block heaters?

i have an 06 tacoma and was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on what type block heater would be best. i used the type that circulates the antifreeze through the radiater and block in an old 71 early bronco and realy liked it, and was wondering if i could use the same type in the 06 toy with no problems.

 

Yes, its the only freely available block heater out there installed through a knockout freeze plug. Toyota sells them. The best is an oil heater but yet to find one .

 

Hello, I was just wundering if any one has ever heard of the type of block heater that is installed into the heater hose, heats, and serculates antifreeze through the radiater and the block, so when you start up the truck you have warm air faster than with the plug heater. I have one of these in my 71 1/2 early bronco and it has allways worked great. I was just concearned about any kind of computer type regulaters of baffles, valves, or anything else that might cause any problems?

Thanks in advance

wildebill

 

I looked at those last fall and they were over $300!!! I don't remember the product name or the maufacturer but they do heat and circulate the coolant with a self contained pump in addition to circulating heated air into the vehicle, but I thought they were too expensive. I put a cheap $25 radiator hose coolant heater in my old 1992 Dodge minivan but it didn't work very well. I think the wattage was too low, about 400 watts.

 

Burnsville Toyota
14730 Buck Hill Rd | Burnsville, MN , 55306
PH: (952) 435-8200 | FX: (952) 435-2534
I live in Omaha, NE and none of the Toyota dealerships here seemed to have a clue. I called Burnsville Toyota from Minnesota and purchased over the phone the block hearer element that slides into the receptacle located near the starter mount (Drivers side-back). It was about $47 plus shipping. Lube the thing first, slide it in and clip it to the block (clip attached), and route the cord through the front.

Hope this helps.

Tmeister

 

I may be missing something but none of this makes any sense. How can you circulate the coolant when the thermostat is closed? The thermostat opens around 82 degrees C. If your block heater is working above 82 degrees to keep the thermostat open, then you are not only wasting a lot of energy, I'd also like to see those electricity bills. Consider the heat loss from the rad on those cold nights. I dont think this is an efficient way to heat your block unless you are using a timer to bring it on for about an hour before you use your vehicle.

 

Master,
It's either a vague memory of just another senior moment but I do recall it circulated coolant through the heater core, not the radiator. It had it's own fan and it was a rather large contraption, not to mention expensive. My only guess is it was for use someplace where it's very cold all the time and you need to keep it pugged in.
Anyway, I did pick up a genuine Toyota block heater for my Taco yesterday (Saturday) from the local dealer. They have never installed one and didn't think one was available until I told them they're required up in Canada (so I heard.) They got the part number and it did come in a box labeled TOYOTA CANADA.
Surprisingly, the included instruction sheet says it's for a V8 Lexus and only has a few photos of how to route the wiring, for the Lexus. There's nothing about where it's mounted, where the cables should be routed for a Taco, whether you need to drain the coolant, etc. Since I picked the part up Saturday nobody in the Service Department could give me a quote for installation until Monday. I'd prefer to do it myself and save the bucks but there's no instructions I can use for the Taco and I also searched my set of factory manuals and can't find any reference to a block heater. Does anyone have a reference for the factory Toyota block heater installation?

Tmeister,
I called several dealers in this area too and none of them had a clue either. They kind of scoffed at me because I wanted a block heater. This winter we've had more than a few days of single digit cold and that's more than cold enough for me to want one. Did your part come with instructions for a Taco or a Lexus? And where did you route the cable? Anything you can provide is appreciated, especially photos.

 

Yes, block heaters are a requirement for Canada.

Try emailing a Canadian Toyota Dealership. They'll know for sure.

 

how cold does it get in alaska and PA during the winter? We've had a couple double digit below zero days here in chicago this winter and i haven't had a problem starting it the few times it was left outside. I would be more worried about my gas lines freezing if its too cold to start a gasser.

 

RoyB,
I don't have any problems with the truck performance in the cold, it's riding in the truck until it warms up. My desire for the block heater is strictly personal comfort, I don't function well in cold temperatures. I had a heater in the radiator hose in my old minivan and even though it didn't work that good, it made a big difference when it was below 20 degrees. And thanks for the suggestion to contact a Canadian dealer, I'll give that a shot.

I tell people I love the snow but hate the cold. If it could snow in June's warm weather, I'd be happy.....

 

im with you. riding in a cold car sucks luckily toyotas warm up way quicker than any domestic ive ever been in.

 

Block heaters are a must here.... -45 no windchill for a week straight is VERY hard on vehicles.

 

Spoke with the dealer's service manager today and they want $85 to install. I picked it up the part Saturday for $38.15 with tax. He was so ignorant of his own product that I had to explain to him that it's not installed in place of a freeze plug and there's a hole in the block made just for the heater. I emailed him a link to a thread on the Toyota Nation web site that has photos of the location for the heater on the back of the block. For $85 I'd rather do it myself but now I'm wondering what kind of warranty issues this may cause. It's my understanding that if the dealer performs the install, it will not void any factory warranties and the part might be covered itself since it's a "genuine" Toyota part installed by the dealer. Does anyone have photos of the wire routing on their trucks? I found photos of the heater location but none that show the wire route to the front of the truck.

 

you can pick one up from Napa for about 30 bucks...It replaces a freezeout plug. Has a plug like a diesel

 

The Toyota part does not replace a freeze plug. There's a hole in the block casting already from the factory to insert the heater. No coolant draining required!

 

does anyone have pics to post where the goes and how on a 2.7?

 

I found this thread on the TTORA web site, it has photos of the V6 block heater and where it's installed. No photos of the cable routing though.

 

I was wondering if the 2.7 has this receptacle near the starter mount (Drivers side-back/

 

so far my taco hasnt had any issues with the cold even when we had days of -35C. the wifes 93 camry doesnt use one either, all i bought was a battery blanket and that works like a charm

 

I found this link but good only v6 not 2.7. I guess they don't make it for 2.7. http://trdparts4u.com/PD-00213-00900.aspx?MakeID=1