...> Should the heater be placed on a timer or should it just be pluged in

My Focus (Ontario) has it's block heater cord running beside the battery and
out through the grill. He could check down between the battery and the
fender to see if there's a cord there.

Anchorage is a coastal town, so if his car will only needs to be started
there, a block heater may not really be necessary. Quite honestly, I think
the two most important things for cold weather starting are
a) synthetic oil, which does not gel up in the cold like regular oil and
b) a battery warmer. A warm battery will turn over a cold motor, but a
frozen battery won't turn a squirrel wheel. It draws so little current
(maybe 80 watts) that you can leave it in all night. If the car isn't facing
into the wind, it also helps to warm the rest of the engine compartment.

In alt.autos.ford.focus eastwardbound2003@yahoo.com:

Dunno, but your cousin could just ask the next Ford dealer and
let him check if the car has one at all. The owners manual should
have additional info.

A waste of energy, I'd use a timer or some remote control,
perhaps starting with an hour before taking off and checking if
this is enough or even to much. Depends on how much energy the
heater uses and the temperature, so you have to find it out.

Yep, but even more important the heating can be used immediately
and fuel consumption drops down a little bit.

Good luck

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Have him check the engine below the intake manifold, (firewall side) it
should have a bock heater installed in block,  center frost plug.. He will
need the car on a hoist or stands to be able to see if there is one.
Most domestic products for the North have block heaters installed by the
factory. The usual aftermarket cost to install a block heater is around
$80.00.Maybe the cord is missing??

Help.  I have a cousine who moved to Anchorage Alaska.  He and his dad
bought a used 2003 Ford Focus.  He does not know where the cord for the
engine block heater is.  His new apartment parking lot has a plug on
the wall where he can plug in his car.

Does every new car sold in Alaska come with a block heater?

I did my research on it and found out that it's actually a "freeze plug
heater" that keeps the engine coolant warmed and it takes the place of
the freeze plug on the engine block itself.  My cousine isn't good with
cars so he might need a mechanic.  What would be a resonable price for
the installation of such an item in the Anchorage metro area?

Should the heater be placed on a timer or should it just be pluged in
so long as it's freezing outside and the car is parked?  It's an
apartment so he only "indirectly" pays for electricity which is
included in the rent.

Does this heater really extend engine life?  Is it worth the hassle?

TIA!
East-

Most cars sold in northern tier states will have block heaters installed,
but not all.  If he's got one, he'll notice the cord.  Ford installed one up
in North Dakota on my 03 ZTW that I brought from Arizona (didn't want an AZ
dealer to install it 'cause didn't think they did many...), and trust me, if
U don't notice the plug sticking out (or under) the grill, you'll notice it
snaking across the top of the engine after opening the hood!  They had real
issues getting the plug to seal after plugging it into the freeze plug--I
drove around in a crap rental Escort for a few days B4 they got one that
sealed up OK.  Ford was spectacular and only charged me 4 parts (about
$130?)

My first winter there was brutally cold--many days/nights below zero,
coldest was -38F ONE AFTERNOON, for cryin' out loud...  Wind is not an issue
on metal--wind chill factors only work on skin.  Parking into the wind will
cool the engine down faster (OK, wind is a slight issue...), but once it's
reached ambient, metal don't get no colder.

I was lucky and had a garage and I kept the block heater on all night
(electricity was free, whoo hooo!)  However, if I had to pay for it, I'd
have a timer set up for 2-3 hours B4 drive off, as block heaters suck the
juice.  Also, B aware most block heater posts cycle the outlet power, so you
may only get 15 minutes of juice per hour, which works (it's better than
nothing).