2210 Engine Block Heater Installation

[mhalla]

<font color="green">My 2210 will be sitting in an unheated shed -- much to my wife's dismay I never got the garage cleaned out this summer to make room for the tractor. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif As such I figured I needed to get the engine block heater.

Anyway the remaining parts came in today so I can install the heater this weekend if time and weather conditions permit.

Still cannot figure out why the John Deere parts catalog specifies a different governor case cover when installing an engine block heater.

Makes even less sense to me now that I went ahead out of curiousity and ordered the $7 governor case cover just so I could see what it looks like.

Could it be that the cover is literally used "when installing the block heater" and when you get done installing the block heater you put the original governor case cover back on?

The reason none of this makes any sense is because the cover in kit AM881476 does not include a hole for the idler screw.

Mike</font>

 

[mhalla]

<font color="green"> To Fred or anyone else who has installed an engine block heater on a 2210 --

What size socket did you use to screw in the heater? I took a look at using a 1 3/8" socket but it felt too loose. I'm thinking that maybe it takes a metric socket instead so as not to round off the corners of the heater.

Mike </font>

 

[fgross335_2210]

I cheated and used my "universal wrench" - vise grips - being very careful to get a good grip each time I turned the heater in another quarter turn or so. I'm sure the correct socket is metric but my set doesn't go that big.

Alternatively you could put the adaptor in a bench vise and install the heater this way. Being in the open, you could use any number of adjustable wrenches to tighten it up. It looked to me like you can do this before bolting the adaptor to the engine, but this didn't occur to me until after I had already installed the adaptor.

 

[mhalla]

Re: 2210 Engine Block Heater - installed!

<font color="green">Well I got the engine block heater installed in my 2210 following most of Fred's instructions. I skipped the drilling a hole and attaching a screw to the freeze plug. I guess I like to live dangerously every now and then although when I stuck my finger into the opening it didn't seem like the freeze plug would have gone very far if anywhere. It dawned on me that drilling a hole into the freeze plug might introduce a few metal shavings into the coolant jacket.

The service manager at my dealer advised against using any Permatex on the gasket that goes between the engine block and the engine block heater adapter. I figured it best to take his advice. That way if a leak develops he can provide me with a new gasket at no charge. I did however use a solvent to get down to bare metal on the block where the gasket seats.

The Allen head screws for the adapter required a 6mm wrench. I only had SAE Allen wrenches so this required me to buy some metric wrenches.

It was a little tight getting an L-shaped Allen wrench into the space around the engine to tighten the bolts but I managed. A long enough T-shaped Allen wrench could have made the job go easier.

An inch and three eighths socket worked just fine for screwing the heater into the adapter. The only uncertainty was how tight to go not having any torque specifications from John Deere.

I did not need to replace the governor cover with part number AM881476 which includes a new govenor cover, bolts, and gasket. As noted previously there is a reference to this kit on the JD Parts web site in the online parts catalog, section 30 -fuel and air subsection 6 - Fuel shutoff solenoid, bracket and linkage. The remarks for the kit says (USE WHEN INSTALLING BLOCK HEATER).

I purchased the kit and after looking at it I wonder all the more why the parts manual specifies this.

Hopefully the installation is done correctly and I will not have any problems. I do plan on ordering the technical service manual for the 2210 and it will be interesting to see if instalation of the egine block heater is covered.

Mike</font>

 

[fgross335_2210]

Re: 2210 Engine Block Heater - installed!

Mike,

Sounds like it went well - congratulations. My service guy suggested gasket sealer - guess everyone has their own preference?

Good point on the metal shavings - I used a very small drill bit and just barely started a hole for a metal screw - but I didn't know how far the freeze plug would drop and didn't want to find out the expensive way. Did you notice/remove any residue from the freeze plug, I pulled out a small ring of what looked like RTV sealant.

I used fine sandpaper to remove the paint from the engine where the adaptor mounts - I recall the adaptor itself was unpainted on the mounting side?

And I guess I should be thankful that my parts guy did not recommend the govenor cover - hope someone at Deere knows what that kit is for!

 

[mhalla]

Re: 2210 Engine Block Heater - installed!

<font color="green">No residue ring of RTV or anything else from around the freeze plug was evident when I removed the plug.

Could what you saw have simply been the thick ring of primer and paint that would have settled in the exterior "crack" or "groove" between the freeze plug and the engine block?

Since I used a solvent to remove the paint before removing the freeze plug, any paint residue that would have left behind a ring was gone in my case.

One last comment, my dealer did not recommend the governor case cover kit. I showed this to the dealer using jdparts.com and since it wasn't a very expensive part, less than $8, I told the dealer to go ahead and order it. This was just so I could see what it looked like to satisfy my own curiousity and to share with others what I learned by seeing it.

Mike </font>

 

[djsch]

Just an update for anyone still interested in this thread...

My dealer's serviceman finally installed my 2210 block heater. He came and did it in my shop so I got to hold the light and watch. After watching him work, I'm really glad I didn't tackle it myself! Even HE didn't have a metric wrench big enough to fit the heater and its a really tight spot to work. The whole thing only cost me about $52 installed and it seems that many of you paid almost that much just for the parts. I saw one post that said $45 for the adapter!

He also brought the new govenor cover (or whatever) but he could see no reason to install it so he also chose not to.

As for the soft plug removal... he tapped it very carefully on one side with a hammer and screwdriver until it "flipped" sideways in the hole. Then he just pulled it out with a pliers. Made it look easy but he was nervous about it going into the water jacket too.

Dave

 

[mhalla]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The whole thing only cost me about $52 installed )</font>
<font color="green">What a bargain Dave. The heater alone cost me $52.52 and the adapter was $47.17. Looks like you got an early Christmas present from your dealer!

Mike</font>

 

[prosperity]

Glad to hear everyone is getting their heaters in. I wouldn't be without mine. I work with all diesel equipment at work - you can really tell when a block heater or cord isn't working. My 2210, when plugged in, turns over for about 1-2 seconds and fires up without any smoke or stumbling. A very wise investment for our cold climates - I sure wouldn't have a diesel without one!

 

[mhalla]

<font color="green">Prosperity and others with engine block heaters.

Do you leave the short cord that plugs into the heater always plugged into the heater end or do you remove it when operating your tractor?

I never came up with any instructions from John Deere for installing and using the heater. As such I have been wondering about the proper thing to do with the short cord when using the tractor. It seems handy to leave it always plugged into the heater where it hangs down in a convenient place to plug it into an extension cord as needed.

Mike </font>