[s-cars] Block Heater Question

[Tom Green]

On Thursday, November 7, 2002, mlp wrote:
> Date: Thu, 7 Nov 2002 15:13:21 -0700
> From: "mlp qwest" <mlped at qwest.net>
> To: "Paul Friedenberg" <paulunm at msn.com>
> Cc: s-car-list at audifans.com
> Subject: RE: [s-cars] Block Heater Question
>
> A plug in electrical heater, sometimes located in the oil pan, used in
> very,
> very cold climates (i.e., places like West Yellowstone, Wyoming, Alaska
> etc.) In the winter, when or if you parked your car outside, you could
> plug
> it in to keep the block at least lukewarm.  Some rest stop /
> restaurants and
> motels in some of these places even offer a sort of electrical
> hitching post
> you can pull your car (pickup truck) up to and plug in to keep things
> warm
> while you'd have dinner etc.
>
> My first Audi purchased out of Sheridan, Wyoming came with one as a
> "standard" dealer item add-on (kind of like that extra rust coating, or
> paint sealant, the dealers all want to sell you as an extra cost
> item......
>
> JC Whitney used to offer a variety of them, some far better than
> others.  If
> you've ever noticed what looks like an electrical socket hanging or
> peaking
> out the front grill of (usually) the ranch pick ups in your area, it's
> probably equipped with a block heater.
>
> ~-----Original Message-----
> ~From: s-car-list On Behalf Of Paul Friedenberg
> ~
> ~What's a block heater? :)
> ~
> ~(I use 15w50 Mobil 1 year round)
> ~
> ~Paul
> ~New Mexico
> ~
> Just when we need him, Charlie is off in EuroDisney or whatever they
> call Paris now.  I'm sure he would be expounding on the virtues and
> necessity of block heaters with a diesel truck.  I think he got one
> from Anchorage too, probably all tricked out.  Most up there also had
> battery heaters.  If your battery ran down the resulting drop in
> specific gravity meant the battery also froze and busted the case.
> Most of the public parking lots had plugs for the heaters.  I'm not
> sure how a battery blanket would fit under the seat, though.  If the
> climate requires heaters, almost all dealers and shops install them as
> after sale items.  The blanket that conformed to the bottom of the oil
> pan were the most common aftermarket heaters and easiest to install.
The pipeline workers just left the trucks running all winter.  Only
shut them down in the garage to do maintenance.
Tom