Hi,

While I dont live in a particularly cold area, I cansee the benefit of having a block heater, or perhaps what would be better would be one of those pre-oiler systems, so that the engine is at least slightly lubricated when it starts(Id guess that would make it start easier).

Any comments on the cost/work involved in installign one of these systems? Thanks

JMH

A block heater is going to be tough, I think you will have to get your car up on a lift, and even then, it is hard to get in where you have to be. I got one and returned it after trying for a couple hours to get it in. I got nowhere. I did manage to get a pneumatic wrench hooked onto the frost plug but could not get it out. since the car was on the ground nothing would give me the leverage that I needed. My current motor already had a block plug heater in it, lucky me.
I took it back and got an adhesive oilpan heating pad instead. It worked fair. they have to be adhered to a flat surface, so I ended up with a smaller one than was recommended for 2 gallons of oil. It would only heat the oil and not warm the whole engine as they claimed a bigger pad would have. Nevertheless, it worked well enough, kept the oil warm and made startup much easier.
installation was cake, clean the pan, peel off the plastic and stick on, then smear a bead of (included) blue silicone around the edges to seal water out.
It was about $40

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A tank heater is easy to install. They come in heat ranges up to 1500 watts. A 1500 watt one will have the entire engine warm to the touch in an hour.

As far as a preoiler, I wouldn't even consider it. If it was needed, MB would have installed one.

P E H

I have posted a picture of an after market generic block heater.... it is at Photoisland.com
user name leathermang
password blockheater
If I could figure out how to put a preoiler on my cars I would... the big diesels have them and I do not think they would fool with them if they were of no value...Actually , there are aftermarket preoilers available, but the $400 plus cost keeps me from that... I meant a preoiler at a reasonable price... Greg

JHZR2:

Wheelguru's point that unscrewing the threaded plug where the block heater mounts is very hard is almost an understatement. To unscrew two of these on different engines required a four foot long cheater bar slipped over the allen wrench (19mm or 3/4") and considerable effort several times over a 2-3 day period to finally loosen them (and generous amounts of penetrating oil before even attempting to loosen them). If you do not have a lift, then you will probably not get enough leverage on the plug laying on the ground. The only other way is to remove the intake and exhaust manifolds to gain enough room to be able to put a cheater bar on the allen wrench and have the position to be able to exert enough force with the cheater bar to remove the threaded plug. Or, pay a shop with experience installing block heaters to install yours. Of course, other members may have a way that was successful for them to loosen this plug without using a lift and I am sure someone may let us know what worked for them.

Wheelguru's alternative suggestion to mount an oil heater to the lower oil pan is a good one. You need an oil heater that works on a larger volume of oil than your M-B because the M-B oil pan has recesses that prevent full contact and probably less then full transference of heat from the heat pad to the oil. The one I bought on eBay is made by Universal Heater located in Washington state, phone 509-924-5042. My heater is model number 600W and is designed to heat 11-22 quarts of diesel engine oil (for a gas engine it will heat 12-30 quarts). Your M-B probably has a 6.8 quart oil capacity (I do not recall the model you have or it was not mentioned) - so the 600W oil heater should be a good match given the less than full contact the heating pad will make with the M-B oil pan - the block heater I installed is a rated at 400W, but heating oil and water is different so a direct comparison of heating wattages is not very useful. I decided against using the oil heater because I drive on unimproved roads that sometimes have brush growing down the center that could/would make contact with the heating pad and/or the electrical wires causing damage to one or both. Because of this, I opted to use a block heater instead.

Good Luck!
Tom

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P.E

A tank heater?? How would a heater in the fuel tank help with cold starts? Are you trying to stop the fuel from gelling??

Tim

What about the heaters that attach to the oil pan? I have seen discussions in previous posts, & someone posted pictures and a web address of a company in Wiosconsin that made a variety of these types of heaters. A search of old discussions, using the words Block Heater or Oil Heater should bring the discussion threads & helpful info back.

Tim,

NO NO not a heater in the fuel tank, a tank type engine heater.

This is a tank about the size of a pint jar that has an electrical heater coil inside it. The tank is plumbed from the block drain to a heater hose on the top of the engine. When the coolant is heated in the tank, the coolant flows by gravity thru the engine and warms the engine. Some of the tank heaters also have a small pump inside them to circulate the coolant which make it easier to mount the tank. For the gravity flow, the tank must be located low, near the bottom of the engine.

P E H

We have done 2 block heaters recently and with the right preparation, it is not as difficult. By doing a search, you'll find the right tool (shipped to you by our forum's Aaron Bonger), and a 4' cheater bar. I simply undid one of the front end suspension pieces and had coolant dripping on my head in less that 30 minutes. I did however have a nice pit to be working in. My friend chose to do if from above where he took off part of the manifold. In both cases it worked and we now benefit......burr....another Michigan storm is upon us.

Don

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PEH, Would that be the same type I posted pictures of on Photoisland.com , user name leathermang,password blockheater ? and referenced four posts above ? Greg

Bill, that looks just like mine, box and all, LOL, thanks,Greg

bill, i have a similar water/block heater,.. not the same brand but with and inlet/outlet like that.. can u tell em (and if u can get a pic that would be great) which tube goes to where. my kit comes with a tap to tap into the radiator draining plug, and a T tap..

i was thinking to tap the radiator draining plug into the inlet, and the out let tapping into the cab heater (near passager fire wall) since hot water rises and will circulate through the system i thought that was fine , but i am not sure anymore.. thxs for any help..

Ned, check my pics mentioned above, if that does not answer your question , email me. Greg

Leathermang,

YEP, that's it. The tank type really work fast because the power level it up to 4 times the power of the heater that goes into the casting hole.

P E H

How much do the tank heaters cost? My buddy has an 85 TD wagon with no heater and is wanting to install something.