Hi. Wondering why this would be in my engine? If you look at the 2nd picture, the plug powers goes to the red knob. why?

digi

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1984 300td euro turbo

It's a block heater.

Great! Owner didn't mention that. Thank you!

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1984 300td euro turbo

Yep, its a heater that heats up your coolant. Plug it in on cold nights and your car will warm up alot faster.

Is it necessary for NY winter? How cold does it have to be? Sorry for the newbie questions...

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1984 300td euro turbo

In Brooklyn, it doesn't matter. Someone is going to steal your extension cord anyway....

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Palangi

2004 C240 Wagon 203.261 Baby Benz
2008 ML320 CDI Highway Cruiser
2006 Toyota Prius, Saving the Planet @ 48 mpg
2000 F-150, Destroying the Planet @ 20 mpg



TRUMP .......... WHITEHOUSE
HILLARY .........JAILHOUSE
BERNIE .......... NUTHOUSE
0BAMA .......... OUTHOUSE

you'll want to use it

HAH! Yes... I've been looking into security. Maybe a pitbull in the car.

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1984 300td euro turbo

I use mine if it's below about 20F, but my car will normally start without it at 0F. It saves some wear and tear on the engine and you get heat almost immediately.

They really are a nice feature to have or one to add.

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1991 560 SEL / 185k miles
1992 750il / 17k miles - project car

You don't NEED it but it will help as long as your engine is still in good condition. I never used it as I had street parking only, always started up even on the coldest days.

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

Every engine is a little different. Some are unusually friendly, some are unusually finicky, and most are in between. The "in general" answer is

25-30 degrees and warmer: no heater should be necessary as long as your glowplugs work
0-25 degrees (give or take): Heater will help but if you can't practically use it, you probably won't notice a HUGE difference *provided* your battery is strong and your oil doesn't get too thick.
Below 0: it's a good idea to plug in.


Again, these are estimates. 60x engines are thoroughly different than 61x engines for cold starting. Some examples of each will start at negative ten degrees with no extra heat. Some will refuse to start without the plug at fifteen positive if they're not up to snuff.

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~Michael S.~
Past cars:

1986 300SDL
1987 300SDL
1982 240D
1982 300SD


Current:

1987 300SDL

The Original Block heater quit on her car and I opted for one of these units in the lower rad hose rather than trying to do the block heater instead. I found this to be a better heater than the block heater and way easy to install/ get at. I may put one on my car aswell if/when the block heater in mine goes out. It was cheap too, I think 45 bucks. When she lost hers it was -35 degrees celcius.....so we needed it in a hurry to drive the car up here in the cold.

It's an engine heater but not the original in-the-block heater. It's a lower radiator hose engine heater. There may also be an in-the-block heater above the starter.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Yes, That's correct Kerry. I think the idea with this aftermarket "lower rad hose" type heater is basically the same as a factory blockheater except for the location. The o.e block heater is right in the freeze plug hole in the engine block as you mention and the aftermarket heater in the lower rad hose. I think the coolant in the lower rad hose is heated with an element (same as o/e block heater) and because it is low in the circuit allows for convection heat to travel up the hose and throughout the block, maybe even throughout the rad itself ?.

Like I said before it did a better job keeping the block warm for me up in the cold last winter than the o.e unit that was in there before.
I should mention that since posting previously I have gone through the service records of that particular car and found it to have had a new block heater installed in 2004 and burnt out in 2009. I am not sure what brand of block heater it was that was installed so I really should'nt use the term o.e for my particular circumstance in hindsight. It could have been a cheaper jobber unit put in to replace the original at that time I don't know.The car in question is an 85' model so the original if replaced in 2004 lasted for 19 years.(pretty good)

I was a little cocerned with the element affecting flow of coolant in the lower rad hose for summer operating temps. I kept close watch of the guage this summer and noticed no difference in operating temps.
I think the newer rad hose heater was quicker to heat up the coolant and therefore more efficient.
I noticed my power consumption bills get pretty expensive in the winter when plugging in 2 of these old diesel block heaters. I will definately be using a timer this winter. The lower rad hose unit I expect to perform better/cheaper with a timer since it is quicker to heat as mentioned.