Block heater cord sparking & smoking

[pmh013]

My husband went to plug in the Vibe on Christmas night. We were staying at the in-laws, so my car had to spend the night outside. As it was pretty cold (-18°C/0°F) I thought it should be plugged in, considering I still have a 2003 OEM battery. Well, my car hasn't been plugged in yet this year, so he had to dig the cord out from under the hood. He had the hood open when he plugged the block heater in, and all kinds of sparking, arcing and bad sounds came from beneath the engine, where the cord goes into the block heater. Uh oh!When we got home tonight, he tried plugging it in again, and saw some smoke rising from "under the engine". I wasn't there, so this is all I know.If anyone can tell me where the block heater is underneath the engine, that would be great. I'll have to crawl under there & see if I can ascertain the problem - I'm hoping it's just the cord, and not the block heater itself. I'm off to see if the cord is listed on the big bad master list of parts.

[ragingfish]

Sorry, the cord is a permanantly attached part of the block heater and if it went bad, you need a whole new block heater. Only other thing I could suggest is, if you or your husband are at all "technical" you could remove the heater and possibly replace the cord yourself...

[pmh013]

Gah! I'll head out to the garage to see if I can wedge myself under the car to take a peek. Considering we're both engineers, we *could* do this kind of repair ourselves. Thing is, we're lazy.Plus, I might not need the block heater for a while (the car normally lives in the garage), so if there's a chance of it needing to be left out in the cold overnight, we could just take the Jetta instead. We know it's got a good block heater.

[joatmon]

I thought it clipped into the engine on the back side, (the side facing the firewall) not necessarily under the engine. There were some threads about installing one, but I'm lazy too and don't feel like searching

[MadBill]

If it's warm enough to work on the block heater, you don't need it, so...

[zionzr2]

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »I thought it clipped into the engine on the back side, (the side facing the firewall) not necessarily under the engine. There were some threads about installing one, but I'm lazy too and don't feel like searching And i thought i was lazzy!!

[joatmon]

well, she's been here longer, driven her Vibe farther, and is a lot more technically capable than me, so if she wants to find the threads she can search for them herself

[Sputnik]

We've never used the block heater and our car stays outside all winter. So you may not need it at all.

[pmh013]

Well, I did try to shimmy under the car that day. My boobs are too big, so I don't fit under the car - that must've been a sight, me being wedged under the car like that.Anyway, we took the Jetta to Calgary for New Year's, and the Vibe stayed home. The Vibe stayed because of the block heater, and we thought we'd get diesel for cheap - wrong. Our last fill was $.809/l for diesel, and gas was only $.759. (removed)?I definitely think we need to keep the block heater operational if we actually go anywhere in it. The prairies are in a serious deep-freeze right now, with daytime highs reaching -22C (-8F), and overnight lows going to -30C (-22F) and lower. Add to that, I still have the OEM battery, so I'm a little scared.I'll do a search & see what I can come up with.

[Psychobroker]

Quote, originally posted by pmh013 »My boobs are too big, so I don't fit under the car - that must've been a sight, me being wedged under the car like that. Good luck on both, um, problems?

[Sputnik]

Big boobs are a curse, I tell you. Men seem to like 'em but they don't have to live with them!Anyway I've still got the original battery in mine and its been as low as -40 here some winters and still it started without the block heater - albeit very slowly. Maybe though, if the temp was under -20 for an extended period of time it would need the block heater.

[pmh013]

Quote, originally posted by Sputnik »Big boobs are a curse, I tell you. Men seem to like 'em but they don't have to live with them!Amen! I like to golf, but my chest doesn't do much for my swing, IYKWIM! I'll need a set of ramps or jacks to get under the car, for sure.Still no definitive answer on whether or not the cord is a separate piece from the block heater. I have consulted the Matrix parts list that was posted here, and it's not in there that I can find.

[MadBill]

Amen! I like to golf, but my chest doesn't do much for my swing, IYKWIM! I'll need a set of ramps or jacks to get under the car, for sure. Sort of like this?

Attached files

[futseal04]

Quote, originally posted by pmh013 »Still no definitive answer on whether or not the cord is a separate piece from the block heater. I have consulted the Matrix parts list that was posted here, and it's not in there that I can find.Your block heater probably still works......since it is one of those components that probably works on the stored smoke basis, it just purged all of the bad smoke out......

