R.I.P. Block Heater :-(

[Dan.]

My block heater will be sorely missed. After numerous attempts this morning, I will finally announce my EBH as Dead. I suspected trouble since Friday, but this mornings test cinched it. It's definitely not heating.

I back tracked a little to try to figure out what happened. Friday is Trash day, and the trash men have taken to running across the front lawns to pick up the cans instead of running along the street. So If one of them ran in front of my Prius they would have a chance of snagging the cored rather harshly. That's the best I can come up with. The fact that it was plugged in means that if some one did yank it they plugged it back in for me.

I'll look at getting another one, but this one didn't even make it a year!



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[efusco]

Originally Posted by Dan.

My block heater will be sorely missed. After numerous attempts this morning, I will finally announce my EBH as Dead. I suspected trouble since Friday, but this mornings test cinched it. It's definitely not heating.

I back tracked a little to try to figure out what happened. Friday is Trash day, and the trash men have taken to running across the front lawns to pick up the cans instead of running along the street. So If one of them ran in front of my Prius they would have a chance of snagging the cored rather harshly. That's the best I can come up with. The fact that it was plugged in means that if some one did yank it they plugged it back in for me.

I'll look at getting another one, but this one didn't even make it a year!



11011011

WAIT...you can resuscitate it! I've had to do that on 2 different EBHs already. Got to your local hardware store...you need a flat 3 wire 3 prong cord...it'll have the 3 prong plug like on your current cord and it'll then have 3' or so of flat cord with free wires at the end.

The short in the current EBH cord is almost always right near where that reinforced area next to the plug is...so just cut back about 1-2" from that reinforced area and splice on the new cord. Should work fine. The new cord'll cost you ~$3-$4 and may save you the cost and trouble of a complete heater core replacement.

Now get to work doctor...the patient still has a weak pulse!!

[Dan.]

Originally Posted by efusco

Now get to work doctor...the patient still has a weak pulse!!

YES... of course. Thank you doctor! So you think the short is within the first few inches closest to the three prong? I'll check the resistance across the leads and work my way back on the cord.

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[efusco]

Originally Posted by Dan.

YES... of course. Thank you doctor! So you think the short is within the first few inches closest to the three prong? I'll check the resistance across the leads and work my way back on the cord.

11011011

Both of mine were immediately behind that reinforced area and I know a few other people have had to do transplants as well and found the injury right in that same area.

[JimboK]

I had the same problem, easily repaired. I didn't buy a replacement plug/wire combo, just a plug. The body of the plug unscrews, and then it has screw-on attachment points inside for the wires. That seems a little simpler than splicing. This is not the exact plug (the one I got was gray), but you get the concept. See this for more.

[TonyPSchaefer]

Is there a way to extend that reinforced area? Would that eliminate the possibility of the cord shorting? There's got to be a reason why they are consistently failing at that point.

[diamondlarry]

I had the same problem with mine. I took an old extension cord(3 prong) that had been damaged somewhere in the middle and cut the end off and spliced it onto the EBH. Works great now.

[abq sfr]

Originally Posted by TonyPSchaefer

Is there a way to extend that reinforced area? Would that eliminate the possibility of the cord shorting? There's got to be a reason why they are consistently failing at that point.

If I were replacing the plug, after cutting out the suspect part of the wire, put a couple different sizes of heat-shrink tubing on the wire. After soldering the wires together and using electrical tape, move the heat-shrink tubing to the end by the plug and shrink it with the hot blower. That should help to keep it from breaking again.

[TheForce]

So are the ends of these block heaters prone to breaking the copper wire near the end of the plug? I kind of figured they would be having to grab the end to plug and unplug the power. My block heater failed last week and I haven't had a chance to diagnose it yet. This might be a good time to add the marine plug to my bumper somewhere.

[efusco]

Originally Posted by JimboK

I had the same problem, easily repaired. I didn't buy a replacement plug/wire combo, just a plug. The body of the plug unscrews, and then it has screw-on attachment points inside for the wires. That seems a little simpler than splicing. This is not the exact plug (the one I got was gray), but you get the concept. See this for more.

The only reason I decided against that, and I even bought one as an alternative, is that I couldn't find a size that would wedge b/w the fins of that lower grill and didn't like the idea of it just hanging out there. The replacement plug w/ cord was the exact size of the old one and thus the cover fits and it wedges in the slats.