Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) What's the coldest your truck will crank w/o being plugged in??

[The Sequel]

Since I live in year round warm weather, I've never really thought much about it. Does being plugged in help keep the fuel from gelling if it gets too cold? I didn't think so since I thought it just kept the engine warmer. Anyone???

 

[Rob Thomas]

Sequel,



When you plug in, the unit keeps your coolant warn in turn the block, and the oil. Really can't keep the fuel from gelling, 'cause it's in the tank.



Later, Rob

 

[cold Diesel]

This winter at work I had to start my truck at -32C without being plugged in. It had sat for about 13 hours. unplugged. The plug ins at the plant were 'accidently' turned off#@$%! Well I cycled the heaters 3 times and it fired right up! Sounded terrible though and ran rough for a while.

 

[speedracer]

Well, my garage never gets colder than about 50F, even in the dead of winter, so I don't plug my truck in and it starts just fine!

 

[osmith]

Cold Starting

The coldest I've started mine without being plugged in for at least 24 hours was -24 celcius, without windchill for those concerned. I still had 15-40 in it but it turned over and fired up. This was when my idle was set way too low, now I'm sure it would start when it's even colder now that I've bumped the idle up about 350rpm from 500 to about 850rpm. I didn't like the cold start like that and next year I'll have an espar heater installed for the winter. Besides it's getting way expensive to keep em plugged in all night

 

[BRobertson]

I do everything I can to avoid a cold start on my truck!!!! I guess it is from so many years of fooling with aircraft in supercold temps in places like Mcgrath, Fairbanks, Fort Yuck, St. Marys, etc. ,etc.

I installed an oil pan heater (400 watts I believe?) and always plug it in below 40F if possible, and still plug it in even with the Espar running. By the way, the Espar is great!!!!

Bob

 

[Ted Constantine]

I too try to plug it in when ever possible and the only time I don't at home are if I just forget or it trips the GFI. I see very little difference in how it starts below 15F but that PS pump sure gets ****** off. I don;t have an exact value for the coldest but it is a good bit below -20F. I hate that PS howl



Ted

 

[BushWakr - RIP]

For me, -38*F was my lowest start in my '93'. It was the ugliest sound I ever heard once it started.

I did have one try at -48*to -50*F. That was not good.

It would fire and rumble on one or two cyls. then quit. In the end my brother skie'd out and got a farmer to jump-start us... ... the bummer was it was a brand "F" that helped. On the up side he drove about 12 Km in 20" of snow up a terrible logging road and then once we were started up, he invited us down to the ranch for the nights to plug in and have breakfast before going back up the mountain (5,500') for our day's hunting. He even offered to come looking after dark if we didn't come back.

Nice guy, wrong brand truck, sent him a bottle when I got home just for being helpful. I guess being a "stand-up" guy is all that counts though.



Bob

 

[MJawsman]

Here in Minnesota it can get rather cold in the winter. The worst story I can relate regarding a cold start was in my 93. This was the winter of 93-94 where we hit -60F in Tower MN (I live in the Twin Cities where it only got to -40 something) and broke a record that had stood for more than 100 years! Some of you may have seen the news people doing things like driving a nail through a 2x4 with a frozen banana or throwing a glass of water in the air and having it freeze in mid air. It was one cold winter. Global warming my a$$!



But back to the 93. I was working a 10 hour shift (11 with lunch) and my truck sat in the lot unplugged for all that time. When it came time to go home, I cycled the heater's once and cranked it over. She fired right away, but I had to keep on the throttle until she warmed a little bit. Lot's of white smoke and what a rattle, but she did start. That was almost 10 years and 4 trucks ago. I'll never drive anything but a Cummins! Are these trucks great or what!

 

[Lazy-Boy]

Should we cover the intercooler in extreme cold temps?

While we’re on this subject, let me ask you guys another question. It’s been stated here that one shouldn’t cover up the intercooler when using a cold weather front. Instead, one should just cover the radiator. Is there ever a certain temperature where it would be beneficial to cover part of the intercooler as well?



I ask this because my truck seems to run the smoothest when temps are above 60F. When I’m in States where it drops way down, the engine is a lot louder. She runs just fine. I’m just wondering if I should make additional adjustments for temps like –20F when I’m running empty that may improve mileage or performance.

