Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Factory ECM has fast idle option in cold weather

[Dave Fritz]

Here is how you can have a fast idle for warming up the engine in the winter.



TSB 18-019-01 Cold Idle Engine Warming

Date: September 3, 2001

Models: 24 Valve diesel Ram Trucks



Extended idle operation, especially in cold weather, can lead to stuck valves and bent push-tubes due to insufficient cylinder heat. This allows varnishes/oils to condense on the exhaust valve stems, leading to stuck valves, and damaged valve train components. A new software feature, enabled or disabled through the DRB III (See instructions under Repair Procedure), reduces the chance of valve sticking and improves cab heat warm-up time.



Once enabled, idle speed will slowly ramp up from 800 rpm to 1200 rpm when all of the following conditions are met:



1. Intake Manifold Temperature less than 0°C (32°F) and,

2. Coolant Temp is less than 60°C (140°F) and,

3. The Transmission is in Neutral or Park and,

4. The Service Brake pedal is not depressed and,

5. Throttle = 0% and,

6. Vehicle Speed = 0 mph



Additionally, if Intake Manifold Temperature (IMT) is less than -9° C (15°F), and all of the parameters above are met, three of the cylinders will be shut off upon reaching 1200 rpm, creating a slight change in engine sound which is normal. This allows the engine to create increased heat in the cooling system, allowing more rapid engine warm up and cab heating.



To enable this feature, the Engine Control Module (ECM) is reprogrammed with new software.



The software update is scheduled to arrive in dealerships on September 3, 2001



Policy: Reimbursable within the provisions of the warranty.



Woo Hoo! Dave

 

[Mopar-muscle]

dave is this only for 01's or can it be done to others , like say my 2000 ????



doooh !!! , should have read the TSB , it covers back to 98. 5 ... question is do i want them mucking with other stuff on a reflash ????

 

[fritzbo29]

Dave the all-knowing

Dave - Thanks for pretty much knowing everything there is to know about the Ram. I am in awe of your knowledge!



Humble ingnoramus

Fritz

 

[HVAC]

Neat Feature!

What a cool upgrade!



But...



"Intake Manifold Temperature less than 0°C (32°F) and"



It never gets that cold here



Guess I'll just have to continue to hook up the hot tub to the radiator hoses

 

[Mopar-muscle]

aaaaahhhhh ... but here's the fly in the ointment so to speak ...

it's all fine and good , except for one tiny exception ...



NOTE: ANY TYPE OF AFTERMARKET IDLE SPEED KICKER THAT ACTIVATES THE APPS WILL DISABLE

THIS FEATURE.



Use of the 110V block heater will not allow the feature to function after an overnight soak. If the vehicle is left idling, without

use of the block heater, 1200 rpm operation will begin when the intake temperature drops below O°C (32°F) and coolant is

less than 60°C (140°F).



oh well , back to my solenoid with a toggle switch idea ...

 

[Amianthus]

Anything else?

I wonder if there is anything else that's in our ECM's that we don't know about? This will be neat to see.

 

[David_VT]

Dave you are KING!!

Bravo,

I will try to get this on the Green Monster as soon as possible and I will let you all know if the extended warranty will cover it.



The National Weather service is telling us we are in for a winter that will surpass last years blow out!



I will be happy to have this feature if it works as advertised!



David

 

[Fireman Dave]

You da man, Dave!



I'll be checking into this one. It gets chilly up here from time to time.

 

[Bad340fish]

Nuetral or Park?? I guess us 5-speed guys are out of luck??



I have an Ice Scraper with a long handle on it that when wedeged between the seat bracket and the pedal gives me 1400RPM. Its now more of a Stick than a scraper. If I get out early enough I just fire the truck up and let it warm up and melt the ice while I eat breakfast. 1400rpm reduces the warmup ALOT

Clark

 

[JJW_ND]

I glad Cummins got the go on this!

I had a discussion with a Cummins engineer back in 99 at the TDR Nationals. He talked about testing turning cylinders off to help keep heat up.



I is very cool to be able to do all this with just a program change. One of the few things that I seem better then my old 12V. We had several ISB's with stuck valves (busses not Dodges) this past winter. Cummins had a Service notice advocating use of the block heater WHILE IDLEING and/or use of Exhaust brake to help keep the heat up.



We have half a dozen 99 - 2001 Ram Cummins that will have to do some testing with this TSB.



Thanks for the heads up Dave!



jjw

ND

 

[willyslover]

Soooo Dave you want me to get rid of my trusty stick... that would be way toooo modern for me LOL

 

[David_VT]

Cure for Winter INVERTER (AC) use!! (I hope)

For warm ups, nothing beats pulling my keys out of the pocket and hitting the ESPAR start button (especially without an auto).



The wife has a remote starter in the 'burb which is nice, but a pain in the shorts to install in a non-auto. I have a new one to upgrade her's to that will cycle the truck based on temperature which will be nice when I'm traveling and she steals my rig and leaves the old beast in the snow for several days. ... 'oh honey will you help me start the chevy, it seems to be dead again'... . (that big redtop ultima does not discharge without help or neglect)



One application I've hesitated to investigate much is having the mondo inverter on the Dodge for running the house AC during our frequent power failures in the winter. With this TSB I hope to be able to run the inverter without fear. (the Espar can't run an inverter) If this new high idle works on the non-automatics!



Currently I'll use the 'burb to run the inverter(s) cause I don't have to run out in the snow to fire up the truck when recharging the battery..... But the old 'burb is getting tired, real tired...

 

[JohnMcIntyre]

European service

Thanks for the heads-up Dave, I'll have to talk to the local Chrysler dealership to see if they're geared up for this. The bottom line, can I live without it? What does Marco do in Italy in situations like this?

 

[nps]

John,



Your dealer shouldn't have any problem with this if they can do flashes. Really isn't even a dealer issue. Anybody with a scan tool and access to the code could do it. There is nothing particular to this feature other than loading in the new program.

 

[Lazy-Boy]

Thanks Dave

And I'm also thinking the same thing as Amianthus. There's probably a lot of things the onboard systems could do that we don't even know about.

I know it may sound crazy but, I think we should be able to do all this and more from a Palm Pilot type device. Turn features like this on and off at our leisure. Change the system on-the-fly to run with more power or more economically - all with the touch of a button.

 

[Amianthus]

Appointment Made.

I am scheduled to get it done tomorrow at 3:00 at Chrysler Winona. Should work out pretty good. At least I hope it does. I'll let you guys know.

 

[Todd T]

if DC would use the cummins 200 pin ECM we would have that opion anyway and could control it with a switch. with four ramp ups to choose from.



the first obstical, is to get that 100 pin turd, off the side of our engines.

 

[JohnMcIntyre]

Originally posted by nps

John, Anybody with a scan tool and access to the code could do it. There is nothing particular to this feature other than loading in the new program.

I hear what you say, but ready access to a scan tool this side of the pond is not that easy. I'm going to have to ask around...





JMc

 

[ftb87]

Thanks Dave!!!!! I just set up an appoitment for the installation. The solfware is on back order and they will install it in October (while I'm on a business trip).



Great news!!!!



Frank

 

[Texas Diesel]

My dealer hasnt heard of it here yet