$14 W210 diesel block heater cord solution. - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

citationtech · #1 02-27-2012, 08:44 PM

My quest for a engine heating solution has come to a successful end. First, a oil pan heating pad from ProHeat Engine heaters was installed. While I felt better about having "warm" oil during initial start, it wasn't radiating heat upwards to the block and head like I thought it would. Mercedes wanted $150 for the electrical cord that plugs into the factory fitted block heater. Some searching revealed that certain Massey Ferguson tractors shared identical heaters. Shoot, NAPA sells crap like that! Onto NAPA's web page and after some picture comparisons I found an acceptable cord made by "KAT". $14.49 for the 5' cord and another $11.88 for a box of two spark plug insulating sleeves. I did a trial plugin before routing this evening, and everything works as advertised.

NAPA cord PN: 28450
ProHeat heating pad PN: 512CSA
"Proheat Heavy Duty Fluid Reservoir Heater Model 512csa (250 Watts, 2.1 Amp, 120 Volts) Ideal for Oil Pans from 1 to 3 Gallon of Lube (4.5 to 12 Litres) and up to 10 to 30 Gallons of Hydraulic Oil"

Two spark plug insulators butted together with .032 stainless wire should keep things snuggly and protected from exhaust components:

Oil pain heating pad installed:

Oil pain heater routed along the intercooler piping for heat considerations:

Oil pan plug can be easily concealed behind the license plate frame when not in use:

NAPA AUTO PARTS

Item#04 Model#512CSA - Proheat Heavy Duty Fluid Reservoir ProHeat products INC. the originator and inventor of fluid reservoir, motor engine flexible pad heaters [512CSA] - $68.75 : Proheat Products Inc., engine heater, engine heater systems, fluid r

EDBSO · #2 02-27-2012, 09:35 PM

Glad to have been able to point you in the general direction

dauber · #3 02-27-2012, 09:43 PM

Very nice! while I will not need one for the climate I live in. I like your thinking as to find alternative ways other than the dealer.

Just to clarify, the ProHeat heating pad is sold without a cord and you have to buy the factory one for the block heater to fit?

Simpler=Better · #4 02-27-2012, 10:36 PM

The $15 cord he talking about is for the stock Mercedes block heater. The pro pad is a whole other dealy-do

dauber · #5 02-27-2012, 11:18 PM

Ok, got it. That leads me to my next question, where is the factory block heater located?

I would be interested in making a cord like he built for when I go to the up to the mountains.

citationtech · #6 02-28-2012, 09:02 AM

My fault for not clarifying about the two heating systems. Yes, the block heater is factory fitted. The oil pan heater is an aftermarket system. It's my understanding that Mercedes issued a coupon for the electrical cord after the vehicle was purchased. Some have them, some do not. The oil pan heater was a waste of money for me. To test I plugged it in immediately after shut down, and the infrared thermometer revealed 91 degrees fahrenheit after 6 hours of heating and ambient temperature of 45 degrees fahrenheit. The heater's capacity is 1-3 gallons, and confirmed with a phone call to the manufacturer. ProHeat claimed 300 degrees fahrenheit of radiant heat. I even lined the belly pan with Themo-Tec's heat barrier expecting those big numbers. It's nice to have, but I'd rather put the $80 into something else! It's been discussed and debated, and the only way to go for a diesel is a block heater.

Your factory block heater is located at the aft of the engine, under the exhaust manifold, #6. You can get a glimpse from the topside.

While I've never had cold starting issues, it sure is convent to have instant heat and operating temperatures. My wife complains less, so it's a win.

citationtech · #7 02-28-2012, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EDBSO

Glad to have been able to point you in the general direction

I honestly didn't catch that reply. Great minds think alike.

strelnik · #8 02-28-2012, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dauber

Ok, got it. That leads me to my next question, where is the factory block heater located?

I would be interested in making a cord like he built for when I go to the up to the mountains.

You can also buy these from Parts Geek. They are 12.00, or they were when I bought one.

strelnik · #9 02-28-2012, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by citationtech

My fault for not clarifying about the two heating systems. Yes, the block heater is factory fitted. The oil pan heater is an aftermarket system. It's my understanding that Mercedes issued a coupon for the electrical cord after the vehicle was purchased. Some have them, some do not. The oil pan heater was a waste of money for me. To test I plugged it in immediately after shut down, and the infrared thermometer revealed 91 degrees fahrenheit after 6 hours of heating and ambient temperature of 45 degrees fahrenheit. The heater's capacity is 1-3 gallons, and confirmed with a phone call to the manufacturer. ProHeat claimed 300 degrees fahrenheit of radiant heat. I even lined the belly pan with Themo-Tec's heat barrier expecting those big numbers. It's nice to have, but I'd rather put the $80 into something else! It's been discussed and debated, and the only way to go for a diesel is a block heater.

Your factory block heater is located at the aft of the engine, under the exhaust manifold, #6. You can get a glimpse from the topside.

While I've never had cold starting issues, it sure is convent to have instant heat and operating temperatures. My wife complains less, so it's a win.

There are some magnetic block heaters that can be attached to the bottom of the oil pan to provide heat to the oil. Whunter used one on his Ford diesel ambulance.

ROLLGUY · #10 02-28-2012, 12:47 PM

Amazon and ebay have many Kats products (heaters and cords). If your Diesel does not have a factory installed block heater, a lower radiator hose heater will work great (available from Kats).

Chris W. · #11 02-28-2012, 12:57 PM

May I humbly suggest this thread for information.

Let's Wire Up the Block Heater!

Rgds,
Chris W.
'95 E300D, 361K

dauber · #12 02-28-2012, 11:04 PM

Cool, thanks Chris for the link

I googled the cord and alot of places sell them for cheap, but they are for older models than mine, they look like the same plug but only lists up to 1992 models.

pawoSD · #13 02-28-2012, 11:50 PM

I use an oil pan stick on heater also, works very well and only 150W.

whunter · #14 01-08-2014, 12:45 PM

for new members

OM617YOTA · #15 01-08-2014, 03:53 PM

Thanks for posting this! I used the Kats block heater cord from Napa. Very difficult to plug in, only makes contact at the very last little bit of insertion, but is not secure in the slightest. Any little bump will break the connection and the cord will fall off. I haven't used it for more than a few minutes while I was watching because an intermittent connection could start a fire.

Any ideas?