Just re-subscribed (not sure what happened there). I like the destruction of the week segment. Thanks for sharing the view from your neck of the woods (garage).
@@Ishiku__aka_xchoibitschibihil I now watch most TH-cam videos at 2x speed because of this. Doing this also allows me to take in more information in less time.
I've been operating diesel engines in Canada for most of my life. Typically I wait for the oil pressure to change ( 2min approx) then just drive away gently until the temp gauge starts coming up. You confirmed my method. Thanks bro.
@@grasscutter88 Oil drains back to the oil pan when the engine is off. When it is really cold out and the oil is the consistency of honey or even peanut butter it takes a while for the oil pump to suck it up and pump it through the engine. It could be well over a minute if it is like -40 degrees out. So on an older vehicle with an actual reliable oil pressure gauge waiting to increase engine speed above idle until it moves form zero to normal is a really good idea. These days most gauges in cars and light trucks are more like fancy idiot gauges that mostly read normal all of the time unless something is really wrong, so it may not be as reliable of a method.
My wife can turn the key, release the E brake, put it in reverse and back out completely from the garage before the 8th cylinder has fired. You can tell them tell your blue in the face. They just don't understand or care !
@Hello Newman I didn't say I agreed. My wife is the one who moves the car before the last cylinder fires. Now it uses a quart and a half between oil changes.
@Hello Newman I'm not. She's nice .Doesn't have any vices is a really good cook. And she's still pretty although she could stop a clock when she was younger. But I just can't get her to let the car warm up a little I guess it makes her feel rebellious.🤣
I live in Canada. I as a rule fire the truck up , idle for about 3-4 minutes then bump up to 1000 rpm until water temp is at least 100. Then off I go. Also during shut down I run at idle with fan on for about 5 minutes until it’s sufficiently cooled down to a little below 180. I’ve ran this truck for 20 years ( N14) and it’s oil samples are still great.
I start the engine then wait a minute the put in gear and run at just above idle for a mile then can run at a little higher rpms for the next mile , then I am good to go .
I remember one situation when my friend basically floored his car literally less than a second after the engine got to idle, it was way below freezing. I cried myself to sleep that night.
We had a neighbor who bought old Hertz rent a cars and he would do that in the winter. After about the 2nd or 3rd season of that , she was tired and you'd hear the rods chattering nicely upon startups. Haha I was like 8, didn't know anything about engines and it would make me cringe 😂
I had a volkswagen rabbit I rolled it , drove it a year after, below zero night shift, I'd go to parking lot dead rev it tell windows clean, people would scatter
This is one of the biggest benefits of electronic controls. It limits fuel rates and rpms when coolant and oil temps are low. It also in many cases raises rpm to help aid in warm up and maintaining temperature. Many of mechanical engines have been damaged or ruined by bad habits. I also a big fan of synthetic oils especially a 5w40 in the winter months. It really shows when starting in sub zero temperatures. I really enjoy these videos thanks
A friend of mine who was a factory trained Mercedes tech from Germany and was part of the extensive research and design of the w123 chassis and OM617 engine said that their findings were that a 2-4 minute idle and then gentle driving until up to operating temperature proved to have the least amount of engine wear during the warmup phase. In a nutshell. The fastest warmup time with the least amount of engine load is what it boils down to. That mindset/advice has proved to be good rules to live by for me. Two other key things he said about those cars is nothing killed the engines faster than a bad thermostat and the engine running two cold and never ever over full the automatic transmission. He never saw one fail from too little fluid in those cars. Great video!
I have also had a couple old truckers and heavy equipment guys tell me "once it's running, don't shut it off until the end of day". These guys had million miles engines. Worked them hard, but maintained well.
Yeahhhh those million miles engines also have expensive fine filtration bypass filters and get lots of oil changes, plus they are usually mated to a lot of gears which means no need for 3k rpm
And those old guys never had to deal with crappy LSD and DPF... amd they all put idle at 1000 to 1100 rpm at idle. Keeps cylinder wash low and amd turbo cleaner.
Ive been an engineer for longer than this guy has been alive (45 years ) he is only half right it is Very important to cool an engine down properly too my cat 3406 has done 2.9 million because it is always warmed up and cooled down properly and serviced properly and althow a bit tired now it is still working hard
Idling before driving is simply to get the oil circulating through the turbo and other engine parts in newer diesels. I have a VW TDI and they say 30 seconds to a minute of idling and then just drive it. Obviously don’t be running 23lbs of boost through the ol girl until she’s up to temp but just regular driving a cold diesel is actually healthier for them than slow warm ups.
I always give the diesels I’ve had a few minutes to warm up before working the engine at full load and Never had any problems with them,I also let the engine idle for a couple of minutes before shutting it down after a hard run to protect the turbo bearings by letting the oil pressure cool it down before shutting off,this practice has served me well over the years never needing a new turbo or any other engine problems.
Yep, I just started doing this last week. Instead of waiting for 15min. I let it warm up a bit for 1-3min then I drive slowly until I get to engine operating temperature.
I used to run a soil compactor with a 2 stroke V-16 Detroit Diesel. Two V-8 blocks bolted together end to end with a single crankshaft. Two separate superchargers. Those old Jimmy's liked to be run wide open throttle and that rig would wake the dead two towns away, Lol!
This is one thing I like about the new Cummins in the ram pickups. The exhaust brake kicks on and loads up the engine a bit, keeps the fuel dilution of the oil from getting out of hand.
Over here in the UK my 28 year old Land Rover 200tdi gets between 3-5 mins warm up every time I start it from cold regardless if I'm in a hurry or not! I then drive it through the gears very slowly until I've done a few miles and I never take it over 65mph, I also let it idle for a min or two when I'm about to shut the engine down. It's covered just over 300,000 miles now and apart from servicing and a head gasket it's never given me any problems.... I also service it every 6 months with good quality oil. Look after your vehicle and your vehicle Will look after you!
Christian Eidsmoe I do tow a trailer with it sometimes at full weight which is 3.5 ton here In the UK.. I do also tow ships mooring ropes and wires with it which probably takes it over the recommended towing weight! I sometimes tow a small X army Sankey trailer into the Welsh mountains but that's about it! Why do you ask?
