5.3L engine block heater

beasleyiv · December 6, 2005

I have found 12497459 as the possible part number for an engine block heater. The description is:

5.3 liter MFI 8 cyl engine, 6.0 liter MFI, HO, V8, iron engine (6.0N), 4.8 liter MFI 8 cyl engine, 8.1 liter MFI 8 cyl engine (496 CID), 5.3 liter flexible fuel (gas/alc) 8 cyl engine with MFI.

Notes: t/w gasket 12560438 for vehicles w/LQ4 or LQ9)

Can you verify this would work on my 2003 5.3L 1500 4x4?

Will I need the gasket?

Thanks!!

MS3DALE · January 3, 2006

Heres what the tag on the end of my cord reads...

10 AMP

125 V

1250 W

dewfpo · January 3, 2006

Thanks MS3DALE for the confirmation. Unfortuantely there's no tag on the end of my cord but I will assume it's the same wattage.

DEWFPO

MS3DALE · January 4, 2006

Just wanted to let you guys know that I ordered and received another cord,I gave it to a buddy of mine yesterday who is an electrical engineer to see if a new "non-thermostat" plug end could be put on.

I'll let you guys know what happens.

fossil · January 8, 2006

You can install a pad type 75W oil pan heater which will also keep the oil nice and warm when it gets below 0.

arnard · January 8, 2006

Allright guys heres the latest I came up with,This maybe a little confusing and long so bare with me

I checked the service manual and heres the first thing it says about the heater not working:

"Important,The power cord will read open if the ambient temperature is above -1 degree F (-18 C)"

That would confirm what we thought all along,That it won't work above 0 F.

Then I called GM-Partech and explained to the agent what we are dealing with and ask him if he could confirm a "thermostat" in the plug or when it should and shouldn't work,Well he told me no thermostat exists and it should work as soon as you plug it in and continue working for as long as its plugged in. Great I thought,Now I'm more confused

So I did some tests over the last few days here since its been in the single digits but above 0 degrees.

The first night (about 8 degrees F) I didn't plug my truck in and it had frost all up and down the windshield the next morning and when I started it up it took almost 15 minutes to get heat.

The next night (same temp.,about 8 F) I did plug my truck in and the next morning the windshield had no frost on the lower half and when I started the truck it only took a couple of minutes to get luke-warm heat and about five minutes to get almost full heat.

I know I said in an earlier post that it wasn't working before but to be honest I never really checked it that good, (Because I don't drive my truck everyday,heck it hasn't moved in a few weeks!)

What I was mainly basing it off of was the fact that in all my other trucks I could actually hear the heater working,Kinda like a slight "humm" is what I always heard on my other trucks when the heater was plugged in.

So now I'm really confused,I'm not hearing any kinda "humm" to verify it was working but I can't see how it wasn't working the night I had it plugged in since I had heat pretty quick and no frost on the lower part of the windshield.

The only other thing I think I'm going to do is unplug the cord from the heater and test it,If that can be done.

What do you guys think?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If the thermostat is in the plug end shouldn't you be able to clamp an ammeter around the wire further down and check to see if there is current running through the cord (heater is working)

dewfpo · January 8, 2006

If the thermostat is in the plug end shouldn't you be able to clamp an ammeter around the wire further down and check to see if there is current running through the cord (heater is working)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes you can. I have checked mine and there is no current flow above 0F.

DEWFPO

GMCStepSide · January 12, 2006

I love it. In Anchorage, we have a program were you are asked to plug your vehicle in when the outside temp drops below 20 degrees. This helps the city meet EPA standards as a cold engine warming up pollutes more than an engine that has been plugged in for a few hours. HOWEVER, thanks to the damned idiots at GM, that isn't the case for us GMC and Chevy truck owners.

I see alot of mornings at 5 to 10 degrees...for years I have always plugged my trucks in when it dipped below 20 as it prolonged the life of the engine. I always used a timer so that it came on at 2:00 a.m. so it was warm when I headed out at 5:30 a.m. I wondered why my 05 GMC wasn't making any sounds when I would plug it in...unlike my previous GM pickups. Now I know it was some damned fool sitting at a desk with a slide rule making decisions for us in the frozen north. It's Alaska fellas...I grew up here...it gets cold - who knew when we bought it from the Russians!

Edited January 12, 2006 by GMCStepSide

dewfpo · January 12, 2006

It's not only the frozen north. I live at an elevation of 7,200 ft. in the Colorado Rockies and 2 weeks before Christmas it was -17F. You don't have to live in Alaska to really appreciate a block heater. I also have friends who live in Minnesota that are commiserating with us.

DEWFPO

redbugdave · January 12, 2006

Hi there guys, I have been reading your post with a lot of interest. And here's my story...I'm stickin to it...

I have a 6.0 liter 2006 and ordered it with a block heater. Been through all that about the 0 degree thermostat. I cut the durned plug end off and soldered in a regular one. The original one was the 0 degree type, with the "tumor"...and it had the label on the plug end which said, "0 degree". (I tried it in warmer weather and the themostat really does work and does not let electricity to the the heater). Even though I live in balmy SC, I have had block heaters in the past and when it gets down in the teens it's good to have one to depend on in cold weather, (also lived in Fairbanks). Cold temperature starts ARE really hard on engine components.

Anyway...I plugged the heater, (with the replacement-spliced in regular plug), into my trusty timer set to go on a couple hours before I go to work, (it was 17 degrees that morning). Unplug the wire and I drove to work. The engine heater had worked. But, after about 6 miles, the temperature guage quit working as I was driving! And it did not work driving home later that day. Next morning, same senario. Plugged in my heater to the timer, drove to work...no temp guage reading...AND "Service Engine Soon" light came on as I drove to work, that morning. Same scenario on the way back home from work that day.

So...I went to the GM Service Center. I knew it must have had something to do with the heater. The tech basically told me the same drivel about the engine codes, 40 cycles, 2 consecutive times, etc. etc. blah, blah, blah. Boy...am I relieved that there's a few people out there that feel like me. I sure am glad I found this site! I think GM needs to do a reprogram on the computer so we can use an engine heater as it's supposed to be used! Can that be done? I have not used the heater since. What a shame! The tech also said that the engine will operate in a less efficient mode until the code clears. The tech cleared the code, and no problems...and I haven't used the heater since! What a shame! He also told me that the block heater is "wired" into the computer system of the truck. When I got home, I crawled under and looked at the block heater, cord, etc., and where it goes into the engine block and realized that was just BS he told me...probably trying to scare me from doing any more "tinkering". I guess if I were in his shoes, I may have done the same, to keep people from showing up at the fixit center with problems that GM should not have with better engineering...

Is there any way around this problem, (other than keeping yer truck in the bedroom next to the wife), to keep it warm? Seriously, we need to find a fix or a suitable workaround!

Edited January 14, 2006 by redbugdave

ArcticJ · January 13, 2006

I'm back....and you guys though I was nuts when I brought this thermostat "tumor" thing up...

GMTECH, any chance of GM reprograming the computer as suggested in a previous post or are we stuck with useless heaters?

Any other ideas?

Didn't someone else lop off the plug and replace it? If so, did you experience the same issues?

We have to figure this thing out...it kills me when I go north and start these trucks in 0-15 degree temps...

To that, while snomoing last weekend, I saw a couple of new sleds plugged in...nice

GM-Tech · January 13, 2006

GMTECH, any chance of GM reprograming the computer as suggested in a previous post

Chances are zero to none. This coolant temp rise test is a federal emission requirement. Talk to your legislators and see if you can get them to convince the EPA that you would like to have your truck warm when you start it up. GM has little say in this stuff. They have to certify the vehicle with the EPA and can't just change calibrations willy nilly. Any change that would affect emissions would have to go through the same certification process.

ArcticJ · January 13, 2006

GMTECH, any chance of GM reprograming the computer as suggested in a previous post

Chances are zero to none. This coolant temp rise test is a federal emission requirement. Talk to your legislators and see if you can get them to convince the EPA that you would like to have your truck warm when you start it up. GM has little say in this stuff. They have to certify the vehicle with the EPA and can't just change calibrations willy nilly. Any change that would affect emissions would have to go through the same certification process.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thats not so good news

GMCStepSide · January 13, 2006

I went to my local GMC dealer today and he looked at me in dismay as I explained it to him. He didn't believe me until he brought it up on techline...then he was speechless. He called all his mechanics over - and I mean he stopped all the work to get them over there - and none of them had heard such a thing. They proceeded to run three extension cords to four new 2006 trucks that were by the building. They plugged them in and to their shock and amazement, found the block heaters didn't kick on. I re-explained everything to them and they finally brought in their mechanic who deals with electrical issues. He too hadn't heard about it but proceeded to do some checks and found that the block heater wasn't on. One of the mechanics even replied that the trucks - they were all frosted up at 1:00 p.m. still - were colder than hell and he felt even with a thermostat that the block heater should have kicked on. Short story is I left the whole damned group of mechanics, service writers, service manager and the general manager in total awe that GM could be so incredibly stupid. They said they would "look into it" and call me tomorrow. In the meantime, I'm contacting Channel 2 News to have them do an investigation as this is doing nothing to help us keep the winter air clean and avoid EPA fines. We'll see...

They did warn me against cutting off the plug until they were able to fully understand GM's reasoning.

Nice, tonight it's supposed to be 0 to 10 degrees for a low, and I paid for a block heater that'll be sleeping through the cold night.

I've always owned and supported GM/Chevy trucks but this one deserves a big GM SUCKS!

GM-Tech · January 13, 2006

In the meantime, I'm contacting Channel 2 News to have them do an investigation

Oh yeah, that'll have GM shivering in their boots... oh wait, maybe it's YOU that's shivering in your boots!

I have the solution. Move down here where I'm at. It was 80 degrees today.

GMCStepSide · January 13, 2006

You forget, we all move down there to whatever hot spot you're living in and there's no one up here to keep the oil flowing. Once that happens, you'll see $8 a gallon gas, then you'll be begging us to move back up north.

As for shivering in my boots, no, I just want my fellow taxpaying citizens to know about this so they can make an informed decision before purchasing a GM truck. In the wintertime, the air used to get an unhealthful to breath rating that led to EPA fines that were paid by the taxpayers. Most of us don't want to have to fund those fines and I might have thought twice before picking up a truck with a block heater that is inoperable above zero degrees. Would have looked harder for a good used 2003 - 2004 model.

As for GM, they've got their own problems and mine may be minor but at least folks should know about this so they can make an informed decision before purchasing. Who knows, the next thing the Municipality of Anchorage will do is implement a tax on those of us with this screwed up plug as we're "big polluters".

Edited January 13, 2006 by GMCStepSide