I have a 2004 GMC Sierra 2500 SLT 6L v8 4x4. I bought it from my dad, he was the only previous owner. He bought it in Texas, so I don't think it has a block heater on it (he doesn't think so either). I'm not sure where the cord would be though. There's no mention of it in the manual (that I could see).

Anyway, I'm in Illinois, and it gets cold here, but usually not far below 0. These last couple of nights its been 10-15 below with a wind chill around 30 below. This morning the truck was hard to start. It took a while to turn over. It has a fairly new heavy duty battery in it.

My question is, does a block heater come standard on this truck? And if so, where would the cord be? If not, would you suggest buying one? I saw one at JC Whitney for $50 that's magnetic.

I have a remote starter that has an option to automatically start it every 3 hours and it will run for 20 minutes, and it will do that up to 6 times, which is long enough to do it overnight.

Which method would you recommend?

 

Plug it in.....the buck you'll spend in electricity in a couple of days will by far outweigh the 20 bucks in fuel it will require, not to mention increased engine wear, more maintenance, etc etc etc. i would also make sure your truck is not having other problems.I forgot to plug mine in last night, and it was -30 when I got up this morning. Truck started no problem at all.I would also reccomend synthetic oil if you are starting in extreme cold temps.

 

I did some work in Minnesota a few weeks ago and I just left a battery charge hooked up all night. It always started right up but it didnt sound to good until the oil worked its way thew the heads.

 

Neighbor leaves a halogen shot light on his overnight. Works good.