First post. Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.

After doing a brief search I could not find information about the block heater offered on the 2.4L engine. It was offered as an option but I declined and would now like to install one. Any experience with this?

I noticed a female thread above the oil filter while changing the oil on the car the other day. Does this have anything to do with the optional heater? If not, what is it?

 

Yep that's where it goes. If you buy the kit from a dealer they'll probably print off the installation instructions if you ask nicely.

 

Thanks for the advice. I'll pick one up.

 

is it really cold where you live? because unless you are like -10 or more on a regular basis, you really don't need one. your car should start every time on a good battery.....my 6 year old beast started with 5 seconds when it was -15 outside.......

 

x2 .... there is no need for a block heater in VA. If you are having trouble starting the car, I'd recommend going to sears and having them look up your car's battery. Their system automatically cross-referances and for an extra 10 bucks, get the truck, van and SUV battery that is the same physical size, but higher CCA. I did this and my V6 would crank in a half second in the cold after no use for a day!

 

It's not that cold here but after spending 5 years in central New York I became used to them. There's no trouble starting and it is unnecessary. However, it's nice to jump in at 0400, start the car and get instant heat.

My only question has to do with initial start up on a cold morning. The car fires up with no issue and continues to run like it's been started for a few minutes due to the heater and it's effects on the engine. Is this bad for an initial start up? The idle doesn't rev up for the first minute or two like it does from a real, unheated cold start.

 

no it does not hurt the engine

 

In fact, having the heater is probably slightly BETTER for the engine. That's because the oil is warmer on initial startup so it takes a bit less time to get oil pressure established.

Just because it doesn't rev as high just means it's already got a head start on warming up.

 

Here it is, five years later and I finally got around to installing the block heater. It's very simple but should be completed when you're doing a coolant change. Above the oil filter (on the four cylinder) is the threaded female connection. There is a large (#12 I believe) hex bolt that drains the block within the threaded 28 mm hole for the heater. I found that a mirror on a pivoting extension and a flashlight helped during the installation. The car does warm up faster but I find it's best to plug it in for 6+ hours. Zero Start claims that the engine will reach 90% of its highest temperature in five hours, but you can use it all night long.

 

These are the instructions for a 4 cylinder.

http://www.bernardiparts.com/Images/...r_AII30473.pdf