warm up time...

[atk]

so do i, just need to get some bugs worked out of mine....

 

[roosterdiesel]

According to the manufacturer your truck should start @ 20 below unassisted if I remember correctly. That's if all your GPs, GP relay and batteries are good!

I plug in for 3 hours prior to departure if it's under freezing using a heavy duty timer rated for 1750 watts(don't wanna burn the house or the truck down.) It's alot easier on engine internals that way.

As far as idling warm up, I don't. Even if I don't plug in I only idle for a minute max to circulate oil. The reason is washing the cylinders down with unburned fuel. To completely burn fuel at idle you need to idle it up(use AIC or high idle on chip) to have around 300 degree EGTs and a functioning backpressure valve will help that. When I take off cold and the engine is loud I don't let rpms get above 2000 until my engine oil temp is above 150 degrees. At that point I'm out of "cold" fuel and timing tables and can make sure my powdered metal rods stay in place. Plugging in helps get oil temp up sooner.

 

[atk]

i have noticed that the truck usually idles up on it its own after the first min. on cold start up. i have seen it idle 750 to 1000rpm depending how cold it is out. all GP`S GP relays seem to work properly and batt`s are up to snuff. thanxs

 

[hheynow]

According to the manufacturer your truck should start @ 20 below unassisted if I remember correctly. That's if all your GPs, GP relay and batteries are good!

I've never used my plug-in heater EVER but the coldest temps I see are +15*F. When below freezing I sometimes have to cycle the glow plugs twice, but it always starts. I use my high idle (1100 rpms) for cold morning warm-ups. I just may dust off that cord and try it out.

 

[04Powerstroke]

Nice truck Boadie.

 

[roosterdiesel]

i have seen it idle 750 to 1000rpm depending how cold it is out.

I don't know about the 6.0s but on my 7.3L the PCM idle up only goes up to 1100 at it's coldest. This is not enough to have 300 degree EGTs. I've had to throttle it to about 1300rpms to get the EGTs where I wanted them. I don't have an AIC is another reason I don't allow it to idle. My EBPV was deleted this summer so I don't know what RPMs would be needed to idle at 300 degrees now.


The coldest my truck has seen was 4 degrees F. I wasn't able to plug in since I was visiting friends in Leadville, CO. She cranked right up with only one GP cycle, was VERY loud and rough. I allowed it to idle until it smoothed out, it was smoking white that wreaked of fuel, that's prolly cuz I don't have an intake air heater anymore and it was only up to 1100 rpm.

 

[whatabudro]

I have started mine @ -6 in Indiana last year. I was not plugged in either. It started on the first glow plug cycle also. I was not expecting that temp overnight, since I had just drove from 70* Dallas. It smoked out the neighbor hood for a good ten minutes with white smoke, and rattled and banged. I normally let mine idle about a minute at most. That was an exception because of the temperature.

Here's a technical explanation of why you should not let the your engine idle too long:

The reason these engines have a lot of blow by at idle is they use twist type compression rings. During no load or low load operation the cylinder wall side of the rings twists up toward the top of the cylinder, they are designed to do this for two main reasons, #1 less ring surface in contact with the cylinder wall = parasitic drag and better economy, less cylinder wear ETC., but the main reason twist type rings are used is during HIGH load operation the added combustion pressure will force the rings to twist down and lay flat in the ring land of the piston allowing the entire ring face to contact the cylinder wall giving the most complete seal possible, high load operation is when there is the most cylinder pressure and when you need the entire ring face in contact with the cylinder wall. During high load operation standard or non twist rings will actually be forced or twist down causing less of the ring face to contact the cylinder wall which will allow more combustion pressure loss just when you really need the perfect ring seal. The trade off with twist type rings is more blow by under low or no load operation, this blow by also brings soot and unburned fuel deposits with it which end up contaminating the oil, that is one of the reasons idling your diesel over long periods in no longer recommended. - hutchinaugusta

 

[atk]

maybe i will start plugging it in. temps here are starting to down below 0 degrees celcius at night. would hurt i guess....maybe my first mods should be a set of guages...hmmm....thanxs

 

[atk]

thanxs for that info, i`ll keep it in mind....

 

[Boadie]

Nice truck Boadie.

You have very good taste in a truck as well.