block heater is fairly cheap. It's standard equipment frost plug heater. Gotta love living in Canada.

I'd be suprised if the iron later longer than a week.

- Bob Paulin -

- Nehmo - Well, it indirectly heats the block.no?

- Bob Paulin -

- Nehmo - Since it wasn't designed specifically for the purpose, I suppose it isn't as efficient, but then again, the initial cost, since the iron was basically garbage, was zero.

- Gary Glaenzer -

- Nehmo - You'd still have to drain the cooling fluid - or turn the truck upside down.

Well actually you have an oil heater, as opposed to a block (and coolant) heater but the end result is probably the same, the engine starts easier. It is also possible to buy dipstick type oil heaters.

Did the coming of winter catch you by suprise? Cold weather arrives the same months every year.

Chas Hurst