JBDeVega wrote:
Does anyone know how much wattage the block heaters use for the CRD? I'm thinking about buying an inverter for those times I have to park the jeep away from an outlet in temps below freezing.
You are never going to heat your engine properly for starting using a battery and a converter to connect to your block heater... your battery will draw down on current long before the frost is off of your engine.
The better way to go is to install a TSL17 12V diesel fueled Webasto heater; also known as a Thermo Top C. The universal installation kit part number is 923369.
Advantages:
1) 5.2 KW of power; fully 12.5 times as much power as your block heater. The TSL17 is designed to heat 4000 lb commercial diesel engines, so it is not going to have a problem with your 650 lb R428. It is thermostatically controlled so you do not have to worry about overheat situations. You can heat up your R428 to about 170 degrees in -20 degree weather in about 40 minutes with a properly installed TSL17.
2) No plug ins required... ever. Webasto heaters are great for camping, fishing or hunting.
3) No idling to warm your engine up; the TSL17 will do a better job of warming your engine than idling it. Using a Webasto instead of idling to warm up will save fuel, wear on the engine and engine oil fouling. I also believe you can use a Webasto heater in no idling zones.