For those who installed it, where did you end up leaving the plug and how did you manage the wiring? Also...can this be done without having to go underneath the car? At a glance, it looks like you can but I'm not sure.

 

i routed the wire to the front grill and attached it to a bright orange outdoor 25 foot extension cord. routed the extension cord back along the front grill using the hoods exterior well(in the engine compartment) back to the drivers side of the windshield cowl, then across the cowl to the passenger side. i plug it into a block heater timer outlet in the garage on the passenger side. did not have to go underneath the car at all.

 

I remember installing mine. The slow part was removing the air cleaner housing. The block heater install itself took just a couple of minutes. I ran mine more toward the drivers side fender well and bought it out up behind the drivers side headlight. I'm tall and a large fellow and don't like bending over that much. I routed the plug to just above the radiator brace and near that same headlight. I do have to open the hood to connect and disconnect it each time. Most I read run the plug out through the grill.

I'm using a heavy duty 12 gauge extension cord for power.

 

Thanks for the information. Now I just have to get the engine block heater. Wish I had looked earlier. From what I've read in old posts across various forums, some got it as low as 30 bucks. It looks like I'll be paying around 60.

 

I used Squint's instructions (post No. 1 here). Great instructions. Many thanks to Squint.

I also had trouble only with removal of the air cleaner case. It took me a while to figure out that I needed to turn it over to see and compress a clip.

I paid about $40 at the dealer. Had to be ordered. They don't stock Block heaters in Houston. Heck, they don't even know what a block heater is !

I ran the power cord out between the rear of the hood and the windshield just outside of the wiper arm hub on the driver's side. Still figuring out how to secure it, but so far just having it tucked down for driving has been no problem. Very convenient, no stooping.

Plugging in an average of 1.5 times a day saves me about 2 gallons of gas a month. I was using only about 10 gallons a month any way, so that's a big percentage change for me. Drivers who use more gas would not see such a big percentage, but I think anyone could save a gallon or two a month maybe more in a place colder than Houston.

 

When you put the air cleaner cover back on, make sure you tighten the clamp (3) so that there is no air leakage at that joint. Other threads on this site have reported various symptoms (up to and including non-operational engine) if the clamp is not fully tight. Apparently, the sensor (1) is important, and any air leak after that sensor throws the mixture off, which is then detected by other sensors, and leads to a confused engine-control computer.

 

I have a 09 Camry Hybrid and am considering installing one of these Pyroil engine block heaters. The installation doesn't seem to be that difficult but I've read these instructions and can't find any mention of draining the coolant. Maybe it is just assumed that this has to be done so forgive me if this is the case, but I've never done this before and would like to know exactly what I'm getting in to before I attempt this. How much of the coolant do you have to remove and over time has anyone had any problem with leaks? Thanks, Rick

 

Rick, it's a pretty easy task. No coolant is involved. You completely remove the air cleaner and housing. Then grease up the block heater with the supplied thermal grease and push it in place till the clip snaps onto the back of the block.

Once the housing is off you can look just above the transmission housing and see the hole. It's nearest the firewall on the block.

It's a tight fit between a heater like hose and the orange covered cable. The cable is dead due to the engine being off. Plug on the cord to the block heater and run the 110 volt end to a specified area. I found the air cleaner housing went back on twice as fast as it came off.

 

Just to help clarify - the hole for the block heater doesn't actually penetrate the block. It's more of a deep depression that the block heater fits into. That's why you don't need to worry about the coolant.