Finally got around to installing a block heater in my '90 Teg with 1.8 litre 4-cylinder engine. It gets pretty damn cold here in Minnesota. I have a condo but have to park outside (low-budget place) but each parking space has an electrical outlet on a wooden post. Why not plug the car in and enjoy a semi-warm engine?
The unit--an eBay purchase. Cost $17 plus $8 shipping. 400W made in Canada.
My ride:
Drain plug is on front of motor, near exhaust manifold.
Draining some of the anti-freeze:
Loosening drain plug with 19mm socket:
The plug. When it finally came out, a few cups of coolant spilled out and I was surprised to find some white-coloured sludge behind it with the consistency of toothpaste. I removed this sludge as best I could and cleaned up the threads of the hole before installing the heater.
Installing the heater:
Putting the anti-freeze back in (strained through a rag to filtre out dirt chunks that fell into it):
All finished up with cooling system refilled and bled:
Now I just need to test this thing out. But now it's freakishly warm out (was 45F today and is still 37F as I write this). Will have to wait until it gets cold out again.