Ford F250 diesel trucks are meant to work outside in all conditions, including cold weather. However, diesel motors, as well as the the oil inside them, don’t like the cold weather. Ford equips some of the F250 engines with block heaters, but not all. These devices have heating elements which warm up the oil pan, go down through the oil dipstick or through a freeze plug in the side of the engine. All engine heaters have a cord which trails out of the engine compartment through the grill and plugs into a wall outlet.
Use the freeze plug heater if you feel confident with your mechanical ability. The freeze plug block heater is best because it heats both the coolant and the oil. Freeze plugs are holes in the engine block created when the engine is cast. The holes allow molten iron to enter the mold. When the casting is finished, they’re plugged with thin metal circles. The metal circles can be removed and a heater put in.
Use the heater which takes the place of the drain plug on the bottom of the oil pan if you would rather have a simple, permanent fix. Place a large clean drain pan beneath the vehicle, remove the drain plug and allow the oil to drain out. Tighten the heated drain plug in the drain plug hole, and lead the cord for the drain plug through the grill of the vehicle. Secure the cord in place and replace the oil.
Use a dipstick heater if you want the quickest, easiest solution. Simply take the old dipstick out, put the new, heated dipstick in its place and plug it in. Plug it into an outlet overnight. You'll have to remove the dipstick heater every time you drive the car.
Consider a magnetized heater oil pan heater. It’s a heating element inside a powerful magnet that hangs onto the bottom of the oil pan.
