when do you plug-in? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

marketwize2003 · #1 12-03-2003, 07:32 AM

1st winter in Jersey with a 300sd (83). Trouble this morning at 17 degrees. Curious when others use block heaters.

rickjordan · #2 12-03-2003, 08:51 AM

This morning here in the Bordentown area (actually 10 miles East of that) it was 22 and both of my diesels started up fine, even with their 4 year old batteries. It really depends on the car. Since you have the same 617 engine in your SD as I have in my '83 TD, you should make sure your valves have been adjusted in the last 15K miles. Out of adjustment valves will make it harder for your engine to start, it's all about compression. This will be the 3rd winter that I have had the '83 TD, and I have yet to use the blockheater to get her started. My first Benz, '80 SD (same engine BTW) needed to be plugged in when it got down to the low 30's. Some have said this is a sign of a compression problem. Being that the car had 280,000 miles on it, I chalked it up to that. You don't necessarily need to use the block heater just to aid starting, you can use it so that the engine already has a headstart on getting warmed up. I would start to plug the blockheater in when the temps. get down to where your engine doesn't want to start, or rather, cranks over real slow. Every car is different, so far I have yet to use the blockheater to aid starting. Again though, if you want to shorten the amount of time it takes for the engine to warm up enough to give you heat in the car, plug the heater in and you should get heat really quick.

240-diesel · #3 12-03-2003, 09:22 AM

My 83 240D stumbled a little bit at first but at 19 degrees not bad,
Its is better to plug in at these temps so you have heat right away and a faster crank speed.
I will put mine back on a timer for a few hours before leaving for work . It was 19 degrees this morning in southern ocean county N.J. and it seems like a colder winter this season so far.

P.E.Haiges · #4 12-03-2003, 10:09 AM

I use the block heater whenever it gets down to about freezing. Although its not necessary to start the engine, I think its worth the few cents of electricity to reduce the wear on the starting system and cold engine. I estimate for 1 hour of block heater operation, it costs only about 5 cents.

P E H.

84300DT · #5 12-03-2003, 10:32 AM

brrrhh, 12 deg F here this morning. should be plugging in , me thinks.

or on the other hand i'll just stay in the house...

rmmagow · #6 12-03-2003, 10:48 AM

9 degrees this morning. Turned key on and off three times, hit the starter and it lit right up. 83 300CD w/194000. My 83 300D starts ok down to 6 degrees but needs help lower than that. Both engines are valve-adjusted annually and have an additive called PS added to the fuel in the winter. Don't know the age of the batteries but one is a VARTA, OEM batt, the other an International I think.

michakaveli · #7 12-03-2003, 10:51 AM

Do these block heaters shut off on their own once they reach a certain temp, or do they keep heating at a certain level continously? I'd like to plug in my E300 when I come home late from work and leave it plugged in till I have to go to work the next morning. Even though my E is in a garage, it has no insulation and was at 32 degrees, while the temperature in central CT was around 15 or so?

Plug it in, or no plug..... that is the question

jfikentscher · #8 12-03-2003, 11:12 AM

I need to change my glow plugs so I have to plug in at any temp below 45 deg. I plug in at night and unplug in the morning. Starts right up. Before the glow plugs gave out i did not plug in. Started right up and did not stutter.

Joe

Fisherman · #9 12-03-2003, 12:11 PM

To my knowledge the older ones that I have just heat away. The current draw though can't be too high as the lights don't even dim when I plug it in. Maybe 6 or 7 amps I'm guessing.
Anyone know what the standard draw is?

Anyway, I use a heavy duty (15 amp) timer like the one's used to turn lights on when you are out. Set it for about an hour or hour and a half befiore you fire it up in the mornings and I guarantee you will have a happier starter.

The difference for me is huge with the old starters in my cars. They both start down to about 20 degress F but it sure helps the starters to crank things over when they are plugged in.

I'm with PEH, the low cost of the electricity may save me a starter and other assorted wear items down the road.

michakaveli · #10 12-03-2003, 01:22 PM

Not to mention you have HEAT before you begin your commute

D.Blake · #11 12-03-2003, 03:35 PM

I think the heaters are about 400w which would be 3-4 amps at 110-120v. At $.10 per KWH, it costs about $.04 per hour to operate. With the mass of the engine, a 400w heater (with a filled coolant system) will never overheat.

kerry · #12 12-03-2003, 05:50 PM

My 85 TD with 135k and 85 409d with 49k both started right up at 0 degrees last week. The 77 300d with 55k did not. They all have the heavy duty starters. The major difference I see is between the parallel and series glowplugs. Even with the heavy duty starter, the 77 does not seem to turn over as smoothly as the other two and it is always a little more reluctant to start. Perhaps it is not timed quite right. They all started at 15 degrees a few weeks ago.