[MadBill]

I dunno, fut. I've just re-read Joe Lucas' Treatise on smoke (reproduced below) and I don't see any reference to "bad" vs. "good'' smoke. Are you sure you haven't been puffing too much of some other kind? "A Treatise on the Importance of Smoke" by Joseph Lucas All electrical components and wiring harnesses depend on proper circuit functioning, which is the transmission of charged ions by retention of the visible spectral manifestation known as "smoke". Smoke is the thing that makes electrical circuits work. Don't be fooled by scientists and engineers talking about excited electrons and the like. Smoke is the key to all things electrical. We know this to be true because every time one lets the smoke out of an electrical circuit, it stops working. This can be verified repeatedly through empirical testing. For example, if one places a large copper bar across the terminals of a battery, prodigious quantities of smoke are liberated and the battery shortly ceases to function. In addition, if one observes smoke escaping from an electrical component such as a Lucas voltage regulator, it will also be observed that the component no longer functions. The logic is elementary and inescapable! The function of the wiring harness is to conduct the smoke from one device to another. When the wiring harness springs a leak and lets all the smoke out of the system, nothing works right afterward. Starter motors were considered unsuitable for British motorcycles for some time largely because they regularly released large quantities of smoke from the electrical system. It has been reported that Lucas electrical components are possibly more prone to electrical leakage than their Bosch, Japanese or American counterparts. Experts point out that this is because Lucas is British, and all things British leak. British engines leak oil, British shock absorbers, hydraulic forks, and disk brake systems leak fluid, British tires leak air and British Intelligence leaks national defense secrets. Therefore, it follows that British electrical systems must leak smoke. Once again, the logic is clear and inescapable. Sometimes you may miss the component releasing the smoke that makes your electrical system function correctly, but if you sniff around you can often find the faulty component by the undeniable and telltale smoke smell. Sometimes this is a better indicator than standard electrical tests performed with a volt-ohm meter. In conclusion, the basic concept of transmission of electrical energy in the form of smoke provides a clear and logical explanation of the mysteries of electrical components and why they fail. "A gentleman does not motor about after dark." - Joeseph Lucas, 1842 - 1903

[futseal04]

Yeah...I haven't been puffing any of the smoke lately, but maybe I should.....I was just advancing Lucas' theories on stored smoke......if it is in there, doesn't it make sense that there could be more than one type? Maybe there is "good" and "bad" and they have to live in a precarious balance for the object to keep working. Maybe there are hundreds of kinds, and they each have a specific purpose. Perhaps Pmh's smoke was the "warning" smoke that tells you when something bad is about to happen. He also makes a point in the latter part of the hypothesis for nationally oriented smoke (i.e. Japanese smoke, American smoke, etc.) Apparently, British smoke is not as reliable as the other types.I guess what I am saying is that Lucas' theory, while sound, is perhaps in need for further expounding. I propose that you and I petition the government for a grant to more fully explore the possibilities.

[MadBill]

Good point!After all, "The Prince of (Electrical) Darkness" has been dead for a century now; surely some refinements of his treatise are way overdue...Maybe we could get both the US and Canadian Feds to cough up a few mil for us to find out.[For those whose automotive ownership has not been blighted by as many Brit vehicles as mine (a dozen or more), or apparently futseal's, a few Lucas Electric jokes should put things in perspective]:Q: What are the positions on a Lucas headlight switch?A: "Off", "Dim" & "Flicker"Q: How can you recognize a Lucas ammeter?A: No provision for charge amps. It reads from zero to 20 amps discharge.Q: Why do the Brits drink their beer warm?A: Lucas refrigerators.There are more, but you get the drift...

[rebbierae]

pmh, now you KNOW that since you put the word 'boobs' in the first sentence, none of the guys read ANYTHING after that! They are still stuck on that first line!!

[ToolGuy]

Quote, originally posted by rebbierae »pmh, now you KNOW that since you put the word 'boobs' in the first sentence, none of the guys read ANYTHING after that! They are still stuck on that first line!! Sorry I am stuck on boobs, are we talking about a (removed) heater in this thread???

[ToolGuy]

Quote, originally posted by pmh013 »Still no definitive answer on whether or not the cord is a separate piece from the block heater. I have consulted the Matrix parts list that was posted here, and it's not in there that I can find.Looked in the GM on line service manual and the pic is crappy and cannot tell if the cord is removeable. I did have one once in a car years ago and the cord was removable, it was a push/lock in freeze plug design. My guess is your cord fried, thus sparks. I would say it should be since when a tech were to install one, the cord would wrap and twist arouns making it hard to install. Have not seen one for the Vibe but I did install one in my 1998 Z24, cannot remember if the cord was removable from it but tightenng the hex nut would have been a bear if the cord did not remove.

[drunkenmaxx]

Quote, originally posted by MiVibe-ToolGuy »Sorry I am stuck on boobs, are we talking about a (removed) heater in this thread??? (removed)...hooter.... huh??

[ColonelPanic]

Yeah, I'm all for how all things electrical run off smoke. That's what they taught me when I was getting my cheesy electronics degree. Electrons getting all excited, movin' around and stuff? *pfft* what's that all about? Although I did have to learn that side of the theory, I don't beleive it. (removed)!