Christian Eidsmoe well I did Drive lorries or Big rigs if your a yank, over here the maximum weight is 44 ton and my old Land Rover towed my lorry across the yard... mainly because another driver kept saying how shit land rovers were! I had to prove him wrong...
Hey, you don't need to let the engine idle before shutting down in most cars nowadays. The ECU will keep a pomp running to cool off the turbo and prevent the oil from burning up :) !
An old trucker taught me to never put it under a load until you see the gauge move. If the gauge doesn't move, don't move the truck. 1000 rpm warmup after initial startup and idle settles down.
Pretty much spot on. No need for extended warm-up, but you should take a minute or two before you start to load the engine. One thousand rpm for idling is the proper way if you have extended idle time. Also, as you move the vehicle you should remember that the transmission, rear axles, and wheel bearings need to be warmed so their lubricants can come up to temperature.
Growing up on the family farm, we would always start our tractors up in the fall/winter and idle them for about 4 or 5 minutes and then bump them up to around 1300 to 1500 RPM to speed up the heating process. After about 15 to 20 minutes or so we'd go to work. We put anywhere from 8k-15k hard hours on all of our machines and they never needed a rebuild (short of our cotton picker but it was already heavily used when we bought it).
I worked in a NASCAR shop for 7 years. ANYTIME we started a “cold” engine, the oil was heated (to 210 deg) and circulated thru the engine before starting it. Not letting any engine warm at least 3-5 minutes raises the chance of excess bearing wear/ damage. While today’s synthetic oils do flow better at “9 degrees” than older conventional oil, it does not flow that good. 1-2 minutes warm up is not enough in below freezing temperatures. All engine oils have an optimum temperature operating range. Room temperature and colder is not in that range.
JFC. This is not a nascar engine! Anyone who lives in a cold climate (Like Canada!) will have enough common sense to gradually warm the engine after the initial 2 minutes. For example. If hooked to 140,000 pounds, starting my day in Btfk nowhere I would open hood, check the oil and other fluids, do a visual for leaks, check steering, Then I would start engine, do a proper walk around, check tires, etc, come back to the engine area, do another quick visual, close the hood! At this point you can start moving WITH LIGHT THROTTLE INPUT! You do not Jeff Gordon the thing and hit the rev limiter even if at 180 -200 °F, that is just plain stupid! Axles, tires, wheel bearings must be gradually warmed too! At -40°F you could easily rip apart a driveshaft or do unnecessary wear to the tranny or diffs. To make a long story short...This is not grandpas 6v71 using straight 30 weight conventional oil. We run modern electronically controlled engines. :)
@@fredg8199 Sorry but you haven't told me anything I don't already know and many others as well. I figured someone would take my point and miss apply it or twist it into some other meaning. I cannot make my point any simpler and I'm sure the other 99% of readers understand it. BTW, when did they start using pointless ignition? Golly things sure are changing fast! Now where's my dwell meter and timing light?... there's other oil than straight 30W WolfsHead?!
Here in Canada we get some pretty cold temperatures. I run 0W30 or 40 synthetic oil in all my vehicles, including my farm tractor, generator and snow blower. Even this oil is fairly thick at minus 30C. Here are my tips for winter driving: cover the grille to allow the coolant to warm up faster, use a good block heater, and consider a garage. Even an unheated building is far warmer than outdoors and your vehicle will be much happier!
I idle my C15 on startup for 10-15 minutes at the minimum everyday. Plug it in on cold months and idle before shutdown at least 5 minutes. Got 1.3 million before I inframed it. I've ran several different CAT engines with the same routine and never had any problems with long idle times.
@@ai_university I really like my C15 engines. I have 3 kenworths with C15 ACERTs and will go out of my way to avoid the ACERT in the future. The single turbo have been way less problematic.
@@countryrebel01 I keep Hearing about this single turbo conversion. What’s the benefits of doing this? Should I wasn’t until my turbos are on their way out to do this ?
@@romanshevy257 Just keep running them until a turbo goes then throw a bigger BW single turbo on. Gets rid of a bunch of extra crap hanging on the motor and will run better. Thats what we've been doing with our ACERT's.
I work in the gas compression industry on cat g3600's. The most important thing on them is that your oil temp never exceeds the jacket water temp in fact the ecm will shut the engine down if there isn't enough differential between the two. Since the pistons are oil cooled they don't want the hotter oil to expand them any larger than the cylinder liners. As a general rule of thumb I never start to drive or load anything until coolant temp is up to 160 degrees. Good videos man it's nice to watch someone with a good head on their shoulders
Cory, I am puzzled by this part, "...oil temp never exceeds the jacket water temp...", because there have been excellent industry tests demonstrating the benefits of engine oil temperatures exceeding 212° F, the primary one being evaporation of water from the oil.
Chad Jessup yessir it does promote evaporation but for the oils we run at temperatures that high the viscosity is usually out of spec also at high temps the oil will break down quicker and when you're talking a 240 gallon oil change we try to squeeze every penny out of it. In certain applications like running on landfill gas they will raise the temperature of the jacket water to promote more evaporation due to the corrosive nature of the gas it will form acids in the crankcase when it mixes with moisture but most all of our gas isn't corrosive so we run lower temps, jacket water at 190 and engine oil at 180. We also run a straight 40w oil to help with oil life as multi viscosity oils (15w-40 etc) have a shorter life comparatively.
Amazing to hear your comment. We run g3600 generator sets and ended up cracking the cylinder liner due to this very fact ....oil temp over Jacket water temp .. Adem alarms but does not shut down engine when this happens
Peter Ronson awesome where are you located? What size of engines are you running? It may be because ours is a different application but it will shut down if oil exceeds water by 7 degrees and will alarm at three degrees,
We've got a pair of g3612's and a g3616 in full cogeneration application. Toronto, Ontario. Ours when it failed cracked the liner scuffed up the piston but fortunately all the parts stayed in the cylinder. I can't remember what finally shut down the engine but it was not the temp differential alarm in the ADEm. My memory is that shutdown has a long timer too...so damage is already done. We added external valves on the JW circuit after the failure to make sure the JW temp stays high and gets up to temp quickly.
