Block heater ?

[ditchwitch1]

Hi,Can anybody tell me The procedure for changing my block heater?It has been working great,went to plug in the other night,and got nice blue light show from under truck,:eek: scared the crap out of me!Looked in the morning,burn marks on plug at heater.Do these short out internally?or could there maybe have been ice between terminals?Before I burn my house down trying to plug in again,can anybody enlighten me?Thanks,Kurt.:confused:

[sd9465]

you can buy replacement cords for the block heater, as they just snap on to the heater that is in the block. It probably will fix it, if not drain the antifreeze, and loosen the bolt in the center of the block heater. It should pop out with a little prying. Make sure you polish the surface of the block where the oring seats before installing the new heater. Usually isn't too bad, I've done a few of them.

[ditchwitch1]

Thanks for your quick response!So,with the sparking,it's more likely to be a wiring problem,rather than internal?Should I be able to pick up cable at auto parts store?Or is it the dreaded DEALER ONLY?Thanks again,Kurt.:)

[BlazeGM4]

Aftermarket cords are available. Phillips & Temro replacment cord # is 3600006. The 6.5 is a generic 3 prong cord that fits most heaters. And there's two heaters available, 600w and for the colder climates 1000w.

[ditchwitch1]

Hi,Thanks for all the info and advice.I have decided to just replace the whole shootin' match,went onto advance auto online,and found a 600w for less than $20.00.My truck[96 2500 ext.] has over 250k on it,and it is probably time.Thanks again!:cool: