Heater grid bolt failure

[Byrd]

does anyone personally know ( I don't mean read about it on the internet ) a Ram Cummins owner who had a grid heater bolt failure?

Mine failed. Maybe i caught it in time. I took off and replace it with banks setup. I ran a telescoping magnet down intake back toward number 6 and heard it pick up broke piece. Flat washers were welded to bus bar. When I first heard about it. I should’ve just unhooked wire to solenoid and prevented this from happening.

 

[petersonj]

Mine failed.

What year is your truck? Also, how many miles?

- John

 

[Byrd]

What year is your truck?

- John

2020. It happened around 85k miles.

 

[Topzide]

@Byrd, I'm glad that you caught it "in time"! I did the BD kit on my 2014 a few months back. I did it for that piece of mind and to prevent what happened to you! I know people thought that the BD kit was a "solution" to a problem that wasn't on the radar! I hope that now you'll be able to enjoy the truck without that worry hanging over you. Thanks for posting what you found.

 

[AH64ID]

Mine failed. Maybe i caught it in time. I took off and replace it with banks setup. I ran a telescoping magnet down intake back toward number 6 and heard it pick up broke piece. Flat washers were welded to bus bar. When I first heard about it. I should’ve just unhooked wire to solenoid and prevented this from happening.

View attachment 142987

Do you normally wait for the WTS or bypass it?

 

[bcbender]

I am inclined to check mine now,.. I use remote start frequently so may be worth looking at. I do not WTS but it is unavoidable with the remote system.

 

[AH64ID]

I am inclined to check mine now,.. I use remote start frequently so may be worth looking at. I do not WTS but it is unavoidable with the remote system.

That’s the only time my truck has ever done a full WTS, but I bet I haven’t used that feature more than a dozen times in 30K miles.

I do the Geno’s jiggle test every oil change, maybe I should do it more often but I just don’t think it’s as big of deal as Banks wants his to believe. It definitely happens, but without any recall or design update from 07-24 it’s very very rare… but catastrophe.

 

[Topzide]

@AH64ID, The wiggle test is pretty useless! The way that the bolt goes through the intake plate, if it wiggles, it's too late! I installed the BD kit to feel better. As we know, our trucks, our choices. We all do things to our trucks that others may feel are unnecessary. I think that Cummins just rolled the dice on the amount of failures. With the environment that the nut is in, and with the way that BD did a redesign, I'm glad to have changed mine out!

 

[AH64ID]

I don’t think it’s useless at all, and it’s likely all that’s needed but the BD kit is what I’d go with over the Banks if I wanted to do something else.

 

[Shiner]

Glacier diesel has a grid heater for the intake tube or on the stock horn, if needed. You can also drill and tap stock horn for the coil heater

 

[Byrd]

Do you normally wait for the WTS or bypass it?

I was normally a wait to start guy. Not anymore. I’m in South AL. So a real cold weather start is not that common. And I park in my shop at night. So I just crank it now.

 

[AH64ID]

I was normally a wait to start guy. Not anymore. I’m in South AL. So a real cold weather start is not that common. And I park in my shop at night. So I just crank it now.

Even in Idaho I just crank it, Cummins says the grid heater isn’t needed above 10°F and I’ve started without one well below that.

Nothing wrong with not waiting for the WTS in most climates and temperatures.

 

[Grumpy8811]

I think people buying the Banks setup are buying the Banks setup far more out of desire
because you can repair the grid heater if it has a fault for alot less than buying that pretty intake air horn

I know people think it improves performance too, but not in an other wise stock engine.
anything I've read suggested you have to get past the 600 HP mark before stuff like the intake comes into play.

 

[Turbo Terry]

I’m doing the quick double button starts also. I notice that the voltage drop on the gauge is very minor. So the grid heater just barely starts to get hot. Should maybe save the bolt from excess heat . And if it gets sub zero I can let the grid heater go full bore to do a really cold start.

 

[bcbender]

The few weeks of cold we get here I usually use the block heater and a timer.. Coincidently the grid heater for me operates more in the transient temps say 40-50F when I hit the remote start and its not pugged in.

 

[crispyboy]

For those that bypass the WTS, isn't the grid heater still cycling after the truck has started? The grid heater in my old truck will cycle until I get out onto the road.

 

[AH64ID]

For those that bypass the WTS, isn't the grid heater still cycling after the truck has started? The grid heater in my old truck will cycle until I get out onto the road.

Yes, but you greatly reduce the on time.

Amps will also be lower with the higher voltage, and that has to help temp on the bolt.

 

[petersonj]

Actually, I think the amperage flow will be higher during post cycling with the higher voltage - for two reasons

* Ohm's Law - if the resistance is the same, then increasing voltage will increase current flow.

* With engine running, air flow across the heating element will lower the temperature, thus decreasing resistance, which in turn will increase current.

I think the lack of harm with post cycling is that the terminal in question will not get as hot because the massive amount of cooling air flowing across the terminal will protect the terminal from overheating.

- John

 

[JR]

I just don’t think it’s as big of deal as Banks wants his to believe..

I once looked up Gale's picture on Wikipedia and found this

 

[AH64ID]

Actually, I think the amperage flow will be higher during post cycling with the higher voltage - for two reasons

* Ohm's Law - if the resistance is the same, then increasing voltage will increase current flow.

* With engine running, air flow across the heating element will lower the temperature, thus decreasing resistance, which in turn will increase current.

I think the lack of harm with post cycling is that the terminal in question will not get as hot because the massive amount of cooling air flowing across the terminal will protect the terminal from overheating.

- John

The question is if the change in resistance is enough to have the same effect as the increase in voltage. 11.5V to 14.4V is a huge change, which with the same resistance would drop the amperage significantly, over 3A on a 190w heater.