When I got my Diesel Oldsmobile Regency, I was told to sit ONE MINU"TE to allow oil distribution and DRIVE. The cabin heat water temperature reached comfort in 2.75 miles.
My motor loves the -5 and a cold start, i hold the pedal to the floor right when it starts . A little red line for a good time ! It's lasted all of 580 miles !
I drove in northern Alberta for many years. I two block heaters and an oil pan heater. No problems starting -35c . Coolant temp was about 95c and oil temp was good. Put over a 1.5 milliom kms and with just normal maintenance. Love your channel.
Very true. Any decent one will have a coolant and oil heater, they usually keep it around 100f, so it’s a little better. And for the first 3 or 4 seconds of running it doesn’t have load on it
I was always taught with tractors and heavy equipment that if you idle a machine in the winter to bump the throttle a smidge to keep it off the low idle. I was always told it was for oil pressure and flow reasons. Never thought about it much, I just did it. Granted these were mostly older machines also.
Mmmm.... interesting ! It's minus 11 F this AM. like it usually is this time of year in my neighborhood, sometimes a lot colder tho. I do plug it in always, I have an oil pan heater and a block heater , I start the truck and let it idle while I roll up the extension cord, then I increase the idle to 1k turn on all the lights and do my walk around( pre trip) then I increase the idle again to 1150 and do my paper work.... I will not stuff it in gear till the coolant temp reaches 110... by then the oil is about the same. Always take it easy at first till temp are up in normal op. range. I got a 1.1 million on the odometer with this ISX 550 and still running strong pulling 102K lbs every day. Knock on wood ! :) Thanks for the vid !
Francis B this routine that you apply is the same that I have done and I believe is an excellent method to getting the longest life out of your rig. I’ve retired now from the trucking industry after 40 years and millions of miles. Good luck be safe and happy trails.
So in the end it is a compromise: Get up to operating temperature as soon as possibly, but not in the brutal way. Start the engine, idle for a minute or two, then put some load on the engine to rise the temperature faster by driving away, but under light or moderate load, increase load as the engine temperature goes up. Another thing, modern oil doesn't get thick. SAE 5-40 or 0-40.
+Kristian Jonsson The most widely used oil over here is 15W40 and it is a bit thick when cold. Those wider range multigrade would definitely flow much better in the cold, that is for sure.
Kristian Jonsson..... He is NOT addressing little diesel engines in pickup trucks, cars, etc..... we do NOT use 5-40 or 0-40 oil in Heavy Duty diesel engines in HD trucks.... semis, Off hwy mining trucks, Heavy Equipment, etc, etc. The main focus Of The Video is on heavy-duty diesels in Semis or class 7&8 heavy-duty trucks (all diesel) in general.
I have a 1982 Citroen CX Diesel in Vancouver Canada. the oil is 20-50 all year round. I must be doing something right, its still going. What I do not do, is drive any distance shorter than 12 kilometer. Watching your video made me feel good, thanks.
It would have been good to mention that a piston is 'cam ground' during it's manufacturing process. Meaning it is slightly oval shaped and not perfectly round until it has reached, or nearly reached, operating temperature. A cold piston will have some piston slap on the skirt which can result in piston damage if put under even a light load too soon. A short skirt will suffer more damage than a long skirt. Just something to keep in mind.
The C series cat engine went to a 3 piece piston. The piston head and skirt are separate and held together with the wrist pin. The skirt is built perfectly round and according to cat can be put under full load as soon as it comes off high idle. The old 2 cycle Detroit also used the 3 pice piston. They were well known for standing up to cold weather operation.
As a Helicopter Maintenance Test Pilot.... And Dodge Cummins Owner... Above 32 Degrees.....5-7 Minutes minimum at idle......Below 32 Degrees maintain idle speed until I see the engine temperature gage start to increase..... While living in Alaska for 7 years I utilized Block, Pan, radiator and battery heaters / blankets.....
Whole heartedly agree with you on an easy warmup on diesels. When our engines are started, let oil pressure build at minimum RPM and after a few minutes, drive off under empty load until close to operating temperature. Never push a cold engine. Up here in Montana, we see -40 F. We use oil pan and block heaters. The newer 5-40 synthetic oils are also a big advantage for sustained cold driving. PS.. you will have to keep your window open and breathe outside until your heater starts throwing heat to keep your windshield from fogging up.... you won't experience that in AZ Haha
It's a good thing to warm up a diesel engine depending on how cold it is depends on how long you warm it up allowing the oil to get to the turbo and the Pistons to warm up so you don't end up with piston slap and wrist pin knock from not warming up your diesel it's not a bad idea to read the owner's manual you'll find a lot of tips
I think this applies to all engines. I always warm up my car to get the oil through the engine on my gas car . Unlike my neighbors that jump in and take off while their car sounds like a sewing machine because there is no oil in the valve train yet. Great video
Did you even listen to the video? The pressure may be there but the engine isn’t properly lubricated until the oil warms and thins and begins to flow through the engine at the right rate
Dariusz D concerning gasoline engines: gas engines use an open/closed loop fuel trims. When cold, a gas engine will operate under open loop, meaning the ECU commands the engine to run with the injectors dumping fuel into the combustion chambers in an effort to increase overall operating temperatures. Gasoline is a solvent: so when in open loop, the engine runs extremely rich. If left to idle before the ECU commands the engine to go into closed loop (14.7:1 air fuel ratio), the cylinders will wash down, causing premature wear. If it's super cold, say around 10 below 0, then yes, let it idle, but if not, jump in and take off. The lack of immediate oil pressure in the cold will not negate the loss of lubrication by letting a gas engine idle in open loop. Carburated engines of course are a different story, but with EFI, it's a whole new story.
Getting your oil up to operating temp before stressing the engine is what's most important in warming up a gasoline engine I think we all agree. The best way to do that is to start driving as soon as you start your engine but under very light load conditions until your oil temp is up to its operating range. In the winter it might take 20 or 30 minutes for that to happen just letting it idle. So cold oil combined with rich idle conditions means minimal lubrication. Idling a gas engine for more than a minute will shorten the life of your engine without a doubt. I know this goes against what most of us were taught but if you think about it, it will be obvious to you. Plus if your one of those tree hugging people your catalytic converter will not be able to change CO2 into O2 until it is heated up either. So not only are you damaging your engine warming it up by idling in an evironmentalists eyes you may as well be clubbing baby seals.
