KKELLER14K wrote:
It is all about the plan...so say you have a Cummins...it has 12 quarts of oil in there...When it gets down to freezing or below...it is thick, like syrup. But, you know your driving it the next day....just plug it in the night before, and when you fire it up, you get heat inside real quick....these big motors take awhile to heat up by the way...if you don't pre heat. If you have one and have never used it, try it, even if your not in freezing temps...anything below 45f. Most will not have this option but you can install one aftermarket if you need it. Most people don't even care about this stuff, but when you drive for a living ...it matters.
Twentyfive years ago I was ordering a new truck and new that I would be making a short commute to work with it so I ordered the block heater even though it was a gas burner. I put a timer on the switch to come on an hour or so before I had to leave for work. Even though I live in the South I noticed that it did start and run much better, the heater/defroster worked immediately and I knew that I had to be preventing condensation from getting in the oil. I sold the truck 3 years ago with the factory steel exhaust system still intact. I wish that a block heater had been offered on my new truck, I may add one.
