So, I've had my truck for some time. It has a nice winter package, that is to say, a block heater, a battery blanket and something under the seat. It's never worked, but it looks like a little electric heater with blower. I decided today to figure out what was up with it.

Pulled it out, tested it plugged in directly incase it was the power cable on the truck it's plugged into. Nope. So I decide to take it apart. I cut the wire from the unit, plug it in and test it - no power. Okay, so it might not be the unit but the cable. So I decide to test the unit. I test the blower fan - kicks right up. Awesome.

Go to test the heater... this is where I fail miserably. I didn't hook up the blower, I just plugged into the heat element. It immediately warmed up nice and hot, went red... and then went back to the normal coloured grey coils. Hmm... Plug it all together, blower is forcing the air out but none is warm.

Then it dawns on me... without the blower, in those 3 - 5 seconds the heating element was plugged in it probably overheated and ruined itself. Yep. I try plugging in just the heat element and no joy... So years of it not working because the cable was pooched only for me to ruin it myself.

What a bummer...

InfO.

Would have been nice to have a warm cab in the truck at -30 out...

 

Took some snaps once it was open...







Honestly not sure if/how to fix it. I'm going to imagine it's something simple since the bulk of it is just metal wire that heats up. Anyone more knowledgeable on this front able to provide insight?

InfO.

 

Are the photos before or after you tried it? I don't see any damage. The only thing that could go wrong is buring a coil therfore breaking the circuit or blowing internal fuse or thermister to disable coils.' Use a multimeter to see where it looses conductivity.

I never saw an underseat radiant heater like that before...interesting!

 

It's Canada. His truck info sticker still probably has Fargo on it.

 

Grab an ohm meter and start tracing the coils. It probably just burned open in one spot (maybe had some dirt/dust on it). Find the broken spot and solder it back together. WAIT, you're not plugging that into a 120VAC outlet are you?

 

JK, GD, thanks for the idea. I'll fully admit I am not up to 100% on using a multimeter (I just picked one up when I had to fix my wiper motor), so I'll look into it and sort out how to trace it. It's from AFTER it stopped working. There was some smoke coming from it when I plugged it in. As I was reaching to unplug it, that is when I noticed the coils were no longer red. I have no doubt there was dirt and it may have caused issues.

JK, that is what it is rated for. It comes with a standard plug. I'll have to go grab it and look again, but I am positive I saw 120 or 125 on the bottom.

InfO.

 

;o) Obviously. And the VIN is really only 1 letter and 5 numbers long ;o)

 

I didn't know they still made those things. More auto's got burnt to the ground using them in the winter. When I did use one it was never mounted, I made legs for mine and would just set it on the drivers floor and run the plug out the window, I still don't trust them, just a fire hazard.

Edit: It should not be mounted under your seat EVER!!!!!!!!!!

 

This is partly why I haven't played with it until now. There is a pedastal for it under the seat, though when I say under I should really express that only a portion of it is under - the bulk of it is out the front of the seat, facing forward. There is nothing else under the seat, and the air flow would direct everything into where the legs go.

It was originally plugged into the same bar that has the battery blanket and block heater, which is then plugged into a timer at my house. So for about an hour before I leave, such things would be on. This being said, this particular heater has never been on.

InfO.

 

I would bet crappy tire still sells them....lol, I have seen up to four of those heaters in one car. Oh those days I don't miss, six 120 volt plugs out the grill, then into two blue cords, I remember the guy's that would put a recoil cord on the front bumper. I also remember the kids running around unplugging the autos at night so they would not start in the am.

Check the contact set, see if open or closed, safety thing.