Getting your oil up to operating temp before stressing the engine is what's most important in warming up a gasoline engine I think we all agree. The best way to do that is to start driving as soon as you start your engine but under very light load conditions until your oil temp is up to its operating range. In the winter it might take 20 or 30 minutes for that to happen just letting it idle. So cold oil combined with rich idle conditions means minimal lubrication. Idling a gas engine for more than a minute will shorten the life of your engine without a doubt. I know this goes against what most of us were taught but if you think about it, it will be obvious to you. Plus if your one of those tree hugging people your catalytic converter will not be able to change CO2 into O2 until it is heated up either. So not only are you damaging your engine warming it up by idling in an evironmentalists eyes you may as well be clubbing baby seals while your at it.
I start my 12 Valve and then open my driveway gates. Move truck outside using low gear and idle rpm. Park truck and then close the gates. Drive away normally and don't get on it until coolant temp is normal. If towing heavy it is warmed up until temp registers and then I take it easy for 5 miles until trans and rear end warms up.
I've had much better luck starting my diesel in the cold by using only full-synthetic oil. Rotella 5W40 is my year-round choice. It stays thinner in extrememly cold weather, which guarantees easier starting, but somehow retains sufficient thickness after warming up. Regular oil guarantees a very hard if not impossible start-up in very cold weather, i.e., -10*F.
@@dmax06 Picked up 2mpg going from 15w40 motorcraft To 5w40 Rotella T6 full synthetic on 7.3 diesel change every 5k miles Even the BMW gasser idles smoother on startup with it so now I use it in everything even pressure washer
Increased wear from lower oil flow. So switch from conventional oil to synthetic and there is better flow especially at low temperatures. Better oil flow from a better flowing oil means less warm-up time for the oil.
I live in Canada and we use block heaters on all of our equipment. We have several aftermarket circulating heaters and those things can actually get the engine up to operating temperature. We have to actually be careful about it because if you leave it plugged in to long it will boil all the water out of the engine. To be fair these things draw over 1500 watts and do not include any sort of max temp switch.
Completely agree. There's so many people that need to hear this, they think they're doing good with extended warm up and cold weather idling. Cummins ISX operator DVD says start and drive, no warm up time ever. I prefer 30 seconds to a minute like you said in 10 degree weather and start moving increasing load as coolant warms up. These engines are designed to work, not idle. The idling engine is shot long before the working engine is. Very good advice like always.
Very sound advice. On the older diesel trucks and equipement, we used to idle them for long periods to warm up, and once started for the day they stayed running, often idling for hours at a time. With the modern diesels, it's pretty much fire them up, idle for 30 seconds or so, then drive or operate conservatively until up to operating temperature. That's pretty much in line with your advice. P.S. I enjoy watching your channel.
My 2011 Duramax has a cold weather fast idle setting. I found the instructions in the owners manual. This setting is smart enough to turn off if the temperature is above 30F. It has done wonders for the truck in Alaska
Please don't forget about having a hot hardworking engine and bringing it down to an idle and letting the heads and cylinders cool down before shutting it off ,,,,, your turbo and head gaskets and everything else will love you much more
Makes sense letting it cool down. Shut the ac off as well, with fan on to remove water and not have ac stink at next start up. How long do you wait before you shut your diesel off? My diesels include: 1981 rabbit 1.6 non turbo diesel 2002 excursion 7.3 turbo diesel 2017 john deere 2032R non turbo diesel
@Al Forster dude dont make an idiot of yourself.If you dont allow an engine to cool down you can ruin it pretty fast.If you have a turbo and you shut it down immediately the turbo will cook the oil and bye bye turbo.A non turbo engine has other issues,shutting it down hot can cause the valves to bend and also bend or crack the cylinder head.Not to mention the head gasket
@@FredFlintstone21 3-4 minutes is enough to circulate the coolant and oil and bring them to a reasonable temperature,that will prevent your valves from bending and possible damage to your cylinder head
Our marine SOP's stated 2mins idle, then easy load use till engine temps rise then full load after that. If it was a generator, it would be 2mins idle, then 1800rpm no load till temps rose, then bring on load. Our main propulsion diesel engines (PDE) were 2mins idle, 850rpm no load till temps rose, then full use. Keep in mind that our PDE's were 90Litre MTU V16, so 1000rpm was midrange operation.
Live in Northern Ontario, can get down to -45, start it, let it low idle for a few seconds for idle too smooth out, watch oil pressure, when it comes up (will be much higher than normal pressure), idle it up to 1000 and let it warm up. 10 -15 min before you move. And when you move remember the oil in the transmission and differentials are also the same viscosity as jello, so take it easy first few min. All of our trucks have block heaters, many use auxiliary heaters like a proheat or webasto, set them to start 1 hr or so before you go to start the truck, will get coolant very warm and circulated. Was the way I was taught
I use the Royal Purple 100% synthetic (5W30 in gas, 15W40 in diesels) in all my engines. In -20°weather it flows very well. But even then I will let it warm up a minute. Especially the tractors. It's a little more expensive upi front, but when I rebuild an engine that has 300k miles it looks like the day it was build. No sludge, no wear and the rings are perfect. The cross hatching is still visible on the cylinders. Magic!
I started my engine back in 1988 January 1st and I have never shut it off . Until July each year for ten years with no problems whatsoever. I always used Chevron Delo 400 30 W engine oil . I used Wix filters . I also put K-1 kerosene in the fuel tanks when I was in the North part of the country . To keep the fuel from gelling .
@@markdavid4897 no they do not diesel engines run cooler at idle hence why alot have tarps over the radiator during cold months... Easy to tell just by the exhaust temp... A gasser exhaust at idle will be 700° while a diesel can be 300°....
In the winter, I unplug it, start it, increase the rpm. Then i go back inside, where it's warm, and have another cup of coffee or two, before going out and hooking up the trailer.
