A month or so ago I began using my block heater every night, set the timer to come on at about 4:30AM and that was fine, now with the onset of colder nights, now dropping into the low 30 degree range, the temp guage barely registers any amount of heat from the block heater.

Question: Should I suspect the block heater eliment may be mostly shot and needs to be replaced?

I do keep a can of ether in the trunk as a last resort but never really thought about how to apply it for starting. I remember many many years ago as a kid hearing it was a no no for diesels but have since seen a few to use it, but until reading this thread, I never did know the limitations using it!

Thank you Whunter for bringing back awareness. This thread should be posted annually for the many newbies unaware!

BB