Where is the engine block heater located?

[DanBree]

I have a 2010 Freightliner with a DD15 engine which came from Texas. Does anyone know where the engine block and oil pan heaters are to be located on this type of engine? Thanks.

[MrSeas]

Are you sure you have the heaters installed?

[Pat & Pete]

Are you sure you have the heaters installed?

 

I think he's asking where they are suppose to be installed . Not whether they are there or not .

[HERO Maker]

Well I guess he will know if he has them or not, once somebody tells him where they are supposed to be!

[Dollytrolley]

I have a 2010 Freightliner with a DD15 engine which came from Texas. Does anyone know where the engine block and oil pan heaters are to be located on this type of engine? Thanks.

Find the heater plugin recptical (where you plug in your 120 V AC cord) and then trace the wire(s) back to the heater(s).

 

Drive on.....(don't forget to unplug before you drive off...)

[RickW]

If the original owner spec'ed the truck for southern routes, don't be surprised if he opted not to install them. My truck has neither block heaters or glow plugs. The coldest I have started the truck is in the upper 20's with snow on the ground. It was a little rough running at first but settled/smoothed out pretty quickly. Then I just let it fast idle for 15~20 minutes before moving the truck.

 

I have considered installing a block heater, maybe. But the policy of avoiding the colder weather seems to be working just fine so far.

[DanBree]

Unfortunately, I cannot avoid cold weather. I found the place where it supposed to plug in on the side of the cab, but there is only the shore power plug, and not one for the engine heater. I want to find it on the engine so I know if I need the whole setup, or just the plug in spot. Here is the link to the pic showing my current plug setup...

 

https://1drv.ms/i/s!AqQCqzMkXxKLpznDorDUS5bctwke

[HERO Maker]

Are you able to chase the wire from you shore power plug to see if it goes to a junction box, where maybe the heater cord is coming out of?

[SuiteSuccess]

Dan,

 

Go to your Freightliner dealer parts or service and see if they can get you a build sheet. Just give them the VIN. It will tell you if they were spec'd or not. Your receptacle does not look like it was. My truck doesn't have them either as a southern truck. Maybe Li'l Black Dog will chime in if build sheet available on access Freightliner.

[Star Dreamer]

On our 2005 Freightliner with a Detroit Series 60 14l did not have any block heater because it was a southern truck. We had one added at our local dealer and they installed in on the passenger side where there was a removable pipe plug. It is a lot easier on the truck during starting when the temps get below freezing.

 

If I had to do a lot of real cold weather driving, I would also change out our Davco fuel filter housing to have the one with a heater to warm the fuel up too.

 

I am not sure how close it is to your DD15 but let me know if you need a picture of the location and I can try to get one this weekend.

 

Dave

[Scrap]

http://www.dtnaecomponents.com/WesternStar/4900/HDEPDetroitDiesel/EngineBlockHeater/WesternStar4900EPA2010EngineBlockHeater.htm

[Dollytrolley]

Unfortunately, I cannot avoid cold weather. I found the place where it supposed to plug in on the side of the cab, but there is only the shore power plug, and not one for the engine heater. I want to find it on the engine so I know if I need the whole setup, or just the plug in spot. Here is the link to the pic showing my current plug setup...

 

https://1drv.ms/i/s!AqQCqzMkXxKLpznDorDUS5bctwke

The Dollytrolley is a 97 Shaker Century with a small M11 Cummins so the heater location on the engine is not relevant to your engine but by all means do install a Quality block heater and use it because it will be a win / win in no time. A few weeks ago we were over night stopped in Winnumicca NV at the Fairgrounds and we opted for a full hook up mostly just so we could plug in the block heater since it was to be in the mid 20 that night. Early the next morning a KW stock truck a couple hundred feet down the stables took about 30 seconds of cranking to start chugging and start blowing smoke rings....hard on the batteries, stater, and engine....he let it fast idle for 20 minutes to defrost the windows. I went out and started our Shaker and it purred at the first rev of the starter and the windows were defrosted in just a coupe of minutes with a nice toasty cab heat with both the cab and condo heaters running. What you really notice is how fast your volt meter recovers to full voltage on a cold morning when you have to just touch the start position instead of a long hard starter run on already cold batteries.

 

A half century ago my oldest sister married a diesel mechanic from Senica Oregon and it was often tied with International Falls as the coldest weather station in the Contentnal US many winter days, he worked for Hines Lumber and the operated very large fleets of trucks that all had block heaters AND battery heaters as well because at -40f a set of D8 batteries would be very weak in voltage. Out in the woods Hines idled the dozers and log loaders ALL winter long and service trucks kept them fueled and idling even during the Christmas days off.

 

These days we try to stay in the Warm locations most of the time but in the higher elevations of the West where we boondock we sometimes have chilly nights...so if we are alone I will often get up early and plug the block heater into the Gen and after a couple hours we have a nice hot start. If other horse campers are nearby sometimes we make a cold start but I try to avoid it.

 

Drive on....(hot start is toasty...)

[NoDirectionHome]

When it's cold enough to warrant the block heater, your batteries are at about 50-60% of the charge at 70 deg.F I'd strongly recommend a battery warming mat if you stay where its cold as an addition to the block heater.

[Dollytrolley]

One other item that really helps with colder climate starts is keeping a Battery-Tender on the battery bank .....a set of batteries in top voltage condition will be less stressful on both the starter and engine.....and far less stress on the battery bank as well....win win...

 

Drive on.....(keep your volts up on cold starts)

[billr]

What Dolly said!! Batt minder.

 

For years our truck sat out in Canada all winter. No block heater. Started everytime Volvo motor has an intake heater on 12v too.

 

We ran block heaters on vehicles but best not to be on full time. Use a timer. On for a few hrs before you need it.

[gjhunter01]

Auto parts stores used to sell a heating element that goes in the oil dip stick tube. It might be a cheaper route if the block heater is not needed that often. Otherwise, even our old diesel farm tractors didn't need engine heat until the temps got into the 20's, newer diesel engines should start below that.

Greg

[RickS]

I ordered my truck with Block heater/pan heater and 12V air intake pre heater. If you leave the truck sit without batteries fully charged you run the risk of freezing and cracking the battery cases. Here is a company that I have no affiliation with that has some interesting products even fuel filter heaters. You may be able to get away with just a oil pan heater and DIY.

[DanBree]

Lots of good information. Thanks to Scrap for the pic, I will look over my motor tonight to see if things are there. If it isn't there, I will work on getting one installed. The battery warming blanket is one I hadn't thought about, but I do have a battery maintainer on them. I thought about an oil dipstick-based heater, but the DD15 engine's dipstick port has a device which prevents anything, other than the dipstick, from going in. For now, I will rely on my Tripac APU to warm up the engine before I start it, hopefully my neighbors won't complain about it running for the few hours I will need.

[NoDirectionHome]

If you ran a TriPac for hours next to me in a campground where you could plug in, I'd be really pissed!

[DanBree]

That and electricity is cheaper than diesel.

[beyerjf]

120v block heaters are cheap, effective and reliable. Hints above make sense, plug it in 2-3 hours before start time but make sure you unplug it before you start the engine. Circulating coolant will allow the element to burn out.

Battery heaters, oil dip stick heaters are largely ineffective. Fully charged battery won't freeze, but do lose significant cranking power as temps drop. Block heater makes the engine think it is summer outside.