There was a great article a few years back, on an RV web page, about warming up your diesel pusher before going all out. Pretty much what you said. They recommended taking off right after oil pressure came up (one minute?) but go easy for the first few miles. Once coolant temps bumped up a little (noticeable rise on the gauge) you were good to go. From that point on run like you normally would. If it's really cold (teens or lower) plug in the block heater for an hour or so before starting. Either way don't sit at a cold idle waiting for the engine to warm up. Preheat the engine or take right off but get it warm as soon as possible. JMO
Our airforce has engines with 18" bores, a v16. When a power failure occurs the engine is on cycle within 3/4 of a cycle of 60 cycle ac power. The large radar sets need an uninterrupted flow of electricity so the set does not miss a single moment of time it is not online. Can you imagine air starting this huge diesel engine under load on cycle with 60 cycles/sec in 1/60th of a second with air start? It is phenomenal when you think about it even how a generator that large comes online that quickly. I have never heard the workload hours to keep these huge engines ready but it shows diesel engines can start much faster than you can believe.
Another great video , I would like to see a video like this be mandatory in CDL and heavy equipment schools. The drivers and operators that come out of these schools have no idea how to properly operate the equipment for longevity
I keep my 2018 ram 2500 6.7 plugged to preheat the engine year round. It’s on a smart plug and scheduled for 4 hours a night. I’ll override that when temps are cold. All I have to do is tell Alexa to turn on the truck. I have a short commute and I hope the preheat helps reduce the time to come to normal temps it certainly doesn’t hurt. The engine is between 125-145 degrees when I start it. It also saves me money, the electricity is cheaper than fuel at high idle for 10 to 15 minutes. This is my first diesel pickup and I’ll never go back to gas. Just my take on it.
The destruction segment is great, love the general content of your channel. I work on ships/boats. Used to run 3516s, C280-12 & C280-16. More recently 3304 & 3406. Now I’m on a Dredge boat with Cummins QSM 11 Generators and QSK 17 for Main propulsion. Keep the info coming!
Generally good advice. Read the manufacturer's handbook for specific guidance. Intuitively as a mechanical engineer I would say warm up before applying load to expand piston rings etc whereas the manual may say drive away. Whatever, no violent revving please after start, no high rpm ever and avoid heavy load when cold seems wise and always idle for a few minutes after heavy use before shutdown whether or not there is a turbocharger. I also apply a short time rating approach thrashing my Unimog's OM366LA or anything else for short periods up steep hills, but not overdoing it continuously, a bit like standby versus prime bhp ratings on generators. Keep changing the oil is another obvious longevity no-brainer. No mechanical failures to date in any engine or transmission component since 1981 and I've had some high mileage clunkers!
Here in the Northwest I always let the oil pressure stabilize and temperature start to rise. This is 30 seconds to 1 minute above 40⁰F and 1-3 minutes below 40⁰F...more or less. I then put it in gear and drive gently for the first couple of miles out of my community to the paved county road. Pressures are stable and temperatures rising smoothly by then. I then drive gently for the next 5 miles or so to get everything into operational range. No issues to date with my '03 F350 over 230,000 miles. Granted I use the OEM block heater below 32⁰F, too. It helps tremendously.
When my Dad started teaching me how to drive his B-78 Mack around 1971, his rule was not to exceed 1000 RPM for 5 minutes after start up. They were also using straight 30 weight motor oil at the time. When I actually started driving on my own, it was in a 74 K-100 with a Cat 1693. If some idiot forgot to plug it in during the winter, you might be able to get it started around March, maybe.
I own two vintage semi's from the early 90s and started using the block heater on one of them during cooler temps in Texas. Yes, it gets cold in Texas and most of us don't give much thought to cold starts in the Southwest when we truck. I want my engine to last longer so I put the block heater on at least 30 mins under 50 degrees and idle for at least 10 mins high idle. I can really hear the difference in my engine cold and at operating temperatures. Big difference.
@@misters2837 // "cold" in Southcentral Texas (San Antonio) is the temperature when my truck sounds and acts different at startup, which is under 50 degrees. I know that sounds silly 😜 but my oil pressure under 50 degrees is like 75 at startup vs 60 when it's over 50 degrees Fahrenheit. I want that oil circulating freely vs syrup. To do that I have to heat up that coolant and keep the block around 100 degrees (?). I want to keep it warmer than that (120) but I think I need to cover the radiator.
@@darkhorse2reign Our gassers start unassisted at -40°F with 5w30 oil pressure is pegged...the Diesels with Grid Heat, glow plugs, or ether will start at 0°F - Interestingly for medium duty trucks gassers hung on for a long time...We had Gas F700s from 80s until 1997...though we had bought a 7000 (3208) but it was basically parked in the winter until We built heated shops.
@@misters2837 // I don't have a shop and I have to get started within 30 mins or I'm going to miss my load. Anything extra I can do to assist ol girl with cold starts I will do it whenever possible. The sound of the dry cold start makes me cringe.
@@darkhorse2reign IDK what to tell you...50°F is an average fall day here...Nobody plugs in until 32°F or colder... My Friend has a Fleet of trucks most have S60 and Clatterpillar 15L... Our Township has a Plow Truck with a 8V71 and an Allison... I started it last week and moved it...30°F fired right up without spray even! - I think it has SAE 40 (can't use multi viscosity oil in DD 2-Strokes) and it hasn't been started in a couple weeks...
When I owned and drove my truck I started it and let it warm up for about 10 minutes before I released the brakes and it usually was not shut down until I parked it at home a week or so later. Summer or winter. If I wasn't going to be moving for more than 12 hours I would shut it down and get a room. Usually though I always had a load waiting on me so it was turn and burn. And yes for overnight AC or heat I would step idle up to 1000 rpm. I had a little over 600K miles and it was still healthy and happy when I sold it. 93 freight shaker, N14, and 10 speed pulling a 53 ft spread axle flatbed. All military loads, mainly Marines and Air Force. Be safe.
Having lived in New England, eastern Canada, and best of all Minneapolis, I do know cold weather. Yes start your engine, allow to idle for 30 seconds to a minute and then start moving slowly and gently until your coolant shows some temp. Then approach normal freeway speeds.
Also important, a winterfront is absolutely beneficial during the midwest winters. Worked for a propane delivery company, and couldn't get my point across about this. Trucks covering short distances between stops, nothing but idle speed during filling, with heat on in cab, it just drained the heat from the engine. Even a piece of cardboard blocks the radiator and intercooler off enough for engine to stay in normal temp range. Just need to keep an eye on coolant/oil temps at highway speeds so overheat doesn't sneak up on you.
