Block Heater question for a LMTV

Do any of you guys run your LMTV in the winter? I plan on it and was wondering about a block heater. Or are there any alternatives to a block heater that you like? I don't want to hear anyone say a heated garage!

Should be no different than all the other threads on winterizing your truck.

Block heater goes under the turbo to the left there is a spot for it. I was going to order the correct one right from CAT for mine. It dosnt look hard to do maybe have to drain down the coolant a bit. I dont think the 3116 likes the cold.

swbradley1 said:

Should be no different than all the other threads on winterizing your truck.

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Really didn't ask about winterizing my truck. You might have just read that into it so as to write what you did. If you just want to reply to people with "just search the other threads" we will just stop asking questions or I will.

I have tried to do searches and really don't come up with what is on my mind. So I ask. It there is a LAW about repetitive questions, then I missed it.

AND... if your the moderator, why didn't you just move my post like you did on another question I had about towing a LMTV? If you would have just moved it, I wouldn't have thought that, I must of ask a dumb question for someone to answer that way.

AND... to have LMTV772 give a LIKE to your post says a lot about asking a dumb question. I guess I should spend hours reading instead of asking. Getting a great response from SUPRMAN about adding a block heater and it's location is what the question deserved.

OK.. I'm done!

Ibtl

The HUlk said:

Ibtl

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For those who don't like acronyms

"IBTL" is "in before the lock".

• IBTL: I think a moderator should lock this thread immediately before it becomes any more juvenile. This is a site for mature adults, and hate-mongering discussions like this have no place in our community. Mods: please lock or delete this thread immediately.

And that comments was supposed to be mature. I would really like to know about winterizing a truck properly. I am also a new guy and think an explanatory response would be good

Service your air dryer. Make sure you drain the air tanks after every use. Air lines freeze up easy with moisture in them. The current mil LMTVs use the mrap style air dryer that people have been swapping into the M939 trucks.

dalej said:

Really didn't ask about winterizing my truck. You might have just read that into it so as to write what you did. If you just want to reply to people with "just search the other threads" we will just stop asking questions or I will.

I have tried to do searches and really don't come up with what is on my mind. So I ask. It there is a LAW about repetitive questions, then I missed it.

AND... if your the moderator, why didn't you just move my post like you did on another question I had about towing a LMTV? If you would have just moved it, I wouldn't have thought that, I must of ask a dumb question for someone to answer that way.

AND... to have LMTV772 give a LIKE to your post says a lot about asking a dumb question. I guess I should spend hours reading instead of asking. Getting a great response from SUPRMAN about adding a block heater and it's location is what the question deserved.

OK.. I'm done!

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I didn't see your question as being dumb, it has it's merits It's always a good idea to search about a question first , not necessarily here, but googling the terms of your question and see what comes up. But the question was really good.
I am in Florida, so I don't really have winters. Or else I would have written something.

I'm interested in driving my M1078 in the winter as well. I had no problems with my other diesels in the NC winter but none had the setup of the LMTV. Maybe the tires take longer to warm up? Or I need a grill cover below a certain degrees? Maybe there's a helpful "Top 5 Tips for Driving Your LMTV in the Winter" somewhere?

Sure I feel comfortable with my rig, but part of that comes from reading the great information on this forum. The more info, the better!

Keep it civil; don't be a villain. [grin]
dave

Good subject, IMHO, considering most FMTV owners are new-ish owners. The FMTVs are considerably different from other MV's in many ways. Great info on block heater and air dryer Suprman. TN winters are not terrible but we get many below freezing nights and cold starts are tough on equipment.

General comment on exasperating "did you search first" postings: Searching generates results over a wide range of time. Answers evolve as knowledge is accumulated. A quick answer from anyone who has kept up with a subject can save a new person many hours of searching to weed out old info. Supporting our fellow Steel Soldiers enthusiasts is one reason we check in here.

This is a current issue A1 lmtv using the mrap style purest air dryer. I am thinking of switching mine over to one of these.

Some things never change.

Suprman said:

The current mil LMTVs use the mrap style air dryer that people have been swapping into the M939 trucks.

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Suprman, can you tell me a little more about what you mean by mrap style air dryer?

On the engine heat, I was going to go with a block heater but wanted to see if you guys like the engine heater that is placed in the heater hose better. It helps with warming the cab faster then the block heater. I was told this by a CAT serviceman.

There is a specific port on the block for the block heater. The LMTV makes cab heat pretty well. The mrap style is a Haldex Pur-Est air dryer. It has the same connections as the older M939 abs air dryer so it makes a good upgrade for those trucks. Must be a reason the military dropped the tube style Bendix one in favor of the Pur-Est Haldex type shown in my pic above. They are proven to work well in other mil trucks.
Will

My understanding is that the CAT 3116 LMTVs don't have glow plugs like most modern diesel engines and the newer series of LMTV which is why they have an ether injector and are difficult to start in cold weather. Shoot, even my Kubota diesel zero-turn mower has glow plugs but I digress...

I am assuming that a block heater (If you do a generic search on "CAT 3116 block heater" you will see the block heater specific to this motor that Superman is talking about) would help in the area of cold start simply by keeping the block generally warm.

I ordered a Kat's part # 30202 off of Ebay for $38.70 (left photo) Just about went with Zerostart 350-0015 off of Amazon for $66.71 (right photo). Time will tell If you are looking for a block heater the freeze plug is 1-3/4" or 44/45 mm.

It took a couple of hours to do the installation of the block heater. Here is the procedure of how I did it. I first drained the anti-freeze in a couple of 5 gallon buckets with the use of a 14" piece of 1/2" PEX tube. I had put one end of the PEX tube in a vise and squeezed it to have a good friction fit on the drain plug.
. Then I wanted to get the get the air intake tube removed to have more room to do the block heater install. It involved two hose clamps along with 2 bolts. It really opens up the area when it was removed.
Then I removed the heat shield. Then took a chisel and hit the freeze plug a few times and it came loose so I could grab it with a pliers and remove it.
Next I took a piece of coarse sand paper and cleaned the opening. Lubricated the O'ring and installed it with the heat element at the 10:00 o'clock position. You can put it at 2 o'clock but I wanted my electrical wire at 10. I then tightened the hex bolt to secure the heater in place.
Next I drilled a hole in the heat shield so I could secure the wire with a clamp. I finished with securing the wire in a couple of more places. Added slit loom where it could rub against any metal while driving. For now I'm just hiding the plug where the manual hydraulic pump is.

And that's it!

Nice work and write up!

very slick, I like it!