hey all...

recently had a block heater installed on my '07 hch. in the mornings, no matter how long the block heater was plugged in (ranged from 3-12 hours) i never could get the temp gauge to show any bars at all.

the dealership told me it was only drawing about 1/4 of the current it should. They are currently ordering a new one.

What does everyone else get in the mornings after 4 hours of heating?

jco

 

The stock Block Heater is a 400-Watt heater so if you have a gauge on it then it will draw 0.4 kW per hour. In any day where the temp is above about 40 F the temp gauge will show 4 blocks of temp when I turn it on (don't have to start it - just turn the key to On). When the temps are about 25-40 F then I will see just 2 blocks of temp. When the temps are below 25 F then I do not see any blocks of temp though shortly after starting the car there will be 2 blocks of temp (and after 1.5 miles the temp gauge is at 9 blocks and Auto-Stop usually can occur). Here is a photo of my hood the morning after some snow and you can see the visual result of having the Block Heater running.

 

I can echo Flash's sentiment. Same experience here.

I was a bit concerned when I first got in my car the day after the block heater was installed, turned it on, and saw 0 bars. But considering the nightime temperature (teens or lower), I guess that's understandable. And the engine did warm up much faster than usual.

 

Thanks for the feedback. Being in texas, most of our mornings are in the 30's, although we have had some 20's as of late. The times I tried it out, the tems were in the 30's and 40's and I should have seen at least a bar. I hope the second time is a charm...

btw...it was really classic asking the dealership here in texas to order and install a block heater. Regardless of who I talked to over there, the response is always the same: a whaat???? lol!

 

I see another thread in the Emissions area about a Block Heater in Texas. I guess it is just a mindset that most of us have (me included) that think a Block Heater is simply a heater for the engine block. After reading the TX thread it occurred to me that it is just a coolant helper. 99 times out of 100 it is used in the winter time to warm the coolant in Diesel trucks, Schoolbuses, Hybrid cars, etc. There will be 1 time out of 100 when this is used during the summer to COOL the engine block. Wouldn't it be nice to start your car in the dead of a Texas summer and turn on the air and have it be cool instead of blistering hot? A Block Heater would basically keep the coolant DOWN to a temp of 90-140F instead of letting it creep way up to 165-180F. Who knows what temps the coolant hits while sitting but maybe it will work but in reverse. I know the inside of the car can reach above 150F though I know the sun doesn't have the same effect on the engine block. Worth a shot though. I posted a photo of my hood in the snow but I can also feel the upper and lower rad hose in the dead of morning and it is mildly warm to the touch so maybe in the summer this will make those parts also mildly warm instead of skin-scalding hot. I'll give it a shot once it warms up to the 80s around here (give me 5 months).