A&Q about 350Z
Q:
Just wondering, my mechanic said my engine coolant leak was due to a worn out block-heater, and he replaced it. Does this sound right to you?
Can someone please explain how coolant can leak due to the block heater? (I am not sure how a block heater works). Thanks!
A:
Most block heaters use an electrical coil that is inserted into the coolant via a hole in the block. Its most commonly in place of a freeze plug, so if the plug corrodes and starts leaking the heater has to be replaced. The heater cathode is also somewhat sacrificial. It uses the water itself as a ground, so the electron transfer across the metal to the electolyte corrodes stuff off the heating element. After a certain lifespan has passed, the heating element has been electrolyzed away to oblivion.
So, the short answer is, absolutely yes that is a common leak point.
A:
Yes (or I could use 101 words like curtis
)
A:
thank-you very much sir!!
Would you say then that parts of the heating element are now floating around in the coolant? Is that bad for the engine? Thanks!
A:
Not really. The electrolysis more or less dissolves the metal. Put it this way; engines with block heaters don't require any more frequent coolant flushes than engines without block heaters.
A:
by the way, how effective are block heaters at preventing startup wear-and-tear? is there some kind of statistic to show mileage gained or anything like that?
A:
Its a combination of startup wear and just the ability to start up at all. Some older carbed engines just wouldn't start at severely low temps. It also helped startup lubrication a little. The warmer oil can get moving faster.
It really depends on where you live. I grew up in PA and there was no need for block heaters there. Some people had them, but the amount of time you actually spent starting a car in sub-zero temps was not worth the hassle of a block heater.
A:
block heaters leaking are very common, as others have stated. And also as stated, they are completely pointless in non-freezing weather, and even in freezing weather, it need to be pretty dang cold to be necessary.
One thing that helps greatly is having the right oil for the conditions.
I won't make suggestions on what temps you should start considering it, since I live in a pretty mild temp area, I don't have personal experience with it....but its pretty dang cold, thats for sure.