pmichel

Anyone using one of the block heaters that inserts in the lower radiator hose?

pmichel

No response so maybe there aren't many of us who use or need these. Bought it at Autozone for about $20. Install took about 45 mins (plus I changed the t-stat since I had to drain the coolant anyway). Have used it for a couple of cold mornings so far. Seems to work great. Starts warm, gets enough defroster heat right away and instant take-off. Has it's own thermostat. A decent alternative to a freeze plug heater.

red97cherokeewithsunroof

what exactly is a block heater?

tjwalker

I used to use them years ago but then switched over to freeze plug heaters.

Should work okay; be sure the two clamps are sufficiently tight as there are now two more places to leak coolant.

djb383

Actually, 3 more places to leak (where the heater element attaches in the tube).

Rock Toy

Lower radiator hose heaters work ok in the winter, but can cause over heating problems in hotter weather. The restriction caused by the heating element in the lower hose slows coolant flow through the radiator causing over heating.

tjwalker

That is interesting; I never thought about the "restriction" element. Will have to do some research on that.

jeepman156

tjwalker, where did you get your freeze plug heater from? I moved from Alabama to Pennsylvania for school and the jeep is not liking starting in the mornings and after school. How much of a pain is it?

repair

I picked one up and it has no restriction......I don't think that it will fit on my 2000