 

[The patriot]

It dont get very cold in New Jersey. The first winter I had my truck it was down to about 0 a few times. It started up no problem. The P/S pump made a little buzz noise, but that's it.

Also, the next fall I got a recall notice. It was for the electric fuel heater wire. It was never connected at the factory.

Eric

 

[swampfox]

starting

I've started mine a couple of times where it sat overnight at -5 - 10 below zero no plug in. Cycle the grid heater once and fire her right up... . smokes a little. Usually I plug it in with a timer set for two hours. As others have mentioned, best thing for the TDC in cold weather is 5W30 or 40 synthetic oil

 

[SOOT]

-30, and would not start My Moms truck anyway (see sig). I was in Laramie at school and lived in dorms so I could not plug it in After about 2 hours with 2 trucks hooked to it, one on each battery, the truck finally started, PITA.



My truck has started unplugged in about -10 with out problemOo.

 

[JohnMcIntyre]

How low can you go...?

Last December my son and I spent a week snowboarding in the Austrian Tyrol in Europe. We stayed a week in our truck and camper and for 7 straight nights, the outside temperatures would drop regularly to -15 deg Centigrade (+5 deg Fahrenheit).



Apart from a slightly longer time for the intake heaters to recycle, it started fine each and every time and as others have stated in this thread, somewhat noisier than usual. Once started, I turned on the exhaust brake whilst idling, to improve the time taken for the heaters to really kick in and warm up the inside of the cab - which took almost 15 minutes most days - boy, was I glad I had the DC factory bunwarmers fitted to them seats

 

[Mundgyver]

McCall, Idaho this last winter at my Sister-in-Laws house. 5 1/2 feet of snow and -21 Deg F below 0. Truck had set for 16 hours. Oo. Did the manifold heater twice before the start. Running Amsoil 15W40. Started right up. I like these trucks.

 

[JohnMcIntyre]

Originally posted by Mundgyver

McCall, Idaho, last winter, 5 1/2 feet of snow, -21 Deg F below 0. .

Not doubting how cold it was, but are you sure about these numbers?



Conversion from deg F to deg C: Tf = (9/5)*(Tc + 32)

Conversion from deg C to deg F: Tc = (Tf - 32) *(9/5)



By my reckoning, using the conversion formulas above,

+21. 0 deg F translates to -6. 1 deg C

-21. 0 deg F translates to -32. 7 deg C Yikes!!



JMc

 

[Big_Daddy_T]

cold winters

Ill say with good batteries these babies will start to about 40 below with no plug. Anyone who loves there truck wont do this though. A good battery heater pad and oil pan heater assisted by a block heater goes a long way. Batteries lose cranking amps rapidly below freezing. cycle away on those grid heaters and 30 below is a breeze. the power steering pump and brakes have both givin me quite a bit of trouble warming up tho. my brakes dont work so good at 30 below or colder for a few miles, its like no power assist. the power steering is struggling just to turn the wheels. Fairbanks folks would know best what the coldest start was though. Ive seen -60 up there in january for weeks on end.

 

[LandShark]

Coldest start has been at 10* with Rotella. Ran rough and lots of smoke. I've had lots of starts in the 30 to 40 degree range and have never liked the noise. (I've never used the block heater).



I cleared up most of the noise of the 30 to 40 degree starts by switching to synthetic power steering fluid and Mobile Delvac 1. Much quieter now...



I did a little test last fall. Put small containers of Rotella 15w40 and Delvac 1 5w40 in the freezer overnight. Flow rate difference in the morning was enough to convince me to use only synthetics! (I think the Delvac is rated to flow down to -60F. )

 

[Animal]

coldest start

I started mine at -26 with and overnight low of -35 unplugged. I also have driven my truck in –55 and you feel every vibration of the Cummins at this temp, the motor mounts are solid as a rock.

 

[Sean Flanagan]

-28F at 10,000 ft elevation. Bareley started. Only ran on a couple of cylinders until I shut it down and tried again a couple of times. Gobs of stinkey grey-white smoke.



It seems that the altitude makes matters much worse. I have had similar hard starting at higher altitudes when the temperature was a balmy +10F. While at 5000ft it starts just fine.