How long can I leave it idle.

[RCrowley]

Just wondering if it is OK to let the truck idle for 30 or 40 minutes when I go home for lunch. It was -6 today. With the rpms going up to 1000 doge this prevent damage from long term idling. Thanks

 

[DNelson]

I wouldn't let it idle that long, unless you have a Jacobs e-brake, which can be used to keep the temps up. If the temp drops too low, you'll get fuel wash on the cylinder walls, which will dilute the engine oil. Or so I've been told...



Or, if you have a cold-weather cover, that might keep it warm - someone on the forum makes them for '03 models - see the other post about warming the engine up.

 

[fbaurley]

If your truck was warmed up by the time you got home it would probably still have some heat in it after setting for a half an hour, maybe the equivalent to starting at 30 or 40 degrees at worst. Try it and see? If this is the case Id just shut it off and save fuel and possible risk of cylinder wash down

 

[WKener]

In those temps, I would suggest you only let it idle for 20 minutes or more if you have an exhaust brake and a high-idle. I would not want to worry about incomplete combustion and cylinder washdown... If you find yourself letting it idle more often than you would like, make sure to take an oil sample at your next oil change so you can monitor wear levels.



The idle coming up to 1000rpm may help, but it is not a solution to cold idling. What you need is a load on the engine, rather than simply the increased revs.



BTW if it is that cold, I would recommend using a cold-front anyway. You can always make one out of thin plywood



Wes

 

[Fireman]

Not to mention

it'll wreak havoc on your fuel econ.



Fireman

 

[Jeremiah]

Originally posted by RCrowley

Just wondering if it is OK to let the truck idle for 30 or 40 minutes when I go home for lunch. It was -6 today. With the rpms going up to 1000 doge this prevent damage from long term idling. Thanks

I attended a TDR rally at ATS Diesel last weekend in Denver. A rep from Rocky Mountain Cummins said we should NOT let the engine idle. He also said that truckers who leave their engines idling at truck stops are not doing them any favors. I won't go into more detail than that because the reasons for not doing it (cylinder wash, etc. ) have already been covered by other readers.

 

[ddutil]

and don't leave the wife in...

I left mine idling for 30 minutes with temp around the zero (F ie minus 20 C) wich resulted in the engine temp gauge going down to the lowest marker and the wife giving me **** for the 'dam cold truck'.



So, don't leave the wife in (unless you have good reasons to do so ) and rely on the grid heater and good batteries.



Dan-from-the-Great-White-North.

 

[Jeremiah]

Re: and don't leave the wife in...

Originally posted by ddutil

I left mine idling for 30 minutes with temp around the zero (F ie minus 20 C) wich resulted in the engine temp gauge going down to the lowest marker and the wife giving me **** for the 'dam cold truck'.



So, don't leave the wife in (unless you have good reasons to do so ) and rely on the grid heater and good batteries.



Dan-from-the-Great-White-North.

Hey, cuz, you need an espar heater, not kidding!

 

[MidwestMotorman]

Get a grille cover. That really helps, and it will still let air through the intercooler while driving. Mine never goes below 160* idling (at 0*F) even with my heavy duty cooling package. I wouldn't let your rig idle too long especially if you are bombed and running oversize injectors.