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6.0 block heater

i82much

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Colossus Senior Enthusiast

Colossus

Posted
Posted

One more thing-  I have my block heater cord on a timer- so it switches on at about 4 AM so by the time 6 AM or 7AM rolls around, its good to go. 

revrnd Senior Enthusiast

revrnd

Posted
Posted
19 hours ago, magic marouke said:

so just plugging it in wont activate it ? have to have temp drop to freezing first ? . also once on can you hear it like I can on my 88 chevy diesel ?

Off the top of my head the temp has to drop to around 18*F, not 32*F

revrnd Senior Enthusiast

revrnd

Posted
Posted
22 minutes ago, Colossus said:

I can't speak to the 6.0, only the Duramax, but it does make a big difference when I plug it in.  The Diesel has "smart" glow plug technology, which means it starts up nicely at temps well below 0 without being plugged in, however- it still needs a good 3-4 min warm up time at those temps.  When I plug in the heater, which I believe is more of a coolant heater vs an actual block heater- there is definitely a a huge improvement in that the start up is easier- not labored, and the glow plugs barely light up-  maybe 1 second at the most vs 2-3 seconds for not being plugged in.  The engine idles smoothly and doesn't go into a elevated RPM (by about 300 RPM) warm up for a few minutes.  Often the coolant is warm enough that i can switch on defrost on the windshield and it is already going to work. 

True!

magic marouke Enthusiast

magic marouke

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, revrnd said:

Off the top of my head the temp has to drop to around 18*F, not 32*F

right o . not to bad here in SW Oklahoma but good to have in case things get nasty

SMiller Senior Enthusiast

SMiller

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, Colossus said:

I can't speak to the 6.0, only the Duramax, but it does make a big difference when I plug it in.  The Diesel has "smart" glow plug technology, which means it starts up nicely at temps well below 0 without being plugged in, however- it still needs a good 3-4 min warm up time at those temps.  When I plug in the heater, which I believe is more of a coolant heater vs an actual block heater- there is definitely a a huge improvement in that the start up is easier- not labored, and the glow plugs barely light up-  maybe 1 second at the most vs 2-3 seconds for not being plugged in.  The engine idles smoothly and doesn't go into a elevated RPM (by about 300 RPM) warm up for a few minutes.  Often the coolant is warm enough that i can switch on defrost on the windshield and it is already going to work. 

Leave defrost in the on setting as it will allow warm air to defrost windshield while the truck is off.

 

Not saying it will make a huge difference but a difference all the same.

revrnd Senior Enthusiast

revrnd

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, SierraHD17 said:

It's 0F... or -18C.  

I knew there was an 18 somewhere.

sdeeter19555 Senior Enthusiast

sdeeter19555

Posted
Posted

That makes them useless if you ask me...the ones i have used had high temp limits, they would heat at 100 degrees, and shut off about 140 degrees. I want it to heat when I plug it in...

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

SierraHD17 Senior Enthusiast

SierraHD17

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, sdeeter19555 said:

That makes them useless if you ask me...the ones i have used had high temp limits, they would heat at 100 degrees, and shut off about 140 degrees. I want it to heat when I plug it in...

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk
 

Then don't use a factory one, add whatever you want and carry a code reader to clear the CEL you will get lol.

i82much Enthusiast

i82much

Posted
  • Author
Posted

does the code matter?  i mean, does the ecm do anything differently when it gets the code?  if the only downside is a check engine light every winter, seems worth it to me.

SierraHD17 Senior Enthusiast

SierraHD17

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, i82much said:

does the code matter?  i mean, does the ecm do anything differently when it gets the code?  if the only downside is a check engine light every winter, seems worth it to me.

Well your command start won't work number 1... otherwise not really no.

i82much Enthusiast

i82much

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Ok.  I don't have remote start, but based on what I am trying to accomplish, I think a remote start is probably a better idea than a block heater.  I will get one installed.  We rarely get below 0.  I was thinking the block heater might help with startup wear, but from what I gather my chances of wearing out a 6.0 are next to nothing, with or without a block heater.  

SierraHD17 Senior Enthusiast

SierraHD17

Posted
Posted

Lucky lol.  It's been 0 F or colder every morning for the last week or so.  But I park in a heated building and or just remote start it.  Old truck has the same cord end and still runs great with 200000 miles so I don't worry about it.

  • 3 weeks later...
newdude Senior Enthusiast

newdude

Posted
Posted

I had 3 6.0 HD trucks (Western NY).  Seen some cold temps.  No block heater.  No problems.  If its cold as all hell just let it run 7-15 minutes or so depending on temps with the heat on a low setting or off.  In Oklahoma?  I wouldn't be worried about a block heater at all IMO.  Canada?  Minnesota?  I'd want one.

 

Heck, my Colorado diesel has one and I haven't even used it yet.  I have the elevated idle set to on which raises the idle to 1000rpm below certain temperatures.  Its usually warmed enough for me in about 10 minutes, and only a couple minutes after that does it reach operating temp.

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