Warming Up My 6.7 In Cold Weather

[masterdrago]

We are now starting to see upper teens 50 miles north of Houston. I've read here and other places that extended idle times are not particularly good for the combustion chamber. Specifically dilution of oil by fuel. I just found this on page 122 of the 2017 diesel supplement. Does anyone know of any detrimental effects of using the diesel brake during warmup?

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[Deleted member 995608]

Plugging your truck in at night will help with a speedy warmup in the morning, and help avoid prolonged idle times. It makes a huge difference.

Whether the engine is cold or warm, I do my best not to let my truck idle for too long.

 

[Newsa]

I found this useful. Discovered it a couple of days ago. Good explanations and they spoke to Ram/Cummins before posting the info.

https://blog.genosgarage.com/wordpress1/2015/02/ram-turbo-diesel-cold-weather-tips/

 

[Cummins12V98]

Air cruise control then hold the set button and it will ramp up to 1,000 rpm. Have EB on also.

 

[dfb]

While warming up I turn on the cruise control, give a little pedal to about 1800 rpms the set the cruise. Truck will idle 1800 Rpms or whatever you set it till you turn off the cruise or hit the brake..

 

[Killer223]

set e-brake, drop into gear let idle for a few min. it'll warm up faster.

 

[DonFitzwater]

Those are nice, warm temps. Get in and drive!

 

[Too Tall]

I've put my exhaust brake on as soon as I start the truck.

 

[Newsa]

While warming up I turn on the cruise control, give a little pedal to about 1800 rpms the set the cruise. Truck will idle 1800 Rpms or whatever you set it till you turn off the cruise or hit the brake..

1800 seems too fast for a cold engine. Wouldn't do this every (cold) day.
Doesn't it make alot of noise? I think the noise it makes (cold) would be unsettling.

set e-brake, drop into gear let idle for a few min. it'll warm up faster.

Good suggestion for an automatic.

Those are nice, warm temps. Get in and drive!

I did this with no problem at 17 below zero. However, I did have trouble getting my tailgate to stay closed. Had to take a hair dryer to the tailgate to get the mechanism unfrozen. Might have something to do with residual moisture we carried with us from the south?

Like I said. I did this with no problem. Just kept the RPM' s low (below 1500) and accelerated slowly.

Would like to thank those who recommended the antigel. Pretty sure those who advised me saved me alot of headache &heartache. As well as those who contributed to solving the rear fuel filter housing heater issue.

 

[Cummins12V98]

set e-brake, drop into gear let idle for a few min. It'll warm up faster.

seriously?????

 

[Cummins12V98]

I've put my exhaust brake on as soon as I start the truck.

AND TowHaul.

 

[DonFitzwater]

"However, I did have trouble getting my tailgate to stay closed"

Tailgates have always been my aggravation point in winter. Dodge/Ram seem to use some sort of lubricant that gets a little too solid in sub zero temps and the darn tailgate always seems to not latch up..........or fall while I'm driving down the road and scares the heck out of me. I've gone as far as removing the linkages and spray them down with brake cleaner to remove the lubricant. That solves the cold weather issue but then the mechanism wears out prematurely.

 

[Newsa]

"However, I did have trouble getting my tailgate to stay closed"

Tailgates have always been my aggravation point in winter. Dodge/Ram seem to use some sort of lubricant that gets a little too solid in sub zero temps and the darn tailgate always seems to not latch up..........or fall while I'm driving down the road and scares the heck out of me. I've gone as far as removing the linkages and spray them down with brake cleaner to remove the lubricant. That solves the cold weather issue but then the mechanism wears out prematurely.

I had my tailgate fall once when just starting out in the morning. It was a noticeable thud and I wondered what must I have hit? Or run into?

After I had trouble getting the tail gate to stay closed, my wife asked "how will you know if it opens while driving?"

I told her... "Don't worry, we will probably hear and possibly feel it drop if it does"

 

[AH64ID]

I like to let it run for 2-3 minutes before applying the exhaust brake, if I have to use the EB to warm up. This lets the cylinders/rings warm up so they seal better and the amount of exhaust forced into the oil is reduced. I've seen the UOA's after exhaust brake use on a cold motor and it does increase soot.

I prefer to start it and let it idle for 30-60 seconds and then drive easy until its warm.

 

[Newsa]

I like to let it run for 2-3 minutes before applying the exhaust brake, if I have to use the EB to warm up. This lets the cylinders/rings warm up so they seal better and the amount of exhaust forced into the oil is reduced. I've seen the UOA's after exhaust brake use on a cold motor and it does increase soot.

I prefer to start it and let it idle for 30-60 seconds and then drive easy until its warm.

I will continue to put the exhaust brake on as soon as I start the engine. I have an amsoil bypass filter that filters the soot out of the oil ..... in addition to the fleetguard full flow

 

[AH64ID]

I will continue to put the exhaust brake on as soon as I start the engine. I have an amsoil bypass filter that filters the soot out of the oil ..... in addition to the fleetguard full flow

I have the bypass filter as well, and I still suggest letting it warm up for a couple minutes first.

The bypass filter does remove any agglomerated soot larger than 2µ, which is where most the wear comes from, but it cannot remove all the soot that's suspended in the oil. Modern oils do a better job of keeping soot from agglomerating which is great for wear but makes soot very difficult to remove. IIRC the filter is only rated to remove 39% of soot smaller than 1µ, which is the majority of soot in modern oil. The small soot isn't an issue for wear unless it's percentage gets high. Cummins allows for up to 3% soot in oil on the ISB and I've seen UOA's get close with lots of cold exhaust brake use. YMMV, just a recommendation based on experiences.

 

[JR]

I will continue to put the exhaust brake on as soon as I start the engine. I have an amsoil bypass filter that filters the soot out of the oil ..... in addition to the fleetguard full flow

Your coldest days are probably comparable to late spring around here :-laf

Living in Miami I'm not so sure there's even a valid argument for allowing a vehicle to "warm up" except to make it more comfortable for the driver. Cold is relative to what we are all used to but in your trucks case it's not going to be the least bit detrimental if it is drove easy on start up in 30-40 degree weather.

 

[AH64ID]

Your coldest days are probably comparable to late spring around here :-laf

Living in Miami I'm not so sure there's even a valid argument for allowing a vehicle to "warm up" except to make it more comfortable for the driver. Cold is relative to what we are all used to but in your trucks case it's not going to be the least bit detrimental if it is drove easy on start up in 30-40 degree weather.

Haha yeah, I don't do anything different with my truck until the coolant is under 30° when I start it... I also reprogrammed my grids to not come on when the coolant is above 30°F.

 

[Newsa]

Your coldest days are probably comparable to late spring around here :-laf

Living in Miami I'm not so sure there's even a valid argument for allowing a vehicle to "warm up" except to make it more comfortable for the driver. Cold is relative to what we are all used to but in your trucks case it's not going to be the least bit detrimental if it is drove easy on start up in 30-40 degree weather.

Haha yeah, I don't do anything different with my truck until the coolant is under 30° when I start it... I also reprogrammed my grids to not come on when the coolant is above 30°F.

Agreed. But I had not considered that the small micron soot might inhibit oil flow. So I see your point.

The EB doesn't really make a difference in how fast the engine warms up at these temps

 

[Learjet]

I towed some pretty good grades out west last summer with my 12,000 lbs. 5th wheel... with my Aisin...never got above 180 even with the engine fan roaring to keep engine cool...going up some long, hot and high grades. No temp issues with the Aisin.