Anybody install engine block heater in 2023 or 2024 prius?

Welcome to PriusChat... This will eventually be the thread that tells people how to do that. But Gen5 is still new so we got some research to do. I'll suggest that usually there's a dedicated location for this feature and using a freeze plug is how it was long ago.

Do you plan to buy an aftermarket heater or OEM? Perhaps the purchase comes with instructions you could post?

Also I found these threads that aren' t much help at the moment but maybe you could add new posts to them once you learn more:



Block Heater Installation | Toyota Nation Forum

 

There's a spot for one, but I personally wouldn't use it(and I live in North Dakota). The problem is that it's a spot for a cartridge-style heater and those have been linked to fires. The part number apparently was PK5A4-08J09, but Canada has issued a recall* on that part number(among many others) and it doesn't show up on any of the US Toyota parts websites. You can still find aftermarket heaters that will fit the spot, but the flaw is with the basic design, not the particular part.

*Transport Canada Recall - 2021723 - TOYOTA - Canada.ca

A different option is an oil pan heater.




The why: Cartridge-style block heaters function by sticking a cigar shaped device into a dry cylindrical cavity in the engine block. From an installation standpoint, this is a great design as the coolant doesn't need to be drained to install it. It also works well in aluminum blocks because that metal does a good job of transferring heat.

The problem comes from the interface between the heater and the block. Air is a terrible conductor of heat, so the heater needs to be in tight contact with the block, and thermally-conductive grease needs to completely coat the heater before it's installed in the cavity just like a certain sex toy. If it's properly installed, everything is initially fine. But if it's improperly installed(wrong cartridge that's a little small for the hole, cavity isn't cleaned well enough, wrong type/not enough lube is applied), or if the lube eventually dries out or is washed away somehow, then the heater can't get the energy into the block and the heater and wiring can overheat to the point of catching fire.

This is not just a Toyota problem. Other car makers have used the same system(on the surface it's a really good idea) and they have also had reports of fires.

Plus, there's the standard problems of using undersized, overlong, or damaged extension cords. But that's a different subject.



edit: My pics were of the totally wrong place. Trying to track down the correct spot and if it's even there on the M20A-FXS.

 

Okay, confirmed that the cavity is there, but it is NOT fun to get to. It's basically under the intake manifold. The cavity is cast into the water pump assembly.

Most of the following photos come from this thread:
2022 Corolla Hatch - Block Heater | Toyota Nation Forum





These photos show the location on a M20A-FKS. But some of the details are different in our M20A-FXS. The big difference is that the intake port furthest to the passenger side curves towards the center of the vehicle on the -FKS. This gives access to the cavity. But on the -FXS engine in our Priuses, that port comes straight down; almost completely blocking access.

I was able to able to squeeze my hand under the manifold and just barely touch the cavity with my finger. I suppose you could insert the cartridge heater blind, but I don't know how you could clean the cavity out thoroughly without removing parts. Removing the intake manifold would give you fantastic access, but that's not fun at all. The other option would be to remove a bunch of shrouds and covers from the front of the engine bay. That might give you enough access to come up from below(not from underneath the car, just from below the manifold).


Here's a diagram of the water pump from TIS. The cavity is that hole under the bottom-right of that triangle of red bolts. On the car, the very left side of the water pump is visible sticking out from behind the intake manifold.

 

I live in the Colorado mtns where many days at 7:30 am going to the car it's -20* out.
Don't need one nor want one.

Only time I had a block heater was for my MB diesel

 

I've got a third-party heater fitted - DEFA, which is a local brand and what my Toyota dealer and most others install.

Their heater skips the engine cavity difficulty and just mounts on the oil sump to heat the oil instead.

You can find their mounting instructions if you navigate the form here:

Find your engine heater

http://old.defa.com/vfp/eh/422874.pdf

But even they admit (in quite small print) that it's not the same as a coolant heater.

 

A thermosiphon coolant heater is another option. If there is space for it in the engine bay. It needs proper placement in order to get the convection current flowing.

 

Can you elaborate on oil pan heater options?

In Gen3 Prius an engine block heater allows you to start the car up in full EV mode and drive it around for a while before the engine starts. I suspect newer versions of Prius would have those same benefits if you kept the engine warm enough.

 

As long as you keep it under 15 kmh.

