Hi, have a 2009 Town and Country (4L) - had a block heater installed recently - they told me it was installed in a "dry" socket, so not mixing with the coolant.

I am not really content with the amount of heating it is getting when cold .... AS WELL, I believe it is responsible for tripping my GFI plug on house often (perhaps overheating as it should be mixing with coolant?).

Can anyone tell me if a block heater is NOT supposed to be installed in a dry socket, should be in one that cools the coolant - I want to return it to shop to have it fixed, but would like some advice/link to official site or something I can use as research stating how it should properly be installed.

thanks

 

I had a block heater many years ago in an Oldsmobile (1984). It was an option installed by GM when they built the car. It was installed in one of the engine block freeze plug holes and was immersed in the coolant. It needed an hour or so to heat up the coolant such that when you started the car you got heat right away. I can't imagine how this "dry socket" thing is supposed to work. If it is not immersed in the coolant, then it can't be very powerful (or it would burn itself up) and will take a very long time to heat up the entire engine.

 

I agree. (Chrysler mechanic here, Akins Chrysler) A block heater will be much more effective when it warms the coolant. Then the warmer coolant can flow around the engine block. A dry socket just won't do the same thing.