to plug in or not..that is the question

[BHerring]

Morning all,

I am from Southeren Calif and on a trip to the mid west. I was wondering how critical is it to plug in the oil/block heater. I am staying at Hotels and its hard to get AC. Any informaion / comments will be greatly appreciated.



Thanks

BH

 

[sdstriper]

I don't live in Southern California where it is not -5* this morning... I do however live in South Dakota, where it is -5 with a windchill in the area of -25+. I just came in from starting my 89' CTD, it is not plugged in, I do have the fuel heater hooked up and the heater grids are working. It did not fire right up the 1st try, but after cycling the ignition switch and trying it again, it did fire up and is running as we speak.



How good is your battery and is it close to the 1025CCA that was OEM specs?

 

[sdstriper]

Also, your going to want to run an anti-gel and/or #1 fuel out here.

 

[Tippin Spotted Cow]

I have a 1000CCA battery and it fired right up today without the block heater. It was 5* this morning... I know... a heat wave compared to your conditions sdstriper, but tomorrow we're looking at -8*, -30* wind chill. Any time it's under 10*, I'll let the grid heaters finish heating, then turn the key off, and then back on so they fire again for a second cycle, then start the truck.



If you're really worried about it, take it for a half hour run before you turn in for the night. The longer it sits, the harder it starts. Your engine block is a huge chunk of iron that will retain some heat overnight if you shut it off hot just before bed. Even if that means the motor is at 20* in the morning as opposed to the 10* of the outside air, every little bit helps.



Sure, diesels are hard to start in winter, but you don't just have any diesel, you have a Cummins. Bring some jumper cables and you can help out the powerstrokes and duramaxes staying at the hotel.

 

[JLEONARD]

I've started mine in the past at below zero and it started fine, with a good battery of course... like SD said 2nd grid cycle makes it less "rude" on the engine. The only time I ever let mine idle before takeoff was when it was single digits and no plug in.



Wind chill has no effect on starting... it only makes a body regret being out in it. :-laf

 

[peobryant]

As the others have said, I don't think you will have any problems starting your truck. Just make sure the grid heaters are working properly, and you have a good battery. If those check out, you should be good to go.

 

[rumblefish]

ill be giving mine the test tomorrow. its currently stuck in a buddy's yard. overnight low is supposed to hit -15, -30 with windchill factored in. i have confidence in it though. only time a 1st gen wouldnt start for me was my old 91. it was nearly -20 outside and it wasnt plugged in. i only had a 800cca battery in it, and after the grids cycled, there wasnt enought juice to spin the motor fast enough. i bought a 1125cca battery shortly after.

 

[sdstriper]

It is -17* here right now, -40* windchill...



That extra battery cranking amps is really necessary in these temps. I had a 775cca last winter and it wouldn't cut it, I didn't use this truck in the past winters but I have been this year so I went out and got a 1000amp group 31, it really is the key to getting mine to start in these brutal temps...

 

[BGore]

I can echo most of the comments here. Before I had my garage (a year ago), my 92 stayed out in the cold, and as long as a good strong battery was in place, I didn't have any problem getting it started - even with running 15W-40 engine oil, no fuel treatment, and not plugged in. Occasionally if it was convenient, I would plug in the block heater for about 30 minutes before I started it, but that was more the exception than the rule.

For the most part, I could pretty much count on it starting down to about -20F or so. Below that temp the oil in the crankcase gets really stiff if it's 15W-40, so it's a challenge.

With lighter engine oil, (I think 10W-30 with the appropriate endorsements is acceptable) I think you should be able to get to -30F or below without a problem when using the winter blend like what is pumped here this time of year. I have NEVER had a problem with fuel gelling in the 17 years I have owned this truck. Make sure you've got a good fuel filter on it, and if it's going to be REALLY cold, maybe mix in some fuel treatment or maybe a little more K-1 if you want to feel really safe. Other than that you should be all set.

-Ben in Maine, where it is about Zero F now, headed for about -10 tonight, -20 tomorrow night.

 

[Tippin Spotted Cow]

-12*F (actual temp, NOT the wind chill) this morning... truck started first try after cycling the grid heaters twice. There was a couple times in the first 10 minutes of it running that I had to apply a little accelerator at idle to keep it from stumbling, and it was real shakey if I tried to accelerate too hard, but once it got up to running temps, it ran like a champ. I think it likes the cold temps once the motor is warm, because that turbo can really move a good mass of super cold air that way.

