OT: What is this??

[jamie72]

It says Car Warmer on the bottom. It also says made in Canada. Any ideas on what this is out of? It also has an orginal 110 - 3 prong wall plug in on it.

[ChrisK10]

Uhh.... block heater? I haven't seen one before so I don't know... just a guess.

[Huck]

I think the name kind of defines the description of what it does. Warms the car!! DA! Actually it probably mounted under the dash with an extension cord that you would have plugged into an house or garage outlet. You could even have it on a timer so the car would be warm before you had to go start it and freeze your buns off waiting for the thing to get warm. A block heater is usually not much more then a wired oil dip stick. They were and still have common further north---that and synthetic oil.
You could use yours to warm your truck, blazer, or barn!!hehehe

[Rooster's 67]

looks like a heater you put in the cab or passenger compartment to warm the inside while parked. does it have any external fittings other than a wall plug?

ChrisK10 a block heater generaly goes into a welch plug(falsely called a freeze plug) on the side of the block and has an element on it to heat the water in the passage

[Rooster's 67]

huck the "block heater" you speak of is actually just a oil heater to keep the oil in the sump warm and easier to flow on a cold start. see my post above about a block heater

[Rooster's 67]

go to this link to see an actual block heater. it is for a big truck but it is the same just bigger than automotive applications. the black ring part is rubber and expands to fill the open welch plug hole sealing it to the block.

these will heat the coolant and the oil and the whole block to ease starting, and eliminate the first 30 mins of freezing your a$$ off driving in a diesel truck.

[Rooster's 67]

oh duh put in the link huh?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2452720898

[shuttermutt]

...a welch plug(falsely called a freeze plug

I don't know if I would say falsely or not. Most of us know that the plugs exist as happy coincidence. The holes exist due to the block casting process. As it turns out, they might relieve stress if the water jackets freeze and prevent further damage. Generally, they don't do a damn bit of good, but the reasoning satisfied those that asked questions, more often than not.

Hmmm... come to think of it, I probably would say falsely considering I've never seen or heard of an instance where they actually did anything other than leak coolant at the worst possible time.

[Rooster's 67]

well they will not prevent a block from breaking if the coolant passages freeze. they are actually called freeze plugs because back inthe day when the blocks were actually made thicker and heavier, the plug would pop before a castin cracked. they were there by called Freeze plugs because they would pop if the block had been frozen. then leaky leaky. and your right shuttermutt, they always rust through at the worst time. or the worst spot. like behind the flywheel.

[jamie72]

huck i thought that was what the little levers in the dash was for..one of mine say heat..lol
thinking i might be for a rv or something??
anyway off to e-bay it gos..

[Lippyp]

Originally posted by Rooster's 67
a welch plug(falsely called a freeze plug)

We just call them core plugs in the UK.

[ronh72c10]

Hi Jamie:

Huck is right, it's an interior warmer, had one exactly like it in my old 72 Chevelle. Kept me from freezing my butt off when I still lived in Saskatchewan.

Ron

[jamie72]

hey ron,how it going??
now how do you keep from freezing you butt off now??
i know its cold down here now..don`t know how you guys up there make it.lol
stay in touch.