Block Heater

[don &/or Lucille]

To get one installed or no. First year in Northern New Brunswick and I hear it can get to as low as -20c some nights

[Pete C.]

They certainly help if you have a diesel. Using a light weight synthetic oil also helps a lot.

[Jim Elbrecht]

-20C shouldn't be tough on the car. -50 on a regular basis would have me looking. [for those of us in the lower 48, -20C is only -4F] Keep your battery fresh [and oversized], your oil clean and the right viscosity, and your car tuned up.

If you're dressing to go work in the great outdoors you don't need the heater to be working right away. OTOH-- if you're on your way to an office, a block heater will give you heat as soon as you start your car. [won't help a bit when it is time to go home, though]

A remote starter might be worth looking into.

Jim

[krw]

-20C is nothing to worry about. A reasonably well maintained car with a good battery should start *easily* at -20C. At -35C, or so, things get a lot dicier. A block heater is needed for a reliable start. In any case, make sure your antifreeze is up to snuff.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, If your car is fairly new with a good battery, you may not need it but if your car is parked outside all the time at night, install one with a timer. I am in Alberta. Cars come with block heater here but we seldom use it. It can go as low as ~50C with windchill at times.

[Ed Pawlowski]

"Jim Elbrecht" wrote

I've had a remote on the last two cars. Sure is nice to get into a war car, or at least one that will be warm soon after starting to drive. Nice on the really hot days too.

[Jim Yanik]

"don &/or Lucille" wrote in news:4ea9d62c$0$18415$ [e-mail]:

IMO,a smart move. Your car starts right up,and the heater puts out hot air quickly,so you can defrost your windows faster.

My dad had one on his 57 Caddy in Buffalo in the late 60's.

But finding room in the engine compartment for one may be hard in some models.

[Don Phillipson]

This will not help you if the windows are frosted up. Hereabouts we use: -- electric interior car heater (mainly for window visibility); -- engine block heater, both on a timer set to start 2 hours before use (in temperatures down to -10C) or 4 hours if colder.

[LdB]

I live in Manitoba. I don't even think of plugging in the vehicles when the temperature is above -25 C. Wind chill is not a factor. An engine block will cool down to air temperature. If the air is -25C the block will be -25C regardless of the wind speed. The wind will cool the block down faster but it cannot make an object colder than the air. We feel the wind chill because the wind draws heat away faster.

"Northern" New Brunswick?????? That's a bit of a stretch. New Brunswick isn't big enough to have a North. We have lakes bigger than that province. :)

You from, Taronna?

Chances are this is the only block heater you will need

[don &/or Lucille]

[George]

I wouldn't own a car without one. Aside from getting into a warm car it is a great safety item because the defrosters are working so no instantly fogged windows if you should happen to breathe on them.

[EXT]

Where did you buy the car??? Here in Canada every car I purchased new in the past 20 years came with an engine block heater factory installed as standard equipment. Look under the hood for the cord and plug tucked away somewhere ready to pull out. If yours doesn't have one, I am sure the dealer has them and knows where to install it in the engine according to the manufacturer's instructions.

[Jules Richardson]

We don't have one in our Toyota, and it lives outside most of the time (northern Minnesota, temps down to -30 or worse). Below about -25 it'll be a bit sluggish to start, but I've never known it not to fire up.

cheers

Jules