Winter Alert! block heater in your X.
 

hey, does anybody know if the E70's come with block heaters? (In Canada, or with the 'cold weather package in the US) It got down close to zero degrees Celsius yesterday and my 07 4.8i would not start the first time, and had to press the ignition button again to get her going. Anyway, the manual does not seem to indicate where the plug is for the block heater. I'd assume that one would definitely need to have one especially in Canada.

with all my X5 i have had, there isnt a block heater. It starts just fine. I live in Calgary and we are in the minus 10 already and my 07 4.8 starts fine. take it to the dealer for checks

none of my previous beemers had block heaters either... don't recall if they offer it as a separate option..... here in NY it gets cold but obviously not as cold as you guys are describing...

quick question on the new X... have you experienced any problem disengaging the park once the vehicle has been parked for a very long time in the freezing cold?? somehow i get the feeling the new electronic/hydralic brake is not as reliable as the old mechanical designs..

should i be concerned???

hmmm... thats interesting. im having no problems with starting my e70 even in the mornings when i head to school. BMW don't seem to have block heaters even as acessories last time i checked. my dads 750 and my sisters 325 have no problems starting up...the only car that have troubles starting in the cold is my mom's 525 buts a 95... she got a block heater installed at a shop and it seems to have no more problems
how cold was it when u couldn't couldnt start it?

well, it did start on the second try but it was not even that cold. it was around 2 or 3 degrees Celsius.

then take it to the dealer. Did you get any warnings?

I suspect BMW must have block heaters available for vehicles they sell to places like Norway and Finland. Ford puts them in the vehicles they sell in Northern States from the factory free of charge.

But I would expect that BMW engines have "freeze plugs" like every other large casting, and that a generic block heater of the appropriate size would fit.

BMW doesn't sell or recommend block heaters. The last one they show in a parts catalogue is for 2.4 litre diesel from decades back, IIRC.

This has been discussed quite a few times, so a search will show all the relevant posts. In essence, you can put a heater in yourself, easiest to do it in a coolant hose or a stick-on heater on the oil pan, but they aren't required. If you have trouble starting consider a battery blanket, at least that will give you enough power to spin it over quickly, and with appropriate engine oil it will be fine.

Good luck.

> easiest to do it in a coolant hose or a stick-on heater on the oil pan,

That is the easiest; however, nothing beats a true block heater mounted in a freeze plug for effectiveness.

While you can get a block heater put on a 6 cyl engine, none of the 8 cyl BMW engines have block heaters. I looked into it when I first got my E53 in 2002. Apparently the V8's don't even have the plug in the engine where the block heater is usually installed.

I live in Canada too, and I have never had a problem starting. I have three Bimmers but only a two car garage - so last year the X5 stayed outside even when it went down to -20C.

The V8's have an alternator with higher amps and it certainly helps to kick start the engine. They recommend driving slowly to warm-up the engine rather than letting it idle. I'm surprised your X won't start when it's only 0 degrees out ...gotta' be some other problem...

> Apparently the V8's don't even have the plug in the engine where the block heater is usually installed.

Interesting. Those "plugs" are typically referred to as "Freeze Plugs," but in reality are simply holes that are necessary as part of the casting process. BMW must use some new and novel casting technology for their V-8 blocks.

Check the battery.

how do you check the battery again? idrive right? well it did crank but it just didn't go the first try as if it wasn't getting the fuel in. but she's going fine now if it happens again, i'll definitely take her in. thanks!

yes the iDrive will give you all info.

Came across this recently on another board. It was bought from a BMW dealer in Canada this January and installed on a E46 3 series.

When I think of block heaters, I think of block heaters that are immersion heats mounted in a core plug, heating the coolant. A bolt-on heating element like this isn't very efficient. That one shown even has a large surface area so it will end up heating the air under the hood. Wonder who is making it for them, as it is likely to be much cheaper from the OEM source, instead of from BMW Canada. There are better alternatives.

Don't know how effective, but that is what BMW Canada is selling and evidently making. They call it an engine block heater. The flat side faces the road and the side with all the bumps fits in properly to the block. I've heard that it works pretty good and has an output of something like 300 watts.

my 4.8 starts up just fine with 94 octane gas, maybe I won't need it. But then again, it only reaches -20 around my neck of the woods, back home in Alberta, oh man -40...(thats Celsius)

0 degrees C is hardly cold, and that certainly isn't what I would consider the kind of temperature to necessitate a block heater. We had some -15 degrees C temps not too long ago here in NJ and it started up quickly.

I looked up the E46Fanatics forum, where the picture was posted originally. There are other articles about it as well. I was interested to see that many posters were interested in installing the block heater because of concern over the crankcase ventilation valve. I do think a block heater helps with cold starts (accelerated engine wear) but I don't see how it can impact the crankcase ventilation valve issues.

I haven't installed a block or oil pan heater because I have never been below -30C with my recent BMWs, and so haven't found it necessary. I do know that my last block heaters (Ford Expedition, Ford Explorer, Volvo) were all in the 1000-1500 watt range. This BMW CA part is reportedly $140, which is two to three times the price of an oil pan pad heater, which would warm the oil directly and thus provide more benefit.

Just my $0.02

> The flat side faces the road

It would probably work a little better if there was some durable insulation on the "road" side, enduring more of the heat transferred to the pan.

But, as JCL says, nothing works as well as a real block heater, with the heating element directly in internal contact with the coolant, mounted in a freeze plug opening.

I would note that in very cold climates, such as below 0 degrees F, a block heater is used not only to ensure the engine starts, but to reduce the wear and tear on the engine during an extremely cold start and warm-up. i.e., just because it starts does not mean the use of a block heater is not a good idea.

> I don't see how it can impact the crankcase ventilation valve issues.


I am not an expert on the BMW PCV cold issues, but I would think that it might help in that a block heater would improve the odds the engine gets fully to operating temperature, and for a longer time, during cold weather drives, and, as a result, be more likely to purge moisture and condensation from the crankcase.

But I did say "might," as I do not know the details of the PCV issues.

I think the moisture that accumulates in the crankcase ventilation valve does so over a relatively long time period and not just when it is very cold out. The block heater is typically used only on very cold days. Yes, it is on those cold days that the condensate freezes in the crankcase ventilation valve and causes the common failures (oil leaks, etc) but the block heater doesn't heat that part and thus won't reduce the likelihood of it failing on those very cold days.

I just worry that people who are concerned about the oil separator will think that a block heater will reduce the chance of failure. The block heater is designed to help with very cold starts, ensuring that the wear from cold oil is reduced. Below -40, block heaters are a very good idea. From -30C down, they are a benefit as well IMO. At -20C I never bothered to plug mine in.

Of more benefit would be an interior car warmer on a timer. The use of that device allows people to avoid prolonged idling for warm-up, and that is definitely better for the engine. The interior is a comfortable temperature, the windows are clear, and the engine can warm up much more quickly by being driven moderately immediately after starting.