It is useful for garage-to-driveway maneuvers.

 

In countries with cold climates, both electric heaters and additional fuel-powered heaters are used to warm up the Prius Plug-in. They are installed in the circulation system of the cooling liquid.
The cost of an electric heater is about €500.
The cost of a gasoline additional heater is from €3,330, depending on the configuration.

https://www.toyota.fi/content/dam/toyota/nmsc/finland/pdf-files/pricelists/kesakuu-2024/Prius-Plug-in-Hybrid-hinnasto-20062024.pdf
Prius Plug-in - Autohuolto Seitoy Oy - Toyota-huolto

 

The Defa engine heater shown on that pricelist would be the one I linked to above - heating oil, not coolant.

The petrol or electric cabin heater is a bit decadent, tbh... Never used one.

It is a bit annoying you can't connect the engine heater up to the charging socket, so you don't have to plug the car in twice...

 

Power 300 watts
Voltage 200V
Then you also need a voltage converter

 

I can see the need for various car heaters in North Dakota. I've lived in Alaska for six years and, in the center of the state, seen -55 and a car would definitely be just a big frozen brick without heaters.

Up there, they change all fluids as possible with synthetic...flows easier in the extreme cold. They also have little heater blankets that wrap around your 12-volt battery. And the have little radiator coolant heaters that just attach to the big hose on the bottom of the radiator. I don't know how many use block heaters but my car (a leased Ford Explorer) had two orange heating pads glued to the transmission and to the bottom of the oil pan. These things were all plugged into a single connector and then one plug stuck out of the front of the vehicle to plug into an outlet when the car was parked. Even the Walmart and other big stores in Fairbanks have rows of plugs for folks to plug in while shopping.

it's a whole different world in the winter up there....at -40 or colder, your power windows will NOT work and the bottoms of your tires are flat and don't round out until you've driven a few miles...so you always think you have flats when starting to drive. Your car never really gets all that warm unless you drive for more than 45 minutes, either.

When I flew in the Air Force up there, we once flew up to a military base on the North Shore (Point Barrow) to bring supplies, in a C-130 aircraft. Anyway, it was in late January and pitch black, no sun came up yet, so we landed but left our engines running while offloading. I noticed about 9 pickup trucks (all government, so Fords and Chevys) running next to the terminal and asked why they were all running. The guy told me they just leave them running during the coldest times because if you shut them off they won't start until it warms up in the spring. (I bet those vehicles don't have a very long lifespan.)

Did y'all know there's a Federal law that states a government vehicle has to be American made? So no Tundras or Nissans in the fleet, even though the Tundras are made in Texas.

 

The OP is from Illinois. I'm the one from ND and I recommended against the block heater. But I'm also like a dog with a bone when someone asks an interesting question, which is why I made so many posts about it.

Growing up in ND in the 70s/80s/90s with cars that were either diesels or big V8s, block heaters were almost a necessity. If you didn't help them at least a little bit with heat on the coldest days, the batteries could quickly drain out trying to start the stiff engines. But a Prius? Heck, that's nothing. Little 4 cylinder engine with thin oil and the "starter" being powered by the traction battery? North Dakota almost never gets cold enough to prevent a Prius from starting. Central Alaska and northern Canada? Sure. But not North Dakota, and definitely not Illinois.

 

I try to plug the block heater (on our ‘10) for approx 2 hours, before cold starts. Year ‘round. We’re on the west coast, lower mainland BC.

 

Around 2006, I had a co-worker here accept a one-year position up at Fort Greely, Alaska (about 90 miles south of Fairbanks.) He had a new Prius and I asked if he was going to buy something else. Nope, he had the Toyota dealership up in Fairbanks winterize the thing every time I would chat with him he said it was running great, even at -55. He did say it wasn't good in the deep snow but, there, after you got through the heavy snows in November and December, it was pretty dry and wouldn't snow....it's too cold to snow.

 

Gen2 owners were installing block heaters not to help with cold starting, but to improve efficiency. The heater cuts the time the car runs in the warm up cycle, and get to temp faster. They even used the heater outside of winter.

 

Always S4 mode. Optimal hybrid mode, high efficiency. No additional hacks needed for this.

 

Still happening.

I’ve a hunch it’s beneficial for engine longevity as well.