Advice on using the Block Heater on a Gr Caravan 2003 , 3.3 engine

Hi
The Gr Caravan comes standard with the block heater. As I live in Canada,
Montreal it gets really cold at nights during the winter. I never used a
block heater before. Are we supposed to plug it in all night, or a few hours
before you leave in the mornings. Also by using it I assume you will get
heat faster, as I noticed the Van takes longer than my previous cars to blow
out heat.
Thanks

 

The block heater is thermostatic. It will not overheat the engine, boil
the coolant, etc. Once the engine is up to the heater's preset hot cut
temperature, it'll cut out until the engine drops below the heater's
preset cold cut temperature, when it'll kick back on. So, you may leave it
plugged in all night without consuming excess power or risking any damage
to anything.

The heater will save on gasoline, since a prewarmed engine will use
substantially less fuel when first starting out in the morning. It will
save on engine wear, since the oil will flow more readily and there won't
be as much condensation of fuel on the cylinder walls to wash oil down off
the bores. It will give you faster passenger compartment heat and
defogging, but you must be careful when using the defogger. Be sure not to
hit the windshield with hot air too quickly, or you risk cracking it.

DS

 

Thansk fo rthe info. I also have a remote car starter. Can I start the car
with it, or I have to disconnect the block heater before starting the
engine.
Thanks

 

It won't damage it, but it will waste power in the long run leaving it on
all night. See if you can get a timer for it to turn on automatically a
couple hours prior. Some timers will even cycle between two cars without
blowing a fuse.

Don't use the remote starter. The block heater will warm up your engine
enough, there would be no benefit to using the remote starter. Your engine
will warm up quicker when you are driving it down the street.

 

This must be only in Canada as I've never seen a Grand Caravan or
Voyager with a factory installed block heater ... and I own one of each.

Typically, you leave them plugged in all night, but the best bet is to
read your owner's manual. It should tell you proper usage there if it
came from the factory.


Matt

 

All cars in Canada typically have factory block heaters

 

X-No-Archive: yes

Well I don't call a Montreal winter night all that cold. Us folks in
Winnipeg know what a cold night really is..... *grin*.

Yes, your van will heat up faster and start much easier on those cold
nights. You really don't need the block heater until the overnight temp
drops to around -15 Celsius. A handy energy saving tip is to use a timer
to turn the block heater on about 3-4 hours before you head off to work.
Then your not using excess electricity. Be sure to use a properly sized
timer and extension cord. (wattage/amps) Cheap thin cords and timers could
be inadequate for the power drawn and a fire hazard. Now if you want to
really have a nice warm vehicle, install an interior car warmer....

Btw, my heater in my Caravan boils me to death. Get the dealer to check
there are no air bubbles in the system.

 

My Intrepid's "cold engine group" (block heater + battery heater) was an option
(in USA) that cost under 30 bucks. I'd imagine the minivans are similar. I
figured it was worth it and the engine sure seems to enjoy it on those very cold
winter mornings.

I have found little benefit to leaving it plugged in more than two hours or so.
The engine starts right up quietly and idles around 800 rpm immediately, just like
on a summer day. The heat comes on quick, but my Intrepid warms up pretty quick
anyway. The immediate air that comes out of the heater may surely be warmer than
ambient but I've never found it to feel warm to the touch within the first
minutes, even when the heater was plugged in all night. I would recommend a timer
(heavy duty!) to switch on the heater 2 hours prior to engine start. These
heaters use a good deal of electricity and it isn't useful to keep it warm before
it needs to be.

 

There really isn't much benefit to using a remote starter if you are preheating
with the block heater and you'll just consume gas while the warm engine idles.
Just set a heavy duty timer to start heating about 2 hours (maybe slightly
longer) before you start.

 

One of the replies mentioned the block heater is thermostatic, so I if this
is true I can plug it all night as it cycles on-off.

 

Running it all night gives you no more heat at startup than running it
for 2 - 3 hours before startup. If it's REALLY cold, then it would pay
to run it all night.

 

Is that a from the factory piece of standard equipment or just a popular
dealer installed option?


Matt

 

Yes, I was aware of the option, but I've never seen it as standard
equipment. I've never bought a vehicle in Canada though so I don't know
for sure. However, a local dealer has a ton of vans brought down from
Canada and none have block heaters.

It gets pretty cold here in PA in the winter (-15F isn't all that
uncommon), but I've found no need for a block heater as long as I use
Mobil 1 and keep the battery well maintained. Takes time for the van to
heat up, but it starts fine. My other van and truck live in the heated
garage so they are fine.


Matt

 

Yes, it won't hurt the heater or engine, but it will use more
electricity to keep the engine warm all night ... assuming the block
heater has the capacity to heat the cold engine up in the 2-4 hours
people have mentioned here. The last vehicle I drove that had a block
heater was a large diesel OTR tractor. It's block heater would never
get the old Cummins warm in 4 hours when it was below zero. If we
didn't leave them plugged in all night, the truck would never start.

Sounds like the car heaters are more potent.


Matt

 

I have two Canadian Caravans (93 and 96), both bought just over one year old
off lease. Both have factory block heaters. As mentioned, it does not hurt
to run them all night. It just uses un necessary electricity. Having a timer
on the power cord, set to turn it on 2-3 hours before you plan to leave will
achieve the same result with less than half the electricity. It depends on
how cold it will get. You will have to do some timed testing, and of course,
the colder the nights, the longer the warm up time will be.

 

Factory standard equipment. I live in an area that doesn't really need it
but every new car comes with it. And rear defrost has also been standard for
a while.

 

Can't say I've seen a Canadian car without a block heater anytime recently.
This means manufactured for Canadian sale. Were these vans manufactured in
Canada, or manufactured for the Canadian market?


Do you leave the van idling to warm up or drive away immediately? The idea
is the savings in gas (and arguably wear) from it idling to warm up would
cover the electrical cost. Plus if you leave it unattended idling in the
driveway with keys in it, it would reduce the risk of theft.

 

Rear defrost is required by law in many states now, NY being one. I
like the rear AC and heat also even though it is an option.

Matt

 

I don't know for sure. The salesman said they had "come from Canada",
so I don't know.

I start it and then clean off the snow and ice. I then drive off. I
don't like to let my vehicles idle too long in cold weather. Better to
get on down the road.

Matt

 

Did you look at the vans? Were the gauges in MPH? Any other hints?

I suspect he may have ment "made in Canada" because some of the Chrysler
vans are made in canada and some in the US (I think the short wheelbase in
one contry and the grands in another). As well all Windstars are made in
Canada and one of the Japeneese vans are too.