getandistr

So I bought this 2000 Cherokee not too long ago and I've been working on fixing it up. The problem is I found a part under the hood that I have no clue what it is. It is some sort of canister that has a hose going through it and a cord attached to it. The problem is the cord is the. Connected to a regular extension cord which is then just dangling under the jeep. Does anyone know what the heck this is supposed to be?

Big David

Block heater.

Big David

Block heater. You live up north, right?

getandistr

Yep I'm in New Jersey. So how does this thing work exactly because I've never seen one in a Cherokee before. And do I need the extension cord that it's connected to?

md21722

The factory block heater would go into the drivers side in one of the freeze plugs. This looks to be some kind of aftermarket setup plumbed into the heater core lines. You could remove the entire setup or any portion you don't want. The idea is to heat up the coolant when its cold outside. It makes it easier to start the Jeep when its very cold and also gives you near immediate cabin heat. Most people will just put them on a timer so it has a few hours to heat up the coolant before you go out in the morning. They are more popular in diesels and in Canada.