Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Vehicle heater question

Ok folks, I think I have all the stuff in my head of what needs heaters, have not looked into a cab heater yet but may do that also.

I did see a note about a junction box under the hood so I'm going to ask the next question, just use a weatherproof good box for electrical like you would in a house? And then wire nut everything together, and use one cord out, correct AWG size, and plug in once, with everything connected to that cord?

This is kind of what I'm figuring. IIRC its 2 block heaters, oil pan, both batteries and the transmission plus a cab heater possibly. Not bus bar or fuse/breaker panel etc...?

Thanks, Jeff

Use a 4 square box with an industrial 4 plex cover. all the heater elements have a cord end that plugs into the 4 plex.
If you put a cab heater in you will blow the HBO breaker. Shoot for no more that 1100 watts.
It's easier to troubleshoot if all you have to do is unplug the loads one at a time.
Count on using a timer on the outlet you plug into, you only need to preheat for 2-3 hrs.

All you need to plug in oil pan, tranny, and battery pad:

https://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Ligh...Pl=1&dpID=41KfTJDfiEL&ref=plSrch

Interior heater is great at preventing your dashboard from cracking from the cold. When I lived in North Pole I had these heaters on my GMC, oil pan, Transmission, block, battery blanket with pad and an interior heater. Wired it up like budman5 said and it worked great.

Got it, looks like I'll have 7 at a minimum but I knew I read J box type... may have to have 2 of them that way. 2 batteries, existing heater, 2 block heaters, one either side, transmission and oil pan. Damn that's a lot of cords. LOL.

Jesus. Are you going to Mcmurdo station?

Just use the factory block heater. No need to add 2 more.

+1

I use battery heat pad under battery, one block heater, oil pan heater, tranny heater.
About 600 watts. Make sure you use Arctic rated cords or the outer jackets will crack and brake off...

I remember in about 1954 in Fairbanks, we had a 51 Ford. Dad had a trickle charger under the hood and a headbolt heater.
When we lived in Anchorage in the 70s-80 I had a little oil pan heater on my air cooled VWs and fortunately they had SW gas heaters for the inside. In those days we used the heaters inline in the heaterhose on the water cooled vehicles. We were lucky to have heated garages, so not much trouble.
Now being a mechanic while I was there, we would put an old oil drain pan under cars that had set outside with a charcoal fire to heat the oil.

Not mc murdo, but it is a diesel. And it does not have block heater.... it has a heater but its in an oil something or another that's outside the block and really minimal. Since I've seen photos of -50ish I'd just as soon be safe.. LOL

Jeff-
What make and year rig? Factory heater? If it's a dipstick heater, get rid of it.

I have an'11 ford diesel. Starts fine without the plugin to-20. A little easier at that temp if plugged in for an hour. had diesels in Fbx set up w/ single block heater, battery heater,and oil pan. Trans was a little slow shifting until it warmed, but was fine once I got out of my road ~ 1/2 mile.

Don't over think it.

K, but I like belt and suspenders. LOL.

01 7.3 powerstroke. Some damn thing we replaced the o rings on on the side of the motor( not mechanic, just wrench turner remember...) has some heating device in it. Not the dipstick. This think has oil and antifreeze both in it.

This one is sluggish around freezing here unless I cycle the plugs a few times or plug it in.

May well be that a single block heater is fine.

Always figure one can put the stuff on now, down here, while its "warm" and I have a place to work on it easily, and not plug em all in if need be up there. LOL

Then again if I keep ignoring y'all the gate at the border might be closed when I get there.

I think I'd leave *that*heater unplugged and put it a real block heater.

Trickle charger w/ dual batts in stead of two heaters i something to consider. The heat is just to help provide full starting Vs. It would be one less plug.

Ok, one block heater through a freeze plug hole, don't worry about the ford heater, instead of second side block heater through a freeze plug, put in a trickle charger for batteries. Just to make sure I"m understanding the direction here.

Yup. Plus oil pan.

You need enough jolts to glow, crank, and start. Also need to create oil pressure quickly. Them's the minimum. Everything else is gravy.

Jeff-
Do what makes you comfortable and you need to do. I just think you are overthinking this.

I can be guilty of that.While I don't wear a belt and suspenders my mind works that way...

Synthetic lube, a block heater, and a charge on the batt's and you're golden. If you have the watts to spare, and oil pan heating pad ain't a bad thing. We put hard miles on 7.3's up north, and so equipped some have almost 300k on them.

Jeff

Back in the dinosaur days in Alaska, we used Amzoil. Worked well.

I would not forgo the battery blanket, the last thing you want is for your battery to crack at sub zero temps. I use to be the guy that repaired every single battery that belonged to any AF related site (except Eielson) in Alaska and the amount of cracked batteries I had come in during the winter was stupid. Contrary to what many believe, sulfuric acid will freeze when it hits the right temp (37°) and when it does, it could expand the case enough to crack it. Seen that more times than I cam count.

7.3 will have full synthetic by the time I leave. Has synthetic oil and trans currently.

Gonna just go the overkill route, easier to put in and never plug in now, than need later on...