My experience here in the north (at least compared to most of you folks) is that the cord usually fails in one of two places.
1. The end with the plug where you plug it into the extension cord because it is handled the most and hangs out of the car. Replacing the plug may be an option but often the wire is corroded back a way and you don't have a lot of cord to permit you to shorten it. I did use a chunk of cord and reconnect under the hood on a 97 Mercury Sable that we had as a stop gap measure until we could get a replacement cord. 2. The other end where it plugs into the socket on the block heater at the engine. I don't know whether it is the heat or not but I suspect that to be the cause. Often the rubber plug will deteriorate to the point where that end shorts out. It ususally (at least in my experience) does not harm the block heater and a new cord will correct the problem. Generally, one is better off to get a cord at the dealer as it is usually longer than those offered in the afermarket. A long cord is good as it allows one to tie it back out of the way and snake it through to the grill and out by the bumper somewhere so that the hood need not be opened to use it. Remember to tuck it back in under the hood before going through the car wash. Randy -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, December 12, 2005 12:06 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [MBZ] Block heater pyrotechnics <<Well, a good eyeball examination is usually wise before spending the money. It may be that you can patch up the existing cord, somebody could well have yanked hard on it and cut into the insulation on a sharpish edge of sheet metal. Cutting the cord there and splicing it back together properly could be all that's required. So long as the end that plugs into the engine is OK, the rest is just Hardware Store 101. That and an ohmmeter to verify that the heating element itself is not open or shorted>> Boy oh boy, is this bum advice. The cost of that cord is inconsequential. >From the description it's clear that the insulation has worn through after all those years and patching it together to save pennies is nuts. Suppose you plugged it in and suddenly you have 120V AC standing on the car's chassis, just waiting for someone to touch it. Can you spell electrocution? RLE _______________________________________ For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://striplin.net/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_striplin.net
