Lohkolämmitin / engine block heater

[Garymau]

Hi,

so, I recently had a block heater installed to my car. How do I know whether it works and actually does preheat the motor?
Also, I had the socket for inside the car installed as well, but the plug of the little heating device (Defa was the brand)was too narrow for the plug (it fell
out of the plug all the time), how can that be?

[fingol]

Hi,

so, I recently had a block heater installed to my car. How do I know whether it works and actually does preheat the motor?
Also, I had the socket for inside the car installed as well, but the plug of the little heating device (Defa was the brand)was too narrow for the plug (it fell
out of the plug all the time), how can that be?

Is there the possibility you don't plug fully?
Usually I feel a difference when block heater is plugged. Less fuel consumption for initial warm-up and more silent operation.

[Garymau]

Hi - I don´t think so, I´ve checked and both plugs work.
I`ll use a infrared thermometer to check the temperature of the motor (there part where the actual part was installed) I guess...

[Handsome]

so, I recently had a block heater installed to my car. How do I know whether it works and actually does preheat the motor?

Ideally, get yourself and the car into a very quiet, indoor space like a garage (with an electrical sockeet). If you can't find an indoor space, wait until it's very quiet outside and there's no wind.

Open the car's bonnet (so you can hear things easier) and plug the car-end of the cable into the car's outside heating socket. Then plug in the other end of the cable into an electrical socket. After a few seconds, you should hear some popping or crackling sounds coming from the heating element in the engine. After a few more seconds, the popping and crackling will stop and you'll probably start to hear a faint fizzing sound. This confirms that the heating element's working.

Also, I had the socket for inside the car installed as well, but the plug of the little heating device (Defa was the brand)was too narrow for the plug (it fell out of the plug all the time), how can that be?

Are you able to send a link to a photo or picture?

[riku2]

you could also use a plug in energy consumption meter to see how many W the heater is using, if it's zero then there is a break in the circuit somewhere

[Piet]

After a few more seconds, the popping and crackling will stop and you'll probably start to hear a faint fizzing sound. This confirms that the heating element's working.

Depends on the system installed.

For example, my engine heater is a heating element inside a weird shaped aluminum block, that fits the side of the lower part of the engine back wall (place where the oil is collected = carter / crankcase). It is bolted to the engine there. It will never ever make any sound at all, it preheats the oil through the wall of the lower part of the engine.

Other cars (nowadays more common) have a heating element spliced into the cooling system, with or without separate pump. With pump, you will hear, without pump you will only hear when the water starts moving due to it becoming really hot, this you can definitely feel on the pipe just above the heating element, no IR meter needed.

Best thing is to take a (lidl?) multimeter and set in on measuring Ohms, (resistance), take out any inside cabin heater from the socket and measure at the terminals from the wall socket plug when it is inserted in the car socket outside under / on / above your front fender. No resistance at all (meter shows 0000) you have a short and your fuse will blow, anything between lets say 8 Ohm and 50 Ohm will be ok, this value greatly depends on the capacity / power (in Watt) of the heating element used.

About the plug from the cabin heater not staying in place, indeed this seems to be not inserted enough to stick, sometimes it wont go in enough because the socket is too new and sturdy to let the plug terminals slide in... it is still (like a) virgin...