What Temperature to idle?

[jjoerger]

At what outside air temperature would you idle your truck to keep it from freezing up?
No generator, no shore power for the block heater and no one in the truck. But you might have to leave soon.
I read an article recently that said anything below 22 F.

 

[greg334]

Minus 10F seems to be the limit for me.

 

[Desperado]

when i get cold i start up truck put heater on high when i get hot i shut it off works out 30 min idling every 5 hours

 

[LDB]

I think the question is not about keeping warm and running the heater. I think the question is what temperature must you idle the truck to avoid failure to start, gelling etc. due to the cold. Watch for input from Bob Caffee among others.

I am far from expert in this area but have thoughts I'll share until Bob or someone more knowledgeable corrects them. I think there are two distinct issues to consider. One is starting and the other is gelling. How new are the batteries. How many CCA? Total battery capacity? All the variables of how strongly you can turn the engine over. The other is fuel flow free of gelling. What fuel treatment is in the tanks? What strength is it? How full are the tanks? Are there heated fuel filters for when the engine is running?

If the fuel has a strong dose of Howe's or other fuel treatment and you've got new strong batteries I'd think not before the temp is down into the teens but let's see what Bob and others have to say.

 

[skyraider]

I think the question is not about keeping warm and running the heater. I think the question is what temperature must you idle the truck to avoid failure to start, gelling etc. due to the cold. Watch for input from Bob Caffee among others.

I am far from expert in this area but have thoughts I'll share until Bob or someone more knowledgeable corrects them. I think there are two distinct issues to consider. One is starting and the other is gelling. How new are the batteries. How many CCA? Total battery capacity? All the variables of how strongly you can turn the engine over. The other is fuel flow free of gelling. What fuel treatment is in the tanks? What strength is it? How full are the tanks? Are there heated fuel filters for when the engine is running?

If the fuel has a strong dose of Howe's or other fuel treatment and you've got new strong batteries I'd think not before the temp is down into the teens but let's see what Bob and others have to say.

Diesels are a lot of trouble,,high maintenance IMHO

 

[nightcreacher]

Ive sat home with temps in the minus and when it was time to leave,truck started right up.I rarely use aditives in the fuel,never Howes,as there was a time I had problems with it..I hasve a good fuel water separator,and as long as its filter is good I have no problem
As was said earlier though,if I'm in the truck,I run it till it gets hot inside then shut it off til it needs restarted to stay warm

 

[greg334]

I stopped using all additives in the winter time because every timeI do, I end up with gelled fuel for some reason. For the past two years it happened when using the additives, this year no additives, no problems.

 

[jjoerger]

The batteries are around 4 months old. Four of them at 1010 CCA.
I usually put in Howes if I know I'm going to be up in the cold areas for awhile.

My reason for asking is this: If we are laying over in the frigid north and decide to get a hotel room for the weekend I don't want to have to idle the truck too. No generator or shore power to run the block heater.

 

[greg334]

I don't see the issue with it sitting, I have started mine up when it was minus 10 with no issues after sitting a week. My truck sits for 5 days a week because of the schedule I have, and it starts every time without any problems.

I will let mine idle until the Oil Pressure drops to 50 idling and the Oil temps are about 90 to 105 - this usually takes about 15 to 25 minutes depending on how cold it is.

As for being in a hurry, well that's a problem with the carrier, not the truck.

 

[geo]

when i drove ud 1800 had no genset , but carried 150' excord and if i stayed in hotel room plug it in and ran excord out the window to my truck always asked for a room where i could plug it in

 

[Moot]

My reason for asking is this: If we are laying over in the frigid north and decide to get a hotel room for the weekend I don't want to have to idle the truck too.

Being that you are from Florida you might consider Georgia or South Carolina the frigid north. When you travel above the 45th parallel most motels offer plug-ins for vehicles.

 

[jjoerger]

Being that you are from Florida you might consider Georgia or South Carolina the frigid north. When you travel above the 45th parallel most motels offer plug-ins for vehicles.

Right now I am considering Florida the frigid north. 3 nights with temps in the teens is getting old.
But I was considering places like Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York, etc.
We are planning to get a room when we layover for the weekend up in those parts. But in another thread layoutshooter mentioned he had to idle while he was in a room because he couldn't run his block heater. Therefore the question about what outside air temp.

 

[mrgoodtude]

Answers.com - What is the freezing point of diesel
Other variables like windchill duration of time temps will be at 15F means there are no hard line answers..
As for us and our truck if the temp doesn't drop below 20F overnight I don't really worry about it.

 

[greg334]

Wind chill has no effect on anything other than Humans, it is the temperature that is 'felt'. It doesn't affect diesel temps, a truck or anything like that.

Humans sweat through their skin, the windchill is caused by the evaporation of the sweat and the lowing of the temperature through that evaporation and convection of hear - A lot like what happens with an A/C unit.

 

[mrgoodtude]

Wind chill has no effect on anything other than Humans, it is the temperature that is 'felt'. It doesn't affect diesel temps, a truck or anything like that.

Humans sweat through their skin, the windchill is caused by the evaporation of the sweat and the lowing of the temperature through that evaporation and convection of hear - A lot like what happens with an A/C unit.

Okay I stand corrected by definition but it ties in with duration of cold..
Forcing cold air versus stagnate air will cause it to gel faster
Take two bottles of water and place one inside your car overnight the other on the hood, if it gets down to 20F I bet you can still drink the one in the car come morning.
Anywho.
Don't park your truck facing the wind less the "wind matrix" (my term) cause you to gel faster

 

[greg334]

Yep... you standing?

Well anywho, the point I should have put in my post was you put the work chill in the sentence, which means nothing other than wind chill.

But you are right, air movement matters a lot - hence the reason why on my old dodge was equipped for arctic operations. I could leave it anywhere and it didn't matter because the fuel heater was part of the fuel line from inside the tank to the filter and when the espar heated the coolant, it heated the fuel line and the fuel in the tank.

After talking to a few people about this issue, I am left with this conclusion - buy an older truck that can start up in all kinds of weather and you won't have an issue.

 

[Bluto1234]

Okay I stand corrected by definition but it ties in with duration of cold..
Forcing cold air versus stagnate air will cause it to gel faster
Take two bottles of water and place one inside your car overnight the other on the hood, if it gets down to 20F I bet you can still drink the one in the car come morning.
Anywho.
Don't park your truck facing the wind less the "wind matrix" (my term) cause you to gel faster

Called convection. A bottle of water left inside a truck will take longer to freeze in 20 degree weather than another bottle of water left in the same weather outside the truck in the wind. Works in the opposite as well ie convection ovens.

 

[greg334]

Convection, the great transfer of heat to cold.