Thanks for the info, someone tried telling me that I should leave the engine at a low idle until warm. I've usually increased rpms over a 1000 almost from the get go, and it takes a few minutes to "air up", by then I'm going down the road . You touched on idling in cold climates, I drove for an outfit out of Yellowknife, NWT. The idle on their trucks was preset at 1500 rpm to maintain heat, both for the engine and for the sleeper.
As a mechanic for 45+ years when ever I notice anyone starting up a gas or diesel engine and drive off immediately whenever I run into that person again I hand them one of my business cards for any repair work they might need anytime to keep me in mind ect-ect. I've gotten allot of repair work this way over the years, in the event some who read this think that I should try to explain to the people that this is wrong and hard on engines, sorry I learned a long time ago, "You-Can't-Fix-Stupid"! You-can-only-make-adjustments [handing them my business card was me making those adjustments]
This video should be mandatory for every new diesel owner, I watch my neighbor turn the key and scream down the street when it’s -20 degrees out in his new Ford.
Every new car owner as well. Any car I drive, if it's first thing in the morning, I always let it warm up. Start it up, rev it to about 1800 RPM after 1 minute, wait until the engine temperature needle gets to about 20%. At that point, the engine's almost done warming up and I can go.
Fire up my 05 6.0 Powerstroke and no need to let it warm up. I pull out from work and coast 3 miles down hill with little to no throttle needed. Now on the way to work, it is all up hill, so I do let it warm up 3-4 min and never get the RPMs up on the way to work. Great video...
One thing I learned from a long time diesel mechanic is that, as long it is not slippery, to engage the engine brake. Just as using the engine brake too much in hot weather might lead to overheating, it will help an engine come up to temperature sooner in cold weather. Where I have driven trucks in Canada a cold start might mean minus 40C, which just happens to be the same as minus 40F.
1.) There are actual studies that show the majority of wear in an engine is at start up. At start up you have metal on metal. 2.) you must be able to clear you windows so you can see out of them. A big deal in North Dakota. 3.) synthetic oils flow better when cold. Big factor at start up. 4.) flue blow by happens in all engines when cold. 5,) Block heater looks like a good idea. Thanks for the discussion
Shit, now you tell me dude. I've been cold starting and idling my diesel engine for a quarter of an hour, sometimes half an hour, before taking off, thinking I was doing it the world of good. I've been doing that for the last 16 years in the same truck!
Totally agree with everything there . As an Operator I would start it and help as required until the Idle was steady . Then do any Start-up Paperwork . Log-book/Driver Journal Etc . Then bump the Idle to Fast idle 1000/1100 ish . Time to walk around and do a Lights Check general Inspection . Daily Check . When done there , you often find there IS some heat in the Cooling System . Oil pressure should be fine everywhere by now . OK to drive off limiting Revs to 1500 . When Oil Temp gets halfway (or better) to Normal pretty well Rock and Roll time . I was known by Various employers to be able to keep a Slightly Sick Engine going . And sometimes diagnose what was actually Wrong with it .
I tend to watch the oil pressure gauge and bump up the RPMs to match the cold start pressure as it warms up till about 1K RPM. Don’t forget that there’s other components that need to warm up as well like trans,rearends,and hubs. I’ve literally blown out hubcaps before when the vent was too stiff and couldn’t vent properly and I started driving too fast too soon at -20°f. Also cold scoring is a thing.
My routine here in Ontario (winter)...the night before, plug the block heater/pan heater in, double check fluids and tires. Next morning, do a quick visual of truck and underneath. Start the truck and let idle. Place all my gear (lunch, duffel bag, etc...) in truck. Turn on all lighting, heater/defrost and begin to raise idle while watching gauges. Once it's reached max PSI, charge trailer (red valve) and build trailer air with full air PSI to unfreeze stubborn brakes. Raise/lower lift axles checking function, double check set pressure. Raise idle to 1000. Remove block heater cord(s) and place in tool box. Park my personal vehicle. Return and Clean windows and lights of snow. Flashlight in hand, do your walk around, double checking fuel, coupling, airlines load security, lighting, air bag inflation, tire pressure/wheels/nuts and brake stroke. Listening for air leaks. Enter truck and double check bills, invoicing, permits and maps or direction routing. Do your brake checks making sure all wheels are free and rolling and not locked up. Start log book remove coat and drink coffee. Hit the road!
Well said. The majority of wear occurs during start up and whilst the engine is cold. Because it is impractical to run the engine indefinitely, we must warm it up briskly with minimal load. A full synthetic multi viscosity oil is an excellent preventative because its cold temperature performance is vastly superior to mineral oils and prevents oil starvation in sub zero climates.
"the majority of wear occurs on start up" is a myth made and promoted by Slick50 (a snake oil company) to sell more useless products. They marketed it as a way to reduce wear on start up for those ignorant enough to not understand engines. If most the wear occurs on start up then why wouldn't every manufacturer require you to run one of these snake oils to reduce wear? Because 100% of engine wear occurs during operation.
Morgan Ruegsegger It’s true that startup wear is overstated, however it’s been proven that the majority of wear occurs in the 20 mins give or take when an engine is “warming up”. Once stabilized, an engine with good oil pressure experiences almost zero wear running down the highway. Regardless if it’s conventional or synthetic. Hydrodynamic lubrication is what I’m referencing in the above example
i have a diesel car. (2001 VW Jetta 1.9tdi) And you just totally comfirmed my method. At cold temps, start car, let idle for about a minute, then bring up the rpm to about 1500 for a little bit(helps reduce black smoke in my car) then slowly drive off. As soon as coolant has been up to 180f for a minute or two you can start fully loading the engine. Especially in turbo-diesel engines, loading the engine while still ice-cold can be devastating for the turbo. The thick oil has trouble making a thin layer on the journal bearings causing them to wear super quick. This is especially noticable in diesel CARS rather than bigger machinery like trucks or machines. The small turbo has an equally small journal bearing for the turbine wheel compared to a big engine with a big turbo.
