Review on 🔌 Zerostart 3100002 Engine Block Heater: Ford, Jaguar, Mazda, Lincoln, Volvo - CSA Approved, 120V, 400W by Tom Beland

I installed this heater on my 2015 Mazda3 this fall and am very glad I did. It seems that the biggest problem people have with this heater is figuring out where to install it. I can't speak to Ford pickups or any other vehicles it fits, but on my Mazda it fits easily into a threaded plug high up on the rear of the engine. The correct plug is surrounded by an orange sealant and is very easy to identify. Just look at the back of the engine. You don't have to remove any brackets or parts of the exhaust pipe etc. All you need is a 14mm hex head and a ratchet to get in there. I have a two post lift in my workshop that makes this type of setup much easier, but it could also be done with the car jacked up on the front and bottom of the tracks. I had to lower the coolant level a bit and dump some coolant through the bottom of the radiator, but I just removed the plug and quickly installed the heater in the leaking hole. I ended up losing maybe 2 cups of coolant which I refilled with no problem. Routing the cable was easy and overall easy to install! I use the Torque app and an OBDII bluetooth transmitter to check the engine temp at different times as these new cars don't have a temp sensor anymore, only top and bottom red and blue. warnings. Last week morning at 15 degrees Fahrenheit the car started immediately at 110 degrees Fahrenheit and accelerated fully to one temperature (180 degrees Fahrenheit) in about 5 miles of flat terrain driving. I would buy and install one of these again at any time.