Block Heater Cord and Gen5 Honeycomb Grill

[WCVanHorne]

So it's going to get below -10C later this week and that's when I start plugging in for a few hours in the morning. Went to thread the cord though the corner of the upper grill and discovered the apertures on the honeycombs of the upper and lower grills are somewhat too small to get the plug end though. :ybrick:

After a few searches here all I really found where some receptacle mods and picture of what I believe are Gen4's with larger, horizontal grills.

Now I realize I could just cut and splice in a smaller, inline plug/receptacle pair of some smaller type to get it through. I could also cut one of the grill holes a little wider, it would hardly be noticeable in the corner, but that seems a little low end.

What have others done?

I really hate it when a simple 5min job turns into a 2 hour mod with running around to find parts. That's why I'm tempted to just cut.

 

[gadgetguy1288]

Honestly, after living in AK, and seeing those cords hanging out of every vehicle I saw, I found a way to mount mine so that it wasn't visible, up under the front bumper. In my opinion they just look tacky, but YMMV.

If I lived somewhere colder where I needed one, I would probably do that same thing I did to the jeep I had in AK, and mount the plug somewhere up under the bumper.

 

[shaftymcgee7]

i live in anchorage and had the dealership install my block heater for me they put it behind the license plate on front and through the grill so i cant see it and just hook it when i need it no fuss and is out of sight

 

[WCVanHorne]

i live in anchorage and had the dealership install my block heater for me they put it behind the license plate on front and through the grill so i cant see it and just hook it when i need it no fuss and is out of sight

Well no front plates here. I could also unplug the other end and re-feed it though the grill. However that's a big PITA to do twice a year.

 

[tHeGeeK]

I took my cord out in the spring when I retro'd the headlights. When I went to plug it in I had the same problem. It took about 5 or 10 minutes, but if you go through the top, taking off the plastic piece over the radiator and keep working on it, it will pop through. It does fit, just a PITA. Might be easier if it's warm, like in underground parking or something. I relocated it behind the LP too.

 

[WCVanHorne]

I took my cord out in the spring when I retro'd the headlights. When I went to plug it in I had the same problem. It took about 5 or 10 minutes, but if you go through the top, taking off the plastic piece over the radiator and keep working on it, it will pop through. It does fit, just a PITA. Might be easier if it's warm, like in underground parking or something. I relocated it behind the LP too.

OK after half an hour of farting around I'm done for this year.

Fun fact. The upper-grille honeycomb aperatures are actually just a bit smaller. Even after shaving a bit off the plug with a knife there as no way it was getting through. I really wanted the top for three reasons:

-Easier to plug in and out without bending over.
-Cleaner.
-More cord to work with.

Anyhow I gave up on that and tried the bottom. That's how I found out it fits there. Unfortunately the cord is barely long enough. I had to play around with routing and tease a bit more from the upstream run.

After all that I know what I'm doing next year: Just cutting the plug off and then putting on/removing a screw terminal one each season. They only last a couple years anyhow between flexing at low temperatures and corrosion. Simple. I can put a plug on in a couple minutes. Should have done that right off. Just seemed wrong cutting off a brand new end.

 

[tHeGeeK]

the corner of the upper grill and discovered the apertures on the honeycombs of the upper and lower grills are somewhat too small to get the plug end though.

Wow, I totally missed this in your first post. Glad it'll work for now. Perhaps the switch to contacts was too soon.