2001 vert block heater
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 969
Likes: 141
From: Staten island NY
2001 vert block heater
I bought my car about 3yrs ago. It was built in KY for a Canadian purchaser. It has a OEM block heater installed, looks like all I have to do is plug it in. I can't see where it goes into the block.
If anyone has some info I can use it. I know it is 3 yrs later, just never used it.
If anyone has some info I can use it. I know it is 3 yrs later, just never used it.
Pro
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 593
Likes: 9
From: San Antonio Texas
If it's like other block heaters it is already installed in the block in a freeze plug port. The wiring usually comes out the front of the vehicle and you merely plug the unit into household 110vac outlet. There is no external thermostat so the user just has to plug it in and more importantly UNPLUG it before you depart. Please don't ask how I know! LOL. Good luck.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 4,309
Likes: 13
From: FW/d Texas
If it's like other block heaters it is already installed in the block in a freeze plug port. The wiring usually comes out the front of the vehicle and you merely plug the unit into household 110vac outlet. There is no external thermostat so the user just has to plug it in and more importantly UNPLUG it before you depart. Please don't ask how I know! LOL. Good luck.
Pro
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 593
Likes: 9
From: San Antonio Texas
Ha ha C5Txfan! I don't have a block heater in my C5 but I haven't always lived in San Antonio either! I have been in Milwaukee when it was so cold the car rental companies would not rent you a car. They said if the car fails we will not come get you and you are on your own. I would always use the block heaters if the cars were so equipped. They are required equipment in some places and they work well. Great to hear from you.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 199
Likes: 44
From: ND
Tonights low is supposed to be about -25F, and tomorrows high about -13. In this kind of weather it is much easier on the motor to have them plugged in. When you start a motor at these temps it takes a long time for oil pressure to come up. Most modern vehicles will start on their own at these temps, but I like to have then plugged in for at least a couple hours before starting. Ice fishing is a good way to cope. ice gets up to 4 feet thick some winters in ND.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 3,146
Likes: 203
From: Edmonton Alberta, Canada
These block heaters do not work at temps ABOVE -18C you do the conversion. Synthetic oil is excellent at low temps as it lubes immediately unlike mineral oil. Good luck fishing...lol. (Right now as I type it is -20C and the block heater on my DD is working. My Corvette and SSR are tucked in and waiting on spring)
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 2,258
Likes: 544
From: Appleton WI
Did you know there is no such thing as a "freeze plug"? They are really called CUP PLUGS. They are not installed to protect the block in the event of the coolant freezing like many people think. The real reason cup plugs are used is to plug the opening that was used to get sand out of the block, especially iron blocks, after pouring the casting. If you remove the large side cup plugs you will see they align with the area between cylinder bores which is a difficult area to remove sand. Many of the new blocks are siamese bores now so there is no sand between the bores.
Other cup plugs are used to seal the ends of oil passages that have been drilled into the block. Drilling clean oil passages is preferred over casting them in order to ensure no debris (sand) can break free during engine operation.
As far as engine block heaters, there are two types; wet and dry. Wet block heaters are typically installed by the manufacturer and often go through the cup plug and into the coolant. This makes it easy for the manufacturer so they don't have to design in an attachment location. Dry block heaters require a boss be designed in but allow for someone to add one after the engine is built. I also believe there are aftermarket heaters that fit down the oil dipstick.
Other cup plugs are used to seal the ends of oil passages that have been drilled into the block. Drilling clean oil passages is preferred over casting them in order to ensure no debris (sand) can break free during engine operation.
As far as engine block heaters, there are two types; wet and dry. Wet block heaters are typically installed by the manufacturer and often go through the cup plug and into the coolant. This makes it easy for the manufacturer so they don't have to design in an attachment location. Dry block heaters require a boss be designed in but allow for someone to add one after the engine is built. I also believe there are aftermarket heaters that fit down the oil dipstick.
Last edited by 3sACROWD; Dec 17, 2016 at 08:21 PM.