Going to Alaska, need cold weather diesel tips please..

[jakemeister]

Hey all. A good friend of mine is moving to Alaska from New Mexico and he has a 2000 Duramax diesel 4x4. What tips do you cold weather guys have that i can pass on to him. Also any product recommendations would be great. I may be moving there as well and will use these tips for my cummins. thanks guys!



example... synthetics? sometype of fuel warmer? extra heaters?

 

[EKlem]

There are a few things that would make sense to do. First off, locating the block heater cord would be a good place to start. Then making sure that he is using synthetic oil in everything which will really help with easier starts and less wear. He should make sure that he has a grill cover to go on. It is probably worth making sure that all of the glowplugs are working and check all of the battery and starter connections. Make sure that he buys good tires before it gets cold, a lot of people don't do this until they discover that they really need it.

These trucks come from the factory so that they should be able to run in cold temps but there are a few things you should always put into the truck. I would keep a nice warm sleeping bag in the truck, a warm jacket, a bottle of diesel 911, and a towline.

 

[jgillott]

I always thought that the Duramax was introduced in 2001. Does he have a 2000 with the last of the 6. 5L turbo engines?

 

[HBarlow]

My honest advice would be tell your friend to get a better truck before he goes up there. Something with a Cummins engine in it and a Dodge Ram nameplate on the doors.

 

[jakemeister]

LOL. . i couldnt agree with you more... he needs a cummins... Ive had 5 and loved them all, but his truck is paid off and he doesnt want another payment. I though he said it was a 2000 durjap but it could be an 01. he uses his engine heater in the winter here in new mexico. . it gets kinda cold living up in here in the mountains at 7200' above sea level.



A grill blanket is a great idea. Just put new BFG's on it. I mentioned the glow plugs/manifold heaters to him along with the synthetics.



I'd think fuels tend to gel up there? Is there some type of fuel recycler/heater or something or do you just use an addative to prevent gel'ing?



Would a fuel air seperator help?



How bout oil heaters?... is it even needed?... I know some of these question smay sound dumb but Ive never owned a diesel in really cold climate... I watched iceroad truckers and they dont give away to many secrets except some special fluid either in the fuel or coolant to keep it from freezing.



thanks again

 

[icman95]

I can't stress enough how important it is to use diesel treatment in every tank during the colder weather. Most people I know use the Power Service stuff and it seems to work great. We vacation in northern Maine every January were it routinely gets below 0* and my truck sits for a week outside while we are there. The fuel never gels with the Power Service in there. I do know that my neighbor had a problem with this a few winters ago in his Duramax. He needed to park it inside until it warmed up and then changed the fuel filter. He started using the treatment after that.



I have to agree with Eklem about the synthetics. They flow much better at colder temps and will protect much better. Don't forget to do the trans and diffs as well as the engine.



Also, I learned the hard way in Maine this past winter to carry a set of tire chains. Got stuck for a while on my way into town. Once I got there I got a set of chains which allowed me to get back to camp. Don't need them all the time, but can't live without them when needed. Just make sure he gets the right size for his tires. The chain sets are specific for each tire size.



Once again, I'll have to agree with Eklem on an emergency bag in the truck. When we go to Maine in the winter we ALWAYS have a bag with extra clothes, food, those chemical hand warmers, a knife, etc. If we get stuck in the middle of nowhere, at least we'll be able to survive to night.

 

[jgillott]

LOL. . i couldnt agree with you more... he needs a cummins... Ive had 5 and loved them all, but his truck is paid off and he doesnt want another payment. I though he said it was a 2000 durjap but it could be an 01. he uses his engine heater in the winter here in new mexico. . it gets kinda cold living up in here in the mountains at 7200' above sea level.



A grill blanket is a great idea. Just put new BFG's on it. I mentioned the glow plugs/manifold heaters to him along with the synthetics.



I'd think fuels tend to gel up there? Is there some type of fuel recycler/heater or something or do you just use an addative to prevent gel'ing?



Would a fuel air seperator help?



How bout oil heaters?... is it even needed?... I know some of these question smay sound dumb but Ive never owned a diesel in really cold climate... I watched iceroad truckers and they dont give away to many secrets except some special fluid either in the fuel or coolant to keep it from freezing.



thanks again

For his sake, I do hope it is an '01 with the Duramax. We have an old box van at work that I drive every once in a while that is powered by the old 6. 5L. I kid you not, if it isn't plugged in and the temp drops below around 40 degrees, it takes an act of God to get that thing running.