Seen many engine internals over the years and most have be ragged by their owners, bearings,the edge on the piston rings. Warm your engine up. Before you get happy with your right foot or hand.
I've been driving semi for 14 years. They drive very raw when they are cold. When it is 40 degrees or lower. I start the truck and set the cruse to 1k rpm and I don't move the truck for 10 minutes. The engine run smoother and the transmission shift better.
Block heater, oil heater, warm garage. Idle overnight. Use portable generator and plug block heater in to it. Idle for 5 minutes, then drive lightly for a few miles until until temp gauge gets close to warm temp. Depends on HOW COLD IT IS. Is engine very responsive to throttle input, or is it slower to respond? That is another indicator to overall operating temp and performance. When in double, let it get at least 2/3 to the operating temp area on the temp gauge. Pre-planning and giving yourself at least 5 - 10 minutes before you pull out will help the engine especially with lubrication. Also, blocking the grill intake for air will help it warm up faster. A piece of cardboard or a grill curtain works fine.
I ran my Columbia in nd for several years. Working the oil fields. U can barley start the truck in the winters. They have to stay plugged in at all times when shut down. Or they usually gel up in the fuel filter. And some times even the tanks gel it gets so cold. -30 was not out of the norm. If I had my truck plugged in while parked, I still let it high idle at 900 rpms for 30 min to get things to warm up and even then it didn't reach operating temp. That's on a detriot. The cold is death to anything.
Les Brown everything has block heaters here. I just try not to have to start engines if don't have to if colder than -30. Move snow at -20 I just want to leave shed after starting rather than hear the rattling
Best tip of all..if its -40 outside stay home don't even think on working if that temperature can potentially damage your engine imaging what it would do to you 😅
I do the same most of the time. If I have a little more time I will wait the for oil pressure to come up. Hit the ebrake and put it in gear and leave it for 5-10 min. This brings my egts up from 180 to 550. Huge difference. This also warms up my transmission at the same time. At idle, in park, when it’s -30 out the truck won’t even warm enough to move the needle or defrost the window. Even after a half hour to and hour of idling. This was before I knew idling wasn’t very good for the truck. Webasto is the best investment if you live in cold environment.
If you have a "cold Truck" with no air pressure .trucks don't move without air. it will take a few minutes for pressure to build in the tanks . somewhere near 120 psi . the compressor will start cycling from pumping to not pumping to keep from blowing the air tanks. during this time, pre trip the truck for the day. it is required. get it out of the way. this should be enough time for the engine to get to operating temp. about 10 min.. start the truck .get a coffee and doughnut . if it is that cold be weary of Ice in the brake system .
Yes, i start & run for 10 minutes while i do my start of day walk around. I also run it 5 minutes when i end my day before shut down to make sure the turbo gets a chance to cool down.
When cold, I always crank the engine over for 10 seconds or so with the fuel pump OFF to prime the engine with oil, so when I turn it to start the bearings aren’t dry......... (perhaps unnecessary, but that’s what I was always told)...
This advise makes sense. My buddy that runs a 160 ton diesel train does not let it idle overnight at it's lowest rpm due to glazing and oil contamination issues. Oil changes get pricey at over 100 gallons.
I love the 2nd part and will be looking forward to it . That's a failure I haven't run into before . As for warm up I've always figured to get oil pressure , wait a few seconds more then slowly bring it up to about 1000rpm until I've got enough air to release the brakes and then ease out . It's a very subjective discussion without a defined end . well done .
ive run heavy equipment and trucks all my life and ive always done the same thing just long enough to get things moving and go never hard and never had a problem
There's nothing wrong with warming up any engine if it hasn't been in operations for a few hours. If it has been more than 8 hours and especially in colder weather (below 60 F), I would recommend letting any engine warm-up for 3-5 minutes (definitely not just 1 minute). A lot of wear can happen simply because the oil isn't in a viscous-enough state and the revs may outrun the ability for the oil to get there quick enough and lubricate. One of my vehicles is a twin turbo 350Z and from the factory it came with an oil pressure gauge. It's crazy to see how high the oil pressure is when the engine is cold and if you simply rev the engine with no load, the pressure shoots up because it is so thick.
Josh, typically if the air tanks are empty. Just either idle or turn high idle on until the air dryer snorts. Once the engine has oil pressure and full air tanks , usually the oil warmed up enough to start moving the vehicle. However, I wouldn’t put the engine under any load until after the engine is at least at or above 140 degrees. Plus, at any temp below say around 50 degrees F the operator should be using a block heater to maintain at least 70 degrees F prior to startup. This is Cummins recommendation for the Cummins engines from the old small cam 855 to current ISX15 engines including all smaller bore engines as well.
Just re-subscribed (not sure what happened there). I like the destruction of the week segment. Thanks for sharing the view from your neck of the woods (garage).
Glad you enjoy the videos.
briansmobile1 n
@Adept Ape just a passer by here. My dude you speak Real...ly slo.w. i can only watch you in 1.5 x speed.
Cho e xin Thông sô chỉnh catepila C15 va 18 a
@@Ishiku__aka_xchoibitschibihil I now watch most TH-cam videos at 2x speed because of this. Doing this also allows me to take in more information in less time.
When I start my diesel on a cold January morning, I let it idle 'till about May.
And still no heat for defrost LOL
You must drive a Ford
Lol likewise. My Ford starts rough but warms better, my cummins starts great but takes forever to get to somewhat decent temp
Sounds about right except my ford takes till March to start
You must drive a Chrysler 😂😂😂😂
I've been operating diesel engines in Canada for most of my life. Typically I wait for the oil pressure to change ( 2min approx) then just drive away gently until the temp gauge starts coming up. You confirmed my method. Thanks bro.
Sitting in the Alps with my diesel car. Same opinion here - best #Greetz :D
I do EXACTLY the same, and always have, even in the uk.
you wait for the oil pressure to change? what does that mean?
@@grasscutter88 Oil drains back to the oil pan when the engine is off. When it is really cold out and the oil is the consistency of honey or even peanut butter it takes a while for the oil pump to suck it up and pump it through the engine. It could be well over a minute if it is like -40 degrees out. So on an older vehicle with an actual reliable oil pressure gauge waiting to increase engine speed above idle until it moves form zero to normal is a really good idea. These days most gauges in cars and light trucks are more like fancy idiot gauges that mostly read normal all of the time unless something is really wrong, so it may not be as reliable of a method.
