Block heaters, oil pan heaters, cold starts, reduced engine wear, etc.?

[Ed_Flecko]

There's a YouTube video by a guy called The Repair Geek, titled "The Science Behind Million Mile Engines! ". The overall message is that by installing a block heater and eliminating cold starts, engine wear is radically reduced and your motor might last 1 million+ miles as some people have done.

I have no doubt that reducing or eliminating cold starts will add a lot of longevity to your motor.

I'm trying to understand what a block heater really does? Is it, fundamentally, like an oil pan heater in that it's not only heating the block and the motor will not run as rich on startup, thereby eliminating cylinder washing of gas, etc., but it's also heating the oil? I'm trying to understand what the block heater and the oil pan heater really do for you as far as reducing engine wear? I know some of you that live in very cold climates, so you use either the block heater and/or the oil pan heater to make the engine start more easily; I get that.

Have any of you done what this guy has done in the video, i.e., performed a UOA and you can confirm that, yes, the heater (block or oil pan) does seem to have reduced your engine wear?

Thank you,
Ed

 

[Snagglefoot]

For those who live in Edmonton, Alberta, yes, most people parked outside, say at work, will have a block heater and plug in on those -40 days, and many diesel owners will plug in at higher temps. I plug in at 0 F when I can. Plugging in as a matter of habit, I could not get into. How long would people own a vehicle to get to 1,000,000 miles. My Burb has almost 300,000 miles and I’ve had it for 18 years.

 

[Leo99]

For those who live in Edmonton, Alberta, yes, most people parked outside, say at work, will have a block heater and plug in on those -40 days, and many diesel owners will plug in at higher temps. I plug in at 0 F when I can. Plugging in as a matter of habit, I could not get into. How long would people have have a vehicle to get to 1,000,000 miles. My Burb has almost 300,000 miles and I’ve had it for 18 years.

You raise a valid point. Getting to a million miles is also a function of time. A very high annual miles driver at 50k miles per year, takes 20 years. That's realistic. Something more normal at 20k miles per year...the vehicle is an ancient relic before 50 years of hard driving. Unless you're driving ~50k miles per year, trying to get 1M miles from your engine is an unrealistic goal.

 

[Snagglefoot]

You raise a valid point. Getting to a million miles is also a function of time. A very high annual miles driver at 50k miles per year, takes 20 years. That's realistic. Something more normal at 20k miles per year...the vehicle is an ancient relic before 50 years of hard driving. Unless you're driving ~50k miles per year, trying to get 1M miles from your engine is an unrealistic goal.

Yes, it would be like driving your 75 Cordoba for 50 years. Wait a minute. We're talking Cordoba!

 

[Leo99]

Yes, it would be like driving your 75 Cordoba for 50 years. Wait a minute. We're talking Cordoba!

That fine Corinthian leather!

 

[dfarr67]

Anything under -20C I plug in- and I have all of those devices including trickle charger. In Edmonton the vehicle will never see 1mil km's let alone miles the body will fall apart.