 

[jakemeister]

For his sake, I do hope it is an '01 with the Duramax. We have an old box van at work that I drive every once in a while that is powered by the old 6. 5L. I kid you not, if it isn't plugged in and the temp drops below around 40 degrees, it takes an act of God to get that thing running.

I know for sure its a durajap/max. . Ive driven it and looked under the hood. . Its a nice truck... i love the chevys interior compared to the dodges lousy uncomfortable interior... but I'd trust my life with a tried and true cummins over a d'max anyday but the d'max is making its way up the chain but not quiet there with the cummins in reliability in my book.

 

[WStrmiska]

Would be nice if your buddy could talk to some of the guys that are on the show Ice Road Truckers, these guys know all the answers about cold weather.

 

[RLHannink]

Windshield washer fluid!

Found out (more than once) that normal washer fluid won't work when it's cold, and it turns a leisurely drive through a monster storm into a stressful day.



-20 doesn't mean -20, either. Had some freeze up on me at ~+20. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get the right stuff. Can't remember what stuff we settled on, think we bought it at a truck stop in Nevada. If anyone knows of some good stuff I'd like to know.



Get more than 1 gallon, keep 'em in the truck.



A propane torch to ungel someone else's fuel lines isn't a bad idea either.



Gloves for when you put chains on.



I know we don't use starting fluid, but it might come in handy to start that blonde girl's car at the ski area...



Extension cord so you can rob the hotel's juice to run the block heater.



Warm the truck up w the T-case in neutral and the transmission in gear (auto and manual).



Could write a long bad country song about not being prepared for the cold.

 

[EKlem]

jakemeister,

Regarding your questions about gelling, if he wants to be safe, then he should use an additive. The stations sell blended fuel which should be fine but there are mistakes from time to time which leave people with gelled trucks. Personally, I run the white bottle of powerservice in the winter. The red bottle which says 911 on it is specifically for dealing with a vehicle that has already gelled up. Once the fuel starts waxing, the reason that the truck refuses to run is that the wax crystals plug the fuel filter and prevent fuel from flowing to the engine. Therefore, to ungel a truck, you need to put 911 directly into the fuel filter and the fuel tank. A fuel air seperator won't help(there shouldn't be air to start with).

As far as an oil pan heater goes, if he is going someplace super cold(regularly below -30F), he could buy one of the pad heaters but otherwise, it isn't really necessary if you run synthetics. Since synthetics flow much more easily in the cold, they not only make the engine crank over faster, but they keep it lubricated better until it is up to temp.

There have been several comments in this post regarding duramax and 6. 5 engines not being any good in the cold which is not true. The 6. 5 wasn't great at cold starting but when I used to have one, I got it to cold start at -25F a few times without being plugged in which is quite respectable. A lot of people run duramaxs in the northern states and they seem to do quite well. The cummins does exceptionally well at cold starting but I wouldn't say that it does any better of a job than the duramax.

 

[jgillott]

There have been several comments in this post regarding duramax and 6. 5 engines not being any good in the cold which is not true. The 6. 5 wasn't great at cold starting but when I used to have one, I got it to cold start at -25F a few times without being plugged in which is quite respectable. A lot of people run duramaxs in the northern states and they seem to do quite well. The cummins does exceptionally well at cold starting but I wouldn't say that it does any better of a job than the duramax.

Well, please share if you have any tricks on how to get that 6. 5L to start in the cold. Obviously there must be something you were doing that we are missing.

 

[icman95]

Here's a thought. There is a TSB for the 2gen Cummins regarding a high idle program they can flash into the ECM to get the engine to automatically high idle when it's really cold out. I had it done to mine and it helps with warming up. When I spoke with the dealer about it he didn't really want to do it because he said it was for places like Alaska and Canada where sometimes it's needed to keep the trucks running all the time so they don't freeze up overnight. Maybe there is something like that for his Duramax from the dealer or at least some aftermarket part to make it happen. Might be handy to have up there.



Also, make sure the batteries are up to snuff, as well as the tires for the winter. Probably would be best when he gets there to talk to some of the locals to see what people are running for rubber in the winter.



Someone mentioned the washer fluid. I've had it freeze up on me in the commercial vehicles I drive. Part of this was due to the location of the washer tank, part due to the fact that my company was mixing it themselves from a concentrate and making a weak mixture. I was stopping at any local gas station and picking up the additive to put it in. Worked great.



