I finally installed a block heater. I was a little hesitant when the parts guy at the dealership told me they went to a new style. The only block heater I knew of was the type that replaces a freeze plug. The guy at the dealership said the new style is called a "cylinder heater". Well, I couldn't take it anymore. WOW! It was easier than the freeze plug ones by far and cleaner too! So here's the pics and my step-by-step directions because the ones that came with it were wrong:


kit comes with the block heater, bolt, cord & end cover, pull ties, and worthless directions


it's located on the driver's side of the engine block behind the starter


zoomed out a little and you can see it between the starter and exhaust


++ DISCONNECT THE POSITIVE BATTERY TERMINAL ++
after disconnecting the battery the two starter bolts can be removed with a 15mm socket


slide the heater into the slot and secure with provided bolt using 10mm socket torque to 9ft lbs


isn't that awesome no antifreeze mess <--AWESOME!


reinstall the starter and torque to 50ft lbs
connect cord and route away from hot or moving parts and secure with pull ties
reconnect positive battery terminal


Yeah, it was that cold when I was outside installing it!

If this is an old post and/or the pics are not working, check my albums or email me. I'll leave them in there forever. Good Luck!

 

Got a magnet style

just stick it on the pan or block side

 

i'm not a fan of this style. I would much rather have the ones that stick onto the oil pan, especially since i have a skid plate.

but that aside, great writeup! and hopefully it does exactly what you want from it.

 

When I had my pickup in for its first service, the guy noticed it did not have a block heater in it like it was supposed to. I was intrigued by this new one. It is a lot nice not having to drop the coolant. I just don't know if that thing can heat the block and the oil sufficiently. It's been starting so I can't make fun of results...

 

it was only -8F when i left for work this morning, BUT my heater was blowing warm air in about 5mins instead of about 15mins. maybe 10mins isn't worth it.....sit in -20 for a week and you'll change your mind. i sure did. haha

 

Sh*t, and I complain about the weather here in the mountains on the east coast. Saving 10 minutes on the heat also means your're saving lots of gas.

 

Man it was 31 this morning and I was freezing.

 

Do you know if this will work on a 4.7 motor? or if there is even one offered from the factory for this motor? Also, what did you end up shellin out for this ??

 

If you call the dodge dealer, they can tell you what one costs for a 4.7L. I paid $75. My guess is they're the same one, but I've never installed one on a 4.7.