@@clarkstonguy1065Even at those temperatures oil is circulated in seconds. Put simply if the oil light is out the oil is circulated.
My wife can turn the key, release the E brake, put it in reverse and back out completely from the garage before the 8th cylinder has fired. You can tell them tell your blue in the face. They just don't understand or care !
At least she used the e-brake!
Time to get you a new wife, problem solved.
They have the internet that tells them that its not necessarily necessary. So theirs that.
@Hello Newman I didn't say I agreed. My wife is the one who moves the car before the last cylinder fires. Now it uses a quart and a half between oil changes.
@Hello Newman I'm not.
She's nice .Doesn't have any vices is a really good cook. And she's still pretty although she could stop a clock when she was younger.
But I just can't get her to let the car warm up a little I guess it makes her feel rebellious.🤣
I live in Canada. I as a rule fire the truck up , idle for about 3-4 minutes then bump up to 1000 rpm until water temp is at least 100. Then off I go. Also during shut down I run at idle with fan on for about 5 minutes until it’s sufficiently cooled down to a little below 180. I’ve ran this truck for 20 years ( N14) and it’s oil samples are still great.
I did my apprenticeship (mechanics) on CAT. I am now a mechanical engineer. This man speaks the Truth!
I’ve been a mechanic for 20 years I would like to get into mechanical engineering
I start the engine then wait a minute the put in gear and run at just above idle for a mile then can run at a little higher rpms for the next mile , then I am good to go .
@@MrBoatDoctor exactly what I do. Feel your truck and respond appropriately
I also was trained at a Caterpillar dealership and agree with you 100% we used to fit heaters to Antarctic machines for this very reason
I remember one situation when my friend basically floored his car literally less than a second after the engine got to idle, it was way below freezing. I cried myself to sleep that night.
We had a neighbor who bought old Hertz rent a cars and he would do that in the winter.
After about the 2nd or 3rd season of that , she was tired and you'd hear the rods chattering nicely upon startups.
Haha I was like 8, didn't know anything about engines and it would make me cringe 😂
Hahaha....
Ex gf....
Cranks it, puts it in drive, floors it in -35°C all within about 3 seconds.
I had a volkswagen rabbit I rolled it , drove it a year after, below zero night shift, I'd go to parking lot dead rev it tell windows clean, people would scatter
Can’t fix stupid
This is one of the biggest benefits of electronic controls. It limits fuel rates and rpms when coolant and oil temps are low. It also in many cases raises rpm to help aid in warm up and maintaining temperature. Many of mechanical engines have been damaged or ruined by bad habits. I also a big fan of synthetic oils especially a 5w40 in the winter months. It really shows when starting in sub zero temperatures. I really enjoy these videos thanks
A friend of mine who was a factory trained Mercedes tech from Germany and was part of the extensive research and design of the w123 chassis and OM617 engine said that their findings were that a 2-4 minute idle and then gentle driving until up to operating temperature proved to have the least amount of engine wear during the warmup phase. In a nutshell. The fastest warmup time with the least amount of engine load is what it boils down to. That mindset/advice has proved to be good rules to live by for me. Two other key things he said about those cars is nothing killed the engines faster than a bad thermostat and the engine running two cold and never ever over full the automatic transmission. He never saw one fail from too little fluid in those cars. Great video!
Makes me feel reading your comment... About to do my thermostat in my Duramax
Love the W123 cars
I have also had a couple old truckers and heavy equipment guys tell me "once it's running, don't shut it off until the end of day". These guys had million miles engines. Worked them hard, but maintained well.
Yeahhhh those million miles engines also have expensive fine filtration bypass filters and get lots of oil changes, plus they are usually mated to a lot of gears which means no need for 3k rpm
@@jonsalzman909 all great info
And those old guys never had to deal with crappy LSD and DPF... amd they all put idle at 1000 to 1100 rpm at idle. Keeps cylinder wash low and amd turbo cleaner.
@@jonsalzman909 with a 1-2 micron bypass system you don't need to change the oil as often. Just replace the additives with a TBN booster.
Oil is cheaper than parts...
Always plug in your engine block heater in real cold weather. It never hurts to warm up an engine now that most are electrically injected.
Ive been an engineer for longer than this guy has been alive (45 years ) he is only half right it is Very important to cool an engine down properly too
my cat 3406 has done 2.9 million because it is always warmed up and cooled down properly and serviced properly and althow a bit tired now it is still working hard
Wait 5 minutes at idle, then drive off, moderate load until you see your oil/coolant temp start to climb.
I left my truck idling 10 to 15 minutes before y drive
Idling before driving is simply to get the oil circulating through the turbo and other engine parts in newer diesels. I have a VW TDI and they say 30 seconds to a minute of idling and then just drive it. Obviously don’t be running 23lbs of boost through the ol girl until she’s up to temp but just regular driving a cold diesel is actually healthier for them than slow warm ups.
@@Realtreecamo98 : There is a big difference between a 2 liter, and a 9 liter diesel engine.
@@johndavidwolf4239 I didn’t say there wasn’t?
@@Realtreecamo98 what about the old Diesel engines? I would have thought a warm up before driving would be better
I always give the diesels I’ve had a few minutes to warm up before working the engine at full load and Never had any problems with them,I also let the engine idle for a couple of minutes before shutting it down after a hard run to protect the turbo bearings by letting the oil pressure cool it down before shutting off,this practice has served me well over the years never needing a new turbo or any other engine problems.
The idle down after a run also lets the turbo RPM come down before you shut down the oil pressure.
Well said.
Yep, I just started doing this last week. Instead of waiting for 15min. I let it warm up a bit for 1-3min then I drive slowly until I get to engine operating temperature.
Too easy to plug her in - and so very little damage and have warm heater way quicker!
A wise GM mechanic once said "I've never fixed an engine because of warming it up"
but he fixed lots that had been over ran.
he might have been to busy fixing GM's for ever other conceivable reason...
@@poet99999.... Not IF you're referring to the older 2 cycle Detroits (or, even the 4 cycle