Did you option the 🔌 engine heater?

[redone17]

How does the engine heater get installed? Replaces an expansion plug? What’s the coolant bleeder kit for?

You have to dump the coolant as a first step. There’s a red valve on the passenger side of the intercooler. Then there is a plug is the block (it’s driver side of 2.3L). That comes out and the heater element that the cord plugs into goes in. Then you have to refill the coolant and bleed the air out.

https://www.harborfreight.com/cooling-system-test-and-refill-kit-64985.html

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[PSUTE]

Did not order it. -8 predicted for tomorrow. Guess I'll find out whether it was a mistake or not...

 

[redone17]

Did not order it. -8 predicted for tomorrow. Guess I'll find out whether it was a mistake or not...

I personally don’t think it’s an issue for an automatic. Perhaps after several days without starting. But, not overnight. It’s just my solution for not having remote start with the manual transmission.

As long as your battery is nice and charged up - that thing will turn over in those temps every day.

 

[PSUTE]

I personally don’t think it’s an issue for an automatic. Perhaps after several days without starting. But, not overnight. It’s just my solution for not having remote start with the manual transmission.

As long as your battery is nice and charged up - that thing will turn over in those temps every day.

My 2012 Sierra still has the factory battery. Never had one last that long. But it does not have the "run home to mommy" options on it. Old school, crank windows and rubber floor mats, yeah, it amuses me that folks pay extra for rubber floor mats...

 

[cbrenthus]

Not debating or denying but curious the pros and cons of each in your opinion and/or research (besides gas usage)?

https://blog.amsoil.com/effects-of-excessive-engine-idling/

https://www.newroads.ca/blog/reasons-to-stop-idling-vehicle/

Both of those articles discuss excessive idling not being good for the engine.

But also, as for scheduled starts every day during a cold spell simply to warm the engine for awhile, if we assume that every cold start is a little bad for the engine, why would you start it more than you have to? It will cool off after an hour or 2, and you're back to a cold start to start again anyway.

 

[Sparkherd]

Nice weather station!

And it's almost as bad this AM.
Sure am glad I ordered the block heater!!!

 

[Sparkherd]

Pics of the placement anyone? Thinking of doing it myself but got conflicting information on another thread. One guy said passenger side, the other driver. Pictures are worth a thousand words. Thanks.

Passenger side on the 2.3L

 

[Sparkherd]

At 1KW, it will draw 1KWh every hour. Each KWh costs me about $0.13, so to run it 10 hours a day would be $1.30 a day, about $40 a month. Not terrible, but a bit of a waste if I don't really need it.



In that case, Its about 540 watts, so slightly more than half of what I thought. I might rethink this as it might be worth $20 a month, but that is also considering only 10 hours a day.

I wonder if it might be best to plug it into a timer and turn it on for 3 hours and off for 3 hours or something?

I've got a heating/cooling thermostat I got from Amazuck, I think.
It's more or less designed for livestock barns to enable half-assed climate control with plug in heaters/fans.
I haven't done it, but you could set that up to turn on the block heater at a certain temp.
Right after I got my Badlands, the temp went down to 33. I plugged it in, just for the hell of it, and the when I started it in the morning, the oil temp was 109 Fahrenheits.
More oil Fahrenheits is mo better for your engine than less oil Fahrenheits at start up...

 

[freebob]

No heater and its -38 here. Bronco started right up on first try...

 

[Hopeless Diamond]

No heater and its -38 here. Bronco started right up on first try...

How'd the tranny and axles like it? I've had to drive around real slow for a while to let things limber up (just like me)

 

[NewBroncoOwner]

I love these articles from people that seem that they are the same that don't know how to change their own blinker fluid.

https://www.9news.com/article/news/...heck/536-8bf406d7-194c-4ca0-a06d-d1d56006e5d9

 

[freebob]

How'd the tranny and axles like it? I've had to drive around real slow for a while to let things limber up (just like me)

I let it warm up for 10 minutes. (while I was inside). .Seem fine no problems at all.. I did notice that the 4 auto would let the rear tires spin before the fronts locked up..Made it fun to power slide bronco .

 

[Cetacean Sensation]

Not debating or denying but curious the pros and cons of each in your opinion and/or research (besides gas usage)?

Many modern automakers recommend against cold idling their cars. With how tight modern engine tolerances are, especially in turbo cars, you'll do by far the most bearing and piston ring wear when the engine is cold. So you want to limit the amount of time the engine is exposed to cold start conditions.

Cold start procedures are actually mentioned in the owner's manual of my BMW, it says to start the car, let it come down to idle, then drive normally (but easily) until fully up to temp. I haven't read the bronco manual yet since I don't have mine. But I wouldn't be shocked to see something similar in it.

I also have a buddy who's the mechanic for a police precinct. He's told me some horror stories about cam wear caused by how often those cars sit idling.

 

[AZ_Liberty]

I'll be 50 next year. I've never owned a single vehicle with an engine block heater.

 

[Montana Bronco]

I'll be 65 next year. I've never owned a single vehicle without an engine block heater.

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