Do i need a block heater??

Hey folks,
i just moved to the Pittsburgh area and I was wondering if you folks thought that it got cold enough up here to need a block heater?

Thanks

no probably not I have started my car down to -40 F without one, It did not like it but it did start..... What I would say is having one will:

1. Ease the Stress on the starter
2. Deliver oil to essential components faster (Due to the Oil Being already Warm)
3. Reduce overall Stress on the Battery
4. Cabin Will already have heat when you start the car. ( No Matter How Cold it is outside)

My vote would be to put one on it anyway, If you cant do it immediately it will not be that big of a deal. Hope this helps

Have an air chizzle if your going to put the freezer block heater in. its a great heater and takes up no room but its a PITA to get the plug out.

Ive put one on every diesel car we have......priceless when it's 0F out.....plus you have some heat too while driving.

How hard is a FrostHeater to put on and are they worth the effort?

Aquaticmind said:

How hard is a FrostHeater to put on and are they worth the effort?

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I was going to say that a Frostheater is a much better solution than attempting to put in a blockheater.

However - If you have followed the basic guidelines -
1) - Good battery
2) - Proper engine oil
3) - Good, fresh fuel appropriate for your area for winterization
You shouldn't have any problems starting , even in the dead of winter. Just wait for the pigtail to go out, then continue to start.

BTW - windchill has zero effect on the car - you're more concerned with what the real temperature is.

I've started my 2000 NB in 0-10 F no problems - and there are members who live in colder locations who also don't have problems. Pittsburg isn't even a hard test.

I don't think a 2003 has a frost plug, does it? So a block heater isn't really an option. Frostheater (coolant heater) would be the way to go.
But like was said before, the car should start regardless, the heater is more for ease of mind, creature comfort, and to make cold starts easier on the hardware.

Do you need one? No.

Should you get one? Yes. A frostheater is even better.

You get heat much quicker and it's significantly easier on your starter, battery, and other engine components.

frost heater is better, starts car, warm air immediately. freeze plug heater, just warm engine, not colt, no heat when air is on from the start. but the core plug heater draws way less watts and does the job and takes less time to warm up the air as well. So if you dont mind paying more on your utility bill in the winter then go for the frost heater inline on your coolant system. i dont have that much room left in my engine bay so i whent with the freeze plug heater. The freeze plug heater costs half as much as the frostheater too.
your choice.
I put mine on a timer to it only starts warming up at 5am vs always on. 3 hours and its warm enough. no difference vs always on.

So do the tdi's have a freeze plug or not that allows for the install of a block heater? I'm hearing yes and no on this thread.

As far as I know.....no.
Acquaticmind , it takes about an hour, you should drain as much of your coolant as possible into a clean container to reuse after you install the frost heater.
As stated by others .... you don't need it, but once you have it you will wonder why you waited so long epically when the temp drops to zero and below......just my .02.

No freeze plugs in a Alh ,and similar blocks. Thus the frost heater . I use a 1500 watt Alaskan pad attached to the oil pan with high temp silicone.
You might be able to drill your block to put a block heater in , but I doubt it.
Cheers

The ALH does not have freeze plugs, so a standard block heater isn't an option.

The 1Z/AHU does have freeze plugs and can use a block heater. I love mine (wagon only) but they're not needed. I've started my B4 sedan at -35°F unaided before and we have weeks of subzero temps. The near instant heat is nice though.

Frostheaters in certain cars take up a ton of real estate, I despise them on the B4 since they take up so much room and are usually in the way. I prefer a battery blanket, anti-gel in the fuel, and a magnetic heater to warm the oil. The Frostheater does nothing to warm the oil or fuel either.

Aquaticmind said:

Hey folks,
i just moved to the Pittsburgh area and I was wondering if you folks thought that it got cold enough up here to need a block heater?

Thanks

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I love my frostheater.....I'm in MN so it's a lot colder but just having your engine up to operating temp almost immediately will be easier on the engine and give you instant heat and more importantly DEFROST ABILITY....foggy windows/shield can be dicey in these diesels when the only way to get defrost heat is drive.

TripXAnarchy99 said:

So do the tdi's have a freeze plug or not that allows for the install of a block heater? I'm hearing yes and no on this thread.

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all engines have freeze plugs, that i know of. never heard of a engine block with out them. i did not know the alh does not have them. thats so dam odd. WHY would they do that?

Mongler98 said:

all engines have freeze plugs, that i know of. never heard of a engine block with out them. i did not know the alh does not have them. thats so dam odd. WHY would they do that?

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I was honestly thinking the same thing, I thought ALL blocks should have them.

There are pictures in this (coincidentally very recent) thread of the ALH block with no freeze plugs.
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=5347957&postcount=2

Maybe on the ALH and newer, they used some different technique for the sand cores, or use the holes for some other purpose so they don't need to plug them?

Love my frost heater too in Northern NH. Just tested on the weekend it was only 9, but wanted to makes sure it was operational as expected... they get hot... You wont be sorry and they are easily installed with ramps...

Yukon Cornelius said:

I love my frostheater.....I'm in MN so it's a lot colder but just having your engine up to operating temp almost immediately will be easier on the engine and give you instant heat and more importantly DEFROST ABILITY....foggy windows/shield can be dicey in these diesels when the only way to get defrost heat is drive.

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I live in Edmonton, Alberta and have no EXTRA Heater... Never a problem. The car is parked in an unheated Garage and starts like a charm...!

To the guys that have them, do they circulate enough that the block feels warm?

Pittsburgh? I say not needed except for rare occasions. It would extend battery life a bit.

The block gets hot, temp gauge and my scan gauge read about 190 f.