Engine Block Heater (EBH) Installation without removing cowl

Quote of advise, Start doing your installation on a cool engine

 

I installed a couple of EBH on my Prii from the bottom -up; it is still the same inconvenience and knuckle scraping task

 

I did not put car on ramps or otherwise but maybe should have due to the fact that if I would have dropped a fastener or ? it would have probly fallen down to the cover pan deal and THEN I would have had to retrieve it.
I did not drop anything but then I am a mechanic by trade and occasionally lucky.
Another point is to mark where the wipers are before you start.
A piece of blue tape on the windshield and a mark so as to replace them in the same state you removed them in.
I will be standing at the front bumper and relating everything as to left and right from there (left=pass side..etc.)
Considering the brown acid at woodstock, I'll try to remember how it went.....let's begin, shall we?

Remove the plastic cap covering the nut that attaches the right (single) wiper to the stud.
Remove said nut.
A little pry if possible to help wiper off stud.
Remember the spring-action what keeps wiper on glass and try to neutralize.
If needed, screw nut back onto stud about 2 threads and hit with hammer lightly.
We're looking for a "shock" to help pop off stud.
DO NOT hit stud without the nut being on there or you may never get nut back on hammered threads.
The double-action wiper will come off pretty easily.
Remove plastic cowl.
The ends of the plastic cowl have a removable piece to help guide it away from hood attachments.
The plastic cowl squeezes off the windshield at wiping seal that follows contour of glass.
You have opened the hood right? Good. Let's continue
The wire harness @ wiper mechanism does not have to be unplugged.
Remove bolts holding wiper mechanism to metal plate.
Swing mechanism to your left and let it sit there on a blanket or towel or Ralph Lauren Quilt.
Basically swing it out of your way.
The isolation rubbers will stay with wiper mechanism except for the rear slide out one....I think.
A few will go thru mounted rubbers, the rear unit will slide out right to left.
Remove metal plate assembly.
This is a good time to clean the metal plate, clean and treat the plastic cowling.
If you throw your hips against the driver side fron quarter panel (right above front left tire) and lean forward with a flashlight you can see the EBH hole in engine block. Remember the size of the part and imagine the size of hole it will take. Also remember that is quite a snug fit. Not a lot of slop as it were.
Juiced Hybrid has a relatively good picture schedule of this install.
Print it out and keep it with you.
Right in front of the EBH hole is a bunch of wire looms and such and a fastener that needs to be removed.
As I recall you'll need an 10mm socket on an extension.
A decent extension. I used 3/8" drive deep socket with about 12" of extension.
Remove the fastener to be able to manipulate the wires fastened to gain access to the hole.
The hole access will not be easy, gonna have to work at it a bit.
Not hard just get a feel for it.
Make couple dry runs before you commit to an install with a greased-up part.
At this point you will want to be on the left quarter panel leaning in....the pass side.
It will be easier to install plug from left side than right for most people I'd think.
While installing you will be pushing wires out of the way, bear this in mind.
It's a bitt of a mofo, don't give up.
While leaning over left quarter panel (above front right tire) reach around a bit a get a feel for where this hole is.
The hole is actually on the driver side on the engine block angled down about 30 degrees.
Think of the angle and the related wires in the way.
Good time to add some of the thermo grease to the hole.
If you put all the grease on the EBH and then try to insert you'll find that you have removed all the grease while weaseling it around the wires trying to find the hole again.
I took about half the thermo grease on the end of my finger and slid it into the EBH hole before I tried to install it.
Maybe 2-3 passes until the half was clinging to the edge of afore-mentioned hole.
Rest of grease to EBH unit.
With left hand (wires in way kind of tied off or held back with other hand) I popped the EBH into it's location.
It doesn't just drop in. Get it started, wiggle it, rotate a bit, then you'll feel it's on it's way.
You are working with the unit that goes into the block and NOT the wires as well that are connected to it.
Once I knew it was just a matter of sending it home another inch or so I attached the cord/plug.
I added a small amount of Blue RTV sealant/adhesive to the plug.
I wanted to seal the plug to the EBH unit without having either the RTV or thermoseal goo from impacting the electrial connection. A valid concern.
At this point the EBH and plug connected to it are about 2/3 of the way in.
I used a 1/2 "wooden dowel to send it all the way home.
Carefully I tapped the dowel onto the end of the connector in the direction the EBH wanted to go.
It slid into place nicely and then it snapped into a fixed position.
Now I have an EBH in place and a connector securely fastened to it.
Reverse the removal process until you have no parts left.

Be careful.
Be patient.
Have enough time for this project don't short-sheet yourself.

Have fun. relax.
You can do this.

Read more: http://priuschat.com/threads/engine-block-heater-install-you-can-do-it.118904/#ixzz3MGHjRfoO
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I don't know if it's the law here, but every vehicle I've seen here has a block-heater installed. I think maybe it's just best-practice. I know the dealers always install them here before they sell the vehicle in most cases. If my car didn't have a block heater, I wouldn't try to install one. I'd use a magnetic oil-pan heater instead.

In any case, since I started using zero-grade winter oils, I haven't needed to use a block-heater. The viscosity of the oil is good enough that it makes very little difference, and the Prius starts differently than a regular vehicle anyway.

I think using a block-heater is unlikely to make much of a difference in warm-up costs, and it certainly won't pay for itself in the short-term. A gasoline warm-up only takes 5-8 minutes, but using a block-heater, it takes an hour or more to achieve the same effect, so the economics don't justify using it in my opinion.

 

For the cowl removal this video by member nutzaboutbolts is invaluable:

 

^ One hour on the Prius' 400 watt heater raises coolant temp about 70% of the possible raise. Two hours is really needed to where temp plateaus, and that's roughly 20~25C higher than ambient.

It will not be blowing warm air out of vents immediately. It will get the car through warm up significantly faster, though.