Grid heaters, take em or leave em?

[Lorenz]

I know they draw huge amounts of wattage that just cant be good over time on cold batteries.



rumor is that dodge has them in there for emmision reasons, is this true? do tractors use them?



id like to save my wallet and the land fill from prematurely worn out batteries versue killing the ozone from "cold starts" in a 90* southern california cold front this summer...



any reasons i should leave the grid heater operable in the summer?

 

[RustyJC]

If you ever drive to the mountains in winter, you'll know why they're there. Diesels are compression ignition engines. They depend on the heat of compression to ignite the fuel that's injected into the cylinder. If the ambient temperature drops too low, the temperature in the cylinder at the time of injection will not be high enough to sustain stable combustion, or if the ambient temperature is low enough, even initiate combustion. High altitude, due to the thinner air, will aggravate the problem.



They won't even function during the summer in SoCal. The ECM turns them on and cycles them only when they are needed. The 2nd generation grid heaters will switch off anyway once your speed exceeds 20 MPH.



Rusty

 

[Lorenz]

Did colorado this winter and i would agree. The cummins does know when its cold. started it when it was down to -2 and wouldnt consider disabling the grid heaters in the cold...



How about a southern california summer? They do come on in the summer during cold starts. I'll watch the amp meter hemorage at 11-12volt until they turn off, the alternator comes up after the heaters cycle and will show 14 volts.



the batteries are still put under a load from the grid heaters in the summer if the coolant isn't up to temp. Is this neccissary?

 

[RustyJC]

As I said in my edited post, they won't even switch on in the summer if your temps are anything like ours on the Texas Gulf Coast. If the ambient temp stays below 60 degF long enough to "chill" the engine, they might cycle briefly on startup if the 3rd generation engine is programmed anything like the 2nd generation.



Rusty

 

[DIESELMAN]

Originally posted by SLorenzen

I know they draw huge amounts of wattage that just cant be good over time on cold batteries.

#1 - If your batteries are cold enough that current draw is an issue, then you need to have the grid heaters, duh.



#2 - Where do you think the lead came from in the first place, mother earth, duh.



#3 - Over 300,000 miles and maybe 60000 starts, you will need 3 sets of batteries, remove the cycle of the grid heaters and you need 2. 8 sets of batteries, big deal. Only Delco sells . 8 Batteries, duh.



#4 - The grid heaters help increase air temperature during cold weather idling and somewhat reduce fuel condensation in the cylinders (washdown).



#5 - The CTD is the best starting, best running diesel available, period. I've started mine easily at -24F with 8 hours of cold soaking in November in Fairbanks, and no block heat. Just ask some numbnut with a Ford about his glowplugs, loose a few and it may not start even at 40 degrees - ABOVE 0.



Why put yourself through this, besides, the diesel soot and SO2 will kill us all before the lead poisoning sets in... ... Duh.



Just messin with you... ... duh.

 

[klenger]

If you didn't use the grid heaters when it was cold, you would use the same about of battery power because you'd have to crank it a bunch more to get it to start anyway.

 

[y-knot]

I can see no reason to remove the grid heaters, nor does there use have anything to do with the lifespan of the batteries. Your batteries will last just as long as they are going to last, with or with out the grid heaters. Most seem to get 4 years out of a battery. That is pretty consistent with my findings. Batteries don't go bad from being used, but they will go bad from not being used. Also where you live, the heat would be the number one source of battery failure. Leave the grid heaters alone, you and your truck will be better off for it.

 

[Jim Porco]

You can make the grid heaters turn off by starting out and taking the car up to 20 miles per hour and they will immediately shut off.

 

[CEppinger]

It sure would be nice to be able to turn them off, Today after traveling 100 miles on the Interstate I shut the truck off to order a sandwich and restarted it 30 seconds later and the dumb things came on Must think its a Ford and needshelp starting at 54 deg F.

 

[bmoeller]

Originally posted by CEppinger

and restarted it 30 seconds later and the dumb things came on

Did the voltmeter tell you that, or did you go by the Wait To Start light to go out? They probably didn't even come on even if the light was on. If you notice when the grids cycle on a cold engine, the light doesn't go on and off when they do. The light on my Ford did when they were working, my Ram doesn't.



If the engine is warm, just start it up, don't wait for the light to go out.

 

[CEppinger]

Originally posted by bmoeller

Did the voltmeter tell you that, or did you go by the Wait To Start light to go out?

I noticed the voltmeter showing a discharge. I also ignore the Wait to Start Light unless its below 30. I have unplugged the Grid Heater Relays on the passenger side but the Alternator is still off till I hit 20mph.

 

[chessie-system]

The Grid heaters help but are not really necessary. I removed the control wires from the heater relays on my 95' and it would smoke a little on the colder days but it started just fine. Also I got 6. 5 years out of the factory batteries. I unpluged the 03' as soon as I got the truck home. It started just fine with no plug in at -1 degrees F and no smoke or stumble. Thats the advantage of computers. The truck will start as long as you have good winter fuel. Unplug the heaters is my vote.

Jeff

 

[Lorenz]

thats the answer i was looking for.



chessie got 6. 5 yrs out of his batteries with the grid heaters unplugged.



is a 4 year battery lifespan the average were seeing as someone stated before? has any body gotten more than this on a 2nd gen?



Just pull the relays right? duh (as it was so eloquently put before)

 

[PatrickCampbell]

You don't have to unplug the grid heater...



Just start the truck like a normal car (i. e. don't wait for the "glow plug" light to go out).

 

[Lorenz]

Grid heaters and Glow plug are two different things.



1) glow plug light is on the dash: swirly dumby light, at start up.



2) grid heaters are on at start (hemoraging 11-12 volt, somtimes head lights dim in and out) until the voltmeter shows a steady 14 volts, when the alternator comes up after the grid heaters stop cycling.

 

[RobbieH]

No glow plugs on CTD.



I can't believe this forum sometimes. We gots peoples wanting to spend $2000 to get 2 mpg better fuel mileage on a 7400 lb truck then we gots peoples wanting to disable the grid heater to make a pair of $100 batteries last a little longer. Sheesh.

 

[PatrickCampbell]

Originally posted by PatrickCampbell

You don't have to unplug the grid heater...



Just start the truck like a normal car (i. e. don't wait for the "glow plug" light to go out).

I know that we don't have glow plugs, that's why I put it in quotes.



Just start the truck like a normal car without and you aren't raping the batteries by pulling X thousand watts from the batteries without the motor running.

 

[PatrickCampbell]

P. S. On your next set of batteries you can get Optima's...

 

[Lorenz]

Knowing that it would take 160,000 miles to have a box pay for itself is definitely something i would consider when dropping $2k on up grades.



but considering the most expensive box is up-words of $900 (from what little i claim to know) and it would take <80,000 miles @ $2. 19 a gallon to pay for it's, self count me in. were can i get it?



but somebody with your ideology just wouldn't care to do the math right?... Almost want to ask you if your dad bought your truck for you; or are you the bosses son?



Were do you get off flaming somebody for trying to stretch a dollar? i'm laughing at myself for responding to this, but hey, I'll pull my relay now and go home... I'm taking my batteries with me too!

I can't believe this forum sometimes. We gots peoples wanting to spend $2000 to get 2 mpg better fuel mileage on a 7400 lb truck then we gots peoples wanting to disable the grid heater to make a pair of $100 batteries last a little longer. Sheesh.

 

[Andy Morrison]

I think we have been infiltrated by environmental wackos from communist Kalifornia.





Spies ! spies! spies!

they are everywhere!!!!