I have Saturn Ion 2007 2.2 car.
I recently putted used block heater I bought from someone.
As, the plug was damaged so he putted a new plug but it is not thermostat control. He told original plug was thermostat control which activate only when temp goes below -18 degree celcius.

So my question is....HOW LONG I SHOULD PLUG IN THE BLOCK HEATER BEFORE IT IS TOO LONG ? AS CORD IS NOT THERMOSTAT CONTROLLED CORD ANYMORE

Thank you.

 

NO NEED TO YELL YOUR QUESTIONS.

Assuming it is the freeze plug insertion type, AI tells me that

+5 to -22F 2-4 hours
Below - 22F 4 hrs or more

Plug it into a timer and set the timer to go on the required amount of time before you leave for work.

You will have to experiment to find the time that is sufficient for whatever temperature it is outside.
.
I don't know too many people, with today's oil technology, that would plug in a block heater at +5F.. then again, waiting until minus 18 seems a bit long. Then again, is that -18C or -18F?

The above numbers are estimates provided by Gemini AI. Use them at your own risk. I am not responsible for any consequences of any type resulting from the use of these numbers.

 

Thank you for the reply.
I am sorry i didn't mean to yell my questions. i am sorry if you felt otherwise.
I edited my post to -18 degree celcius.
It is not freeze plug type block heater. It is more like clamp on. It is attached to the back of engine with one 10 mm bolt.

I really appreciate you took time to message me.
Thank you.

 

No harm no foul.

The block heaters that mount in place of a freeze plug warm the engine by heating the coolant throughout the cooling circuit available with the thermostat closed. This in turn warms up the block and I suppose warms up the oil pan such that the oil viscosity is lowered. Less wear on internal parts.

I'm not familiar enough with the ecotec engines in the ion and other Saturn vehicles to even guesstimate how long you would need to have your style of block heater on to give you useful results. Hopefully someone else can chime in on this.

Wish I had more for you on this.

 

i added a block heater just like that to my car, and then i bought a smart plug (tp link) that i can set a schedule for. mine is only a 300W unit, so when it's -10F or colder i have it set to 3-4 hours before im ready to leave for work. i havent had any issues with the smart plug being too cold in my detached garage.

 

Thank you for the message. i really appreciate that .

 

​​​​​​Thank you for the message.
i just search online for smart plug tplink .I live in an apartment where there is no wifi available to parking lot. so i guess it won't work for me. please share if i am missing anything.
So do u have same block heater as mine . I am just wondering do u plug in only when temperature fall below -10F ?
I appreciate for taking time to message me.
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