Ice Road Truckers does show them putting in special fluids, but this is mostly for the air brake systems. They pour in a form of alochol to keep the water vapor in the air lines from freezeing in the system. This isn't something that we have to worry about with hydraulic brakes, but it is good to learn about.





I'm not sure what experiences in New Mexico he has had, but if he's never driven in snow before the first thing to remember is that 4x4 will get him into more trouble than it will help him. Most people become overconfident with it and over drive their truck's or their own ability. Then disaster strikes. Remaining a bit humble and always willing to learn something new from someone else will keep him safer than the 4x4.

 

[Jefff929]

I had a 1982 6. 2L before my 01CTD. Starting in cold begins with things that have already been hashed out, good batteries, decent connections, regular maintenance and inspections. If most were honest, they don't even lift the hood.

 

[Tractorat]

I had an 83 6. 2 chev diesel. The thing really went thru glow plugs. What a pain. I made sure it was plugged in to shore power when it got below 40 degrees.

 

[akshadow]

Alaska is HUGH Where is he going. The temperatures in Juneau area where I live are not very cold. Anchorage much colder, and Faribanks interior are really cold. Lived there for 4 years when I went to college. Moved from coastal area, Seward, to Fairbanks for college and was really surprised how different. After college back to coast but in SE Alaska on coast, much warmer.

 

[jakemeister]

He has the winter driving down... grew up in PA and drives these mountain passes from home to work here in NM and they regularly get shut down in the winter due to snow and ice but they let the locals drive through to get home.



Thanks for the reminder on the fluids for the "brakes". that makes sense now. I just forgot what they were putting it in.



synthetic fluids, tire chains, tires, batteries, up to snuff manifold heaters/glow plugs, survival gear in the tool box, extra fuel filter,belts,fuel addy. . whew! and almost everything mentioned is covered except the washer fluid... That is so easily overlooked... you guys are all over it! oh... dont know where to find powerservice fuel addy?



on a side note im not sure if his truck has the cold weather idle up feature... my 03 and 05 had that and they always idled up here in the mountains in NM in the winter... That is such a great feature on the cummins trucks.



as for warming up with the tcase in neutral and the transmission in gear i assume thats so the pump in the trans can pump the fluid through it but, if you warm it up in neutral doesnt the pumps/pump work in neutral and pump fluid through the trans anyway?... at least i think they do in out RE/RH model auto trans, not usre on the allison. good point though.



thanks fellas, keep piling it on... hope this helps others as well.



akshadow... going to Anchorage... . are you a shadow pilot?

 

[RLHannink]

My previous Dodge 12v had an auto, it helped ALOT to warm it up in gear, I guess it does pump in neutral, but it seemed to help to put it in D. The t-case fluid will also get splashed around a bit.



Walmart for the PowerService. Get a couple at least, cuz you can't fully empty one into the tank, so I just put the remainder into the next jug. At 15 bucks a gallon, I like to get every drop...



For my Dodge, I use one of those political signs for a weather front, cut a 6" dia hole for the fan clutch, stick it b/w the aftercooler and the radiator. Those signs are made to withstand water. And you can fold it in half if it's covering up too much. There'll be plenty to chose from this year.



only disadvantage with that is you still get road grime in the aftercooler. But you can really pull when it's cold out.

 

[trucknut]

A few more winter items that I take with are: Booster cables, tow rope with clevis attachments, windsheild ice scraper and snow brush, long handled spade shovel, tire chains, inside survival heater - (2)1lb propane cyl and small plumbers torch, barbaque lighter and matches, tall felt pack boots, spare gloves, towelets, large flashlight, rd flares, and complete winter wear head gear.



Make sure the engine anti-freeze is good for -40 and the engine thermostat is maintaining that 195 F. If the winter windsheild washer fluid is not used the the washer pump and tank will freeze and bust.



Do not presume the block heater works test it by trying it out. When you first plug it in listen for a slight crackling sound to make sure it is working. On the Dodge cummins the block heater can be heard by placing your ear above the front passenger tire just inside the fender. I listen for this every time it is used - as bad extension cords, blown breakers are likely problems that the bock heater is not receiving power.

 

[hwebster]

Synthetic oil - Rotella 0-30

Switched over my Gen 1 a few years ago. Never needed a boost and always started even when not plugged in... We get down to -40 here!

Good Tires - Snow and Ice in New Mexico must be scarce!

Fuel Conditioner -

Warm Stuff!!!

Good Luck!