Block heater apparently not working

[Rae Vynn]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JimboK @ Oct 7 2007, 06:40 PM) [snapback]522568[/snapback]</div>

Thanks for the suggestions, but it's not the socket, breaker, or GFC. From the original post:
[/b]

It was a general "hint" for anyone with a similar situation.

[abq sfr]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rae Vynn @ Oct 15 2007, 09:20 AM) [snapback]525839[/snapback]</div>

It was a general "hint" for anyone with a similar situation.
[/b]

I put a multi-plug with an embedded light on the end of the extension where the ebh plugs in. That way I know for a fact when current is going to the ebh.

[Errel]

Sorry if this is a different topic but
Does anyone knows how to turn off the "engine maintainance" light off? This is the light that turns on
when the Prius need an oil change.
Please help
Thank you

[efusco]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Errel @ Oct 15 2007, 01:00 PM) [snapback]525913[/snapback]</div>

Sorry if this is a different topic but
Does anyone knows how to turn off the "engine maintainance" light off? This is the light that turns on
when the Prius need an oil change.
Please help
Thank you [/b]

Yes, it is completely off topic. In the future please first do a search for your subject. If you can't find it already listed (you should, this has come up dozens of times) then start a new thread in an appropriate forum.
Turn on the car and make sure your Odometer is on the main Odometer reading (not trip A or trip
turn off the car. Press and hold the ODO button then hit the Power button twice (foot off brake) while continuing to hold the ODO button. Look at the dash display. You'll see dashes where the odometer reading should be, then the dashes will tick away as you hold the odo button, it'll flash and display the correct odometer reading and you're done. Shut down or start and go as you desire.

[rokibler]

My EBH failed in the spring of 2009. Thanks to this and other posts, I knew what to look for. It turns out the cord was the culprit. But I can't figure out exactly where the cord failed. I suspect it is the female end of the cord that connects to the heater coil. The center socket seems to be missing or very thin or perhaps just burned up. I checked it with a volt meter and the ground connection is not working. I am willing to send the old cable to anyone on Priuschat who wants to do further examination. I bought a second complete EBH kit and replaced the cable and now its back in business.

Thanks to you Priusheads for your help and recommendations.

[PaulHS]

Originally Posted by efusco

If you read my recent post about replacing my EBH it started as a project to replace just the cord...but the orange part of the plug that attaches to the core had gotten quite brittle and would not unplug...I had to rip it out destroying that part of the plug and thus had to remove the core too.

Evan, a couple questions. You've apparently repaired your EBH several times. Has the problem always been the same; a broken wire at the male plug end? You've also mentioned a brittle plug at the heater end. Has this occurred more than once? When it occurred, are you sure there was no degradation of the block temperature before the wire failure?

My EBH has, over the last four months, gradually lost its effectiveness. Current and Resistance measurements read ok, but the scangauge now reads no more than 107 deg F when the car is started in the morning. The heater core appears to be dying. The only other possibility might be loss of heat transfer to the block because the grease has dried up, but this appears unlikely. A search reveals no other complaints of this symptom; by far the broken wire is the typical failure.

Has anyone else experienced a failure like this?

[efusco]

Originally Posted by PaulHS

Evan, a couple questions. You've apparently repaired your EBH several times. Has the problem always been the same; a broken wire at the male plug end? You've also mentioned a brittle plug at the heater end. Has this occurred more than once? When it occurred, are you sure there was no degradation of the block temperature before the wire failure?

My EBH has, over the last four months, gradually lost its effectiveness. Current and Resistance measurements read ok, but the scangauge now reads no more than 107 deg F when the car is started in the morning. The heater core appears to be dying. The only other possibility might be loss of heat transfer to the block because the grease has dried up, but this appears unlikely. A search reveals no other complaints of this symptom; by far the broken wire is the typical failure.

Has anyone else experienced a failure like this?

Yes, it's always been the same problem. Never had the core burn out. Was on the first for about 2-3 years and have been on the current one for about 2 years.

I'd bet the reason you're seeing lower engine temps is b/c the weather is getting colder. We're probably measuring different things, but I see as high as 145F or so in the summer and as low as 110 in the winter with the EBH.

Perhaps you can graph the ambient temp vs ICE temp for a few weeks and see if that's the correlation. I suspect that when the core burns out it'll be catstrophic and an all-or-nothing problem. I do think the dried out thermal transfer grease is a factor, but it seems that that dries out pretty quickly.

[PaulHS]

Originally Posted by efusco

I'd bet the reason you're seeing lower engine temps is b/c the weather is getting colder. We're probably measuring different things, but I see as high as 145F or so in the summer and as low as 110 in the winter with the EBH.

Perhaps you can graph the ambient temp vs ICE temp for a few weeks and see if that's the correlation. I suspect that when the core burns out it'll be catstrophic and an all-or-nothing problem. I do think the dried out thermal transfer grease is a factor, but it seems that that dries out pretty quickly.

Thanks for the quick reply. Yes, the temps are getting colder, especially the last week which has been unseasonably wet and cold. But I first noticed the greatest drop in engine temp (I use my EBH year-round) from 130 deg F in the second half of July, about a 15 deg F drop. Since then, further drops in morning engine temps have been minor, and may be due to colder weather. Maybe the EBH failure was more catastrophic than I thought, and occurred in the summer. Hmm...

When (or if) we see a dry, warm day again before winter, I'll get under the car and check the grease, the core and the core plug.

[efusco]

Originally Posted by PaulHS

When (or if) we see a dry, warm day again before winter, I'll get under the car and check the grease, the core and the core plug.

Better have a replacement cord and core ready then. There's no way to check the core and grease without first unplugging the orange core plug...and that will disintegrate if you try to unplug it.

I suggest you simply live with it unless and until it becomes non-functional--or so impaired as to not provide benefit.

[PaulHS]

Originally Posted by efusco

Better have a replacement cord and core ready then. There's no way to check the core and grease without first unplugging the orange core plug...and that will disintegrate if you try to unplug it.

Yes, that's the reason for asking about your experience with the brittle core plug, to find out how frequently or quickly it breaks down. I am prepared with a replacement kit, just in case. Thanks, Evan, for sharing your knowledge.