The Safe Zone!

[Tony T.]

What are the opinions of the safe zone as far as bringing a CTD up to temperture now that cooler weather has arrived and not using a winter front. I know it's 10 miles from my driveway to the work place parking lot, and with the cooler weather I noticed that the temp is probally right around 170 to 180 If I was to guess, with the type gauges we have. And the starting procedure for temps below 66*F. The manual sez! allow the engine to idle at fast idle for about three minutes until the manifold heaters have completed the post-heat cycle. I've seen on some post that some say let the light go off, crank it, check oil pressure, and go!!. That kinda contradicts what the manual sez!!. Any opinions!

 

[ttreibel]

If I can't/didn't plug in I let it idle less than a minute before taking off but I try to take it easy until it warms up.



I can take two routes I choose the one thats down hill first and I don't have to pull onto a busy highway for a couple minutes. The other I have to stand on it about 1 block from my home so I go that way when I plug in. This route is 2 minutes faster however.

 

[KWIKKURT]

Tony T,

I would give it around 60 seconds when below 60 deg. And when it gets colder (40 deg) add another minute holding it at fast idle 1500-2000 rpm. then drive with a light foot until it is at normal operating temp. One BIG reason is the head-gasket. the head and block on our CTD's expand quite a bit. Most of the blown / leaking head-gaskets I have seen are on trucks that get little or no warm up time before using a heavy foot. I would say 98% of the Stock HP CTD's that have head-gasket problems are from no warm up.



My current house is only 5 miles from the shop. So when it gets cold I drive the other way out and around the town so I get the engine up to operating temp for several minutes. This helps burn the raw fuel, Soot and other acids / contaminants that can build up out of the oil.



If you don't have a Weather front, Exhaust brake, ECM cold weather programming or other device that will cause your engine to warm up to operating temp when idleing then I would not let it sit more than 3 minutes when cold. The 5. 9L 24V CTD's do not run a high enough Cylinder temp at no load / Idle. But with higher RPM or a slight load (Exhaust brake) you can let them warm up and melt the Ice off the windows while you have coffee and donuts.

 

[y-knot]

I think the best thing to do is plug in the block heater. Not only will you have a nice warm truck to drive in, but the truck gets a nice warm block to start with. If this option is not possible(I don't know where you live, how bussy you are, or if you even have electric) then I would start the truck and let it idle for a minuet or two, and maybe 5-6 minuets if it is below freezing. Then once on the road, I would take it easy till warm, but you only have 10 miles to go. Without plugging it in, it probally want be warm when you get there.

 

[Tony T.]

Plenty of good info on the three post I received so far, so if I may ask at what temp would a person consider safe to shut down the engine if you can not reach the 195* degree temp that some will see driving longer distances. I'm looking for some numbers like (140*,150*,160*,170* etc. ) Take in mind my work place is 10 miles away and when in 40's or low 50's the needle on my temp gauge just is barely on the 2 mark of the (200) which is marked for the center mark when I get to the work place parking lot. So I'm considering (guessing) this to be around 160* or 170* degree's (is this safe) or should it be full operating temp at 195*degree. At one place I read in the owners manual when changing the oil when truck is cold (engine) to start it up and bring it up to around 140* degree's to get the oil warm before changing it. I see that continuous short trips could do harm to a engine,but I was wondering what would be considered a safe shut off other than the 195* degree.

 

[JPM]

Boy, it looks like a Espar(timed diesel burning coolant heater) should be a Dodge option!!! I will be looking into one soon.

 

[ImagesThatSing]

If the espar would have been an option that could have been ordered and included with the financing, I think we would have gone ahead and got it. I agree that offering it would be a good choice.

 

[Big_Daddy_T]

I have had many high mileage engines using this routine. I start the truck and wait til the oil pressure comes up. I then put it into gear and let it roll out of the driveway to the road. About 180 ft. Then I accelerate gently til I hit about 30mph. I dont go over 30 for a 1/4 mile. Then I accelerate gently up to 45mph. I then dont go over 45 for 2 miles. Then I hit the highway and keep it around 65. My theory is that after running for 3 to 4 minutes under light load the engine will have good lubrication throughout. It takes 6 minutes to get up to operating temp with my routine. This is a lot shorter than if I left it in the driveway to warm up. Shorter warmup periods, though under light load, seem to outweigh the benifits of warming it up the long way in the driveway. I change the oil religiously and havent had an engine go before 300k. Those are gas engines. I drive 60-80k a year so I get up there in the mileage pretty fast.



I found another way to warm it up in the cold weather. I havent used it often and wonder if it will have ill effects on the transmission. Its is quite effective. I put it into drive and set the parking brake. I cant see how this would be harder on it than sitting at a red light with it cold. It keeps the combustion temp up in the extreme cold letting you pull heat off the engine via the heater without the engine getting too cold.