Quote:
Originally Posted by DifferentPointofView
I'd also consider a block heater or 120v interior space heater
Once again, where do I get one? and how exactly do I use it, does it plug into an outlet?(I can tell with the 120v one you do). Do I hook it up to a coolant line?...
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Yes they're 120V. No way will a car battery have the ability to warm up the block. Calcs have already been done (cleanmpg.com, I think) to prove that the cost of electricity to run it is less than the cost of the gas you save. Burning fuel to heat the block is pretty costly - and that's exactly what we all do every time we start a cold engine. I've seen posts from people using them year round. Engine goes into closed loop operation almost immediately and has all the benefits of being warmed up, right from the get-go.
You can ask at a Jeep dealer. I wouldn't be surprised if they can get them.
I'm pretty sure jcwhitney.com sells 'em, or buy from a real parts store. I wouldn't expect the "big box" parts stores to stock them but traditional parts stores, yes. In my area we have NAPA, CarQuest, BumperToBumper - those guys.
The good block heaters are the ones that install into a freeze plug opening. Heater replaces the freeze plug. Reason is, that lets the heater warm up the main body of coolant in the block. The heat disperses well into the block to warm it throughout. I think that's the type that's most common up in northern US and Canada where lots of people have block heaters.
Another type installs into the heater hose. It needs some circulation to carry the heat to the engine. Probably easier to install but a more complex design and concept. If there's no pump in the heater unit then it's relying on convection to carry the heat to the block - not the best way.
Least successful are the ones that heat the oil. Some by a heater pad glued to the oil pan, some by a heater built into a substitute dipstick. Aside from problems when you drive away with a 120V cord in your dipstick, these don't really heat the block, just the oil, so they can't accomplish as much preheating as the ones that heat the engine coolant.