Old timer changed my mind about block heaters yesterday

I've always been the type to just let a cold engine crank and crank until it fires up. Figured block heaters were for guys up in Canada or something. But yesterday I was helping this retired mechanic named Frank with a Cummins swap and he asked if I always beat on my starter like that. He said every cold start without a block heater is like grinding 500 miles off your starter and battery life. Then he showed me his old work truck with 400k miles on the original starter and he always used a timer to plug it in two hours before start. I never thought about the math that way. It hit different hearing it from a guy who's been doing this since the 70s and still has all his original tools. Anyone else have an old timer talk sense into you about something you always thought was unnecessary?

3 comments

3 Comments

barbaradavis23d ago

Starter's cheap but a trip to get one isn't. Frank's logic makes sense.

sean4823d ago

Sounds like a good story but starters are cheap.

adam41422d ago

My buddy Frank actually spent over $200 on gas and a rental truck to go grab one from a guy on Facebook Marketplace once. So no, starters aren't always that cheap when you factor in the whole trip. Have you ever actually tried swapping a starter on a car that's stuck in a parking lot with no tools and no help? I have, and it's not fun. Sean, how much did you pay for your last starter plus the tow to get it fixed when you were stranded? That's the real question here.