Want to install an Engine Block Heater yourself? This guide may help.

Is the EBH cheaper at the Toyota Dealer?

 

Mucho's Gracias to the OP and everybody who contributed to this thread, it was a GREAT help for me today when I was installing my EBH.

I did a few rookie mistakes - greased up the heating element before doing a few trial run installs. The heat transfer grease was all over everything. I had to dry everything off, THEN get the heating element in the jacket, THEN back it out a little and install the grease. I hope I applied enough!

Sigh of relief when I plugged it in and the EBH jacket on the engine block was HOT after less than a minute. Be careful if you install the EBH and go to touch the jacket to make sure its heating - it gets hot enough to burn you pretty good.

All in all, probably a 1.5 hour job for me. I took several breaks and came in to check back in this thread for tips. Its going to be in the 60's this whole week here in Michigan so I wont be using the EBH just yet, but am looking forward to plugging that sucker in when the temps drop below 45F!

OH, one last thing. I zip tied the EBH cord to the inverter hose that goes from the reservoir to the inverter coolant pump. I figured most of the EBH cord was covered in that tin foily heat resistant stuff so it would be protected, so is that going to be a problem? I mean, most of the EBH cord is in the back of the engine right next to the flaming hot exhaust manifold so it should be able to take the lesser heat from the inverter cooling loop right?

 

Now I need to do the un-install. My heater is not functioning, and the circuit is open. I suspect it is where the wires turn the corner to go into the heater, at least that looked like the weak point when it was installed.

 

Are you sure it's not the plug that plugs into the garage wall socket? There were many reports of the plug failing and mine also failed at the same place some time ago.

 

I did this the hard way the above post by op /thread look and appears alot more preferable and I like the cord orientation better. I vote for BDMP (Best Demostrate Method Practice) . I do not think this thread was here when I did mine.... Is there a group buy price on these anywhere..

 

Had the problem with the plug as well. At first I thought the heater itself was the problem, but narrowed it down to a tripped wire underneath the insulation near the plug due to constant bending over time. replaced plug. functioning perfectly again. : )

 

Hi there. Would you be willing to make a video and post it? I am better at watching a video and then performing something instead of reading the directions.
Thanks in advance for considering

 

Installed mine today. Thanks for the guide. What a pain in the nice person!

 

Just installed mine today. I agree with WNY-HYBRID, what a serious pain in the a$$. Wow. Warning to those with bigger hands and arms......you either wont be able to get the EBH plug in or it is going to hurt like heck trying. This install doesn't require advanced car mechanic skills or knowledge - just skinny hands and arms. I had to call my my skinny friend (who also is an Engineer) and although he could get the plug in and clicked in place, connecting the electric wire in was really hard. The photos online of the kit suggest that the wire lines up with the clip on the heater tube - that was not the case with mine. I guess it varies. So anyway, in your arms are any thicker than 14.5" around below your elbow - it ain't gonna happen. If you are a bigger person, just buy a 12-er of beer for a skinny friend to help get the job done. Or take it to the dealer.

 

I payed $400 CAN to get ours put in at time of vehicle purchase. I see now on toyota Canada website, INSTALLED price is now $236.

Still sets you back, but a little closer to earth.

 

Attaching the plug of the cord to the heater unit will kick your butt, but it's doable. Helps if the cord is at room temperature or warmer so the plug can be oriented properly without fighting the stiffness of the cord. THe cord must be bent at a 90* angle to the base of the plug to orient it properly for insertion. It took me 5 mins to install the heater unit and 20 mins to get the darned cord plugged into it. But, all whinning aside, once you have the plug in the proper orintation, it eases right into the heating element.

The grease provided is silicone grease, also can be found as dielectric grease for use on plug wire boots, coil wires, etc.etc. It's non-electrically conductive but doesn't prevent good electrical contact. While the instructions say not to get it on the contacts, I wouldn't be concerned about that. In fact, a little (very little!) on the side of the plug will make it slide on easier and also help keep moisture out. It's role here is actually to act as a prevention for corrosion between the EBH unit and the aluminum block. Since it's silicone, it will displace water and moisture for a long period of time. While it may help transfer heat, it wouldn't be the first choice for that purpose alone. You can coat the 110V plug prongs on the other end of the cord with it to help prevent corrosion. I have used silicone grease on and in electrical connections that are exposed to a salt and water environment (I.E. onboard ships) for years to help prevent corrosion. I also keep my trailer hitch connectors packed with it to prevent corrosion.

The pictures show the cable routed to the lower grill by the fog lights but I don't want to have to kneel down on my garage floor to fish the plug out or stow it away. So I routed the 110v plug end to the center of the grill below the hood latch area. It's easier to get to there.

This was a challenging, but essentially very easy project.

 

In mine, the clip rotates around the rod, so you can make the cord come out in any direction you want. More important, you can inadvertently change the clip-to-rod alignment as you're fussing with it.

 

Redundant, deleted.

 

AWG18 is OK for 10A up to 50 feet. The EBH cordset is rated for 10A, so probably is 18AWG as well.

 

Finally gave up trying from the bottom and eventually got 'er done from the top. Only took 5 hours and one trip to the hardware store, but it will take another trip to the dealer for a new cowl gutter as well. (The old one got run over and doesn't quite match up with the car any more.) (Not my fault.) Very little blood left on the Prius, it's 30° outside, 44 in the garage, and she should be getting toasty warm as I type. My hat is off to those who can do one in any way in 20 minutes.

 

Ouch, that's a frustrating experience. Just to confirm: the Prius drew blood??

 

[QUOTE="Mendel Leisk, post: 2479601Just to confirm: the Prius drew blood??[/QUOTE]
It did. There are too many corners bordered by sharp objects down there for my big hands. My recommendation for anyone in cold climates (if there are any left) is to order your new Prius with one already installed.

On an almost-positive note, I did see a slightly faster warmup this morning than in the past, and had warm air coming into the cabin only a mile or so from my destination. It's a short 3.5-mile trip with a lot of hills (up and down) so the ICE isn't inclined to run a lot. At least I don't think that cabin heater demand plays into the criteria used to determine whether the ICE runs. Whatever, at my destination, the HV battery indicator was in the full (light green) range. If I can find my Torque adapter and get it paired to my new phone, I'll know more.

 

2 hours is good time for block heater. Also, just to check install: resistance between the two prongs should be around 36 ohms.

Get into a strict disconnect routine. And ensure if you forget it will pull out easy and the cord will not get pulled out, end up dragging down the Road.

We use ours year round btw.

 

Thanks; I guessed 2 hours, and got some warmth. I may experiment some when I get some instrumentation fired up. I used the resistance measurement while installing to confirm I actually had the thing plugged in ( ∞... nope, fiddle some... ∞....nope, fiddle some more... 34.9 AHA! plug it in hard... still 34.9, resistance to ground from either line terminal ∞. Done.) Right now I just open the hood and plug it in, but will run the plug out through the grill when it gets a little warmer. I like the idea of using it year-round.