 

[Tippin Spotted Cow]

As a side note, I'm not 100% sure where I read it, might be my Cummins B series repair manual, but there's a spec on how long the grid heaters run, depending on the temps. I'm not sure of the exact numbers, but say 40-60 they run for 7 seconds, 30-39 they run for 15 seconds, 20-29 they run for 30 seconds, and below that it calls for 2 cycles of 30 seconds, which the only way to do that is to let them finish their cycle, then turn the key off and back on again for another cycle.

 

[MAllen1]

The only reason I plug mine in where I am (Georgia) is because I do a lot of short driving with my truck and don't like to shut it off without at least getting it up to operating temp. Plugging it up helps a little bit.

 

[JLEONARD]

I disconnected the grids one time when the temp was -4 just to see what would happen.

She started but not easily. I think I turned it over and got a cyl or 2 to fire like 5 times before it stayed running. She didn't run very well for about 30 seconds then smoothed out. The area was filled with acrid white smoke... it was a beautiful thing.

 

[Tippin Spotted Cow]

I'm glad you experiemented with that one so I don't have to.



Keep in mind, any upgrades you do will effect how your truck starts in the cold also. Adding more fuel means there's more cold fuel that your cold cylinders have to try to ignite. This means more white smoke when it does fire. Bigger injectors actually reduced this problem for me... not entirely sure I can explain that, but I'm guessing that has something to do with spray pattern and fuel burn efficiency.



Also, advancing your timing should, in theory, help cold starts. It gives your cylinders more time to burn that fuel going in.

 

[sdstriper]

At -22 below when it would not start plugged in, I finally did plug it in... How long does a guy leave it plugged in for? I tried it after an hour and it still didn't want to go. Then I got busy and it sat there plugged in until 4:30 ish... It started then of course, defrosted even.

 

[KLauber]

We plug ours in when its around freezing cause most of our trips are short and would rather have an engine get to operating temp fairly quickly. Plus happiness is a warm truck, yeah, yeah... .

Ken & Will

 

[BHerring]

Everybody,

Thanks for the outstanding info, I have a few more questions:



1. The Grid Heaters, what are they and what do they do?

2. AC Plug. . what exactly does this do? What does it heat?

3. What is anti-gel and #1 fuel and where do I buy these items



The reason why I ask, I had the old dodge plugged in all last nite, (currently in Kansas City on business) anyways this morning it was -5* and like I said plugged it all nite. I turned the key and the grid heaters did not come on and she started just fine in fact super easy and the grid heaters never kicked in. Then at lunch at went and started her again, this time the grid heaters came on and then she started just fine and the grid heaters would kick in until she gets warm.



Comments / Suggestions



PS: I am San Deign and this weather is kicking my @$$!!!!!! YUK!!

 

[KLauber]

The grid heaters warm the intake air to help start on cold mornings. But since your truck was plugged in and probably moderately warm, they would not come on at all.

Ken

 

[sdstriper]

Grid Heater Control Modules preheat cycle, ignition key on, before cranking the engine. Grid Heater Control Modules with a serial number below 0080000A do not preheat cycle unless it is 15*F or below. That serial number and/or higher has a preheat cycle from 15* to 59*. They all post heat cycle according to the manual, no other info on post heat.



Serial numbers below 0080000A



15* to 59* No preheat

0* to 15* fifteen seconds preheat

-15* to 0* seventeen and half seconds preheat

below -15* twenty seconds preheat



Your block heater that you plug into 120v heats the engine coolant in the block which keeps the oil warm etc. The grid heater utilizes a sensor in the head IIRC, it's called a Thermistor Sensor.



Fuel anti-gel additives are available at any decent truck stop. I have been using Howes which is a lube and antigel. I did have an incident though and probably will change brands If I run out this bottle before the weather breaks. Power Service and/or Diesel911 is what got me out of a gel situation recently, so that is my next choice.



#1 diesel fuel is thinner and less likely to gel than #2, if you pay attention at the pumps in these colder climates, you may notice it or a blend of the two fuels. #1 has noticably less power too.



Power Service anti gel additive and for $8 a bottle of Diesel 911 if your worried about it, just in case...

 

[JLEONARD]

The grid heater is at the base of the intake horn. It is built like a toaster... . wires (sort of) that go across the opening and heat the intake manifold and air when they are energized.

The AC plug goes to the block heater... . a heating element that is in one of the freeze plug holes. It heats the coolant. GHence the reason the wait to start lite and grids did not activate after being plugged in all night. engine was warm.

Anti-gel is sold at auto parts stores, wallymart, etc. Goes into the fuel tank and mixes with the fuel to let it flow in cold temps. #1 is kerosene... sold at some fuel stations. Is mixed by the fuel companies into the diesel to prevent gelling. % is based on time of year and location. You can add some yourself, but use the anti gel instead. Kero has less BTU than diesel ... that's why us northeners get 2 mpg less in the winter.