E46 Block Heater Install

winter is coming ... so for those of us in Canada .. that means cold weather and wierd noises from our cars when we start them up after sitting for hours.

so, installing a block heater on my beloved E46 was a no-brainer!

parts needed:

1 - E46
2 - 2 ramps
3 - helper dog
4 - block heater kit ($140 from steeler)
5 - 13mm wrench
6 - 13 mm socket and ratchet (optional)
7 - phillips screwdriver

(yes I know the wheels are dirty)

more views of the block heater:


this is the side that goes against the right side of the engine block (bumpy side in)




this is the side that goes out (flat side)

get the front wheels up onto the ramps

crawl under and loosen 6 screws that hold the plastic cover on the bottom of the engine, and remove the plastic cover (the screws stay attached to the plastic cover ... thank you BMW!)

(note this is an 05 325xi, so might look different than your model)

look up at the right side (passenger side) of the engine block
you will see the side of the block .. above the oil pan and two holes for the bolts to go in

take a coffee break

place the block heater on the side of the block -- the bumpy side of the heater will fit into the indents on the side of the block.

the copper plug end faces down .. points to the ground

insert the two bolts and tighten

then plug the orange cord end into the socket

(in this pic .. the upper bolt is in shadow)

attach the cord to suitable locations and feed through to the front of the car
(keep away from exhaust manifold, other hot things and things that move)

the kit comes with 5 zip ties

the plug in poking out thru lower grill

re-install the lower engine cover and screw in the 6 phillips screws

lower the car off the ramps

your E46 is now ready for the cold weather !

Nice simple guide

Great Write-up have been looking for an install of this forever. Very cute dog!

Very nice. Not much warmer in New England....what is the OEM # on this part?

Originally Posted by faescl

Very nice. Not much warmer in New England....what is the OEM # on this part?

the only Part No. I have is the one on the box (see photos above)

it looks like this part is made in Canada .. not sure if its available in US ?

Thanks for such a nice write up. Not available in US. I had to have Canadian friend of mine buy for me in Canada. He is shipping to me. Canadian dealers did not want to deal with international shipping. Last year here in Minnesota my wife's E46 got a frozen pcv valve while parked at work, and driving home pressure builds and blows the valve cover gasket, catastrophic oil failure. I was out of town with my E46, so she had to deal with having it towed to dealer, renting car. out of warranty repair. This is not like Canada. When only -25F here, dealers are busy, and start on your car a few days later. Had the pcv valve replaced with an insulated one and insulated dip stick tube etc. Service Bulletin 11-01-07. BMW gave me parts of $750 out of goodwill and I paid towing. rental car, and $550 dealer labor. It will be nice to have the block heater.

I wish I had a Canadian freind to buy me a block heater, that thing looks awesome.

maybe I should buy a bunch and sell them on e-bay

Sweet, I'm doing this pronto.

I would buy one...

Put one in last night. The instructions say to use some kind of silicone paste to aid in the heat transfer which I didn't have so I used some high heat silicone sealant instead....should help.
My dealer charged me $88 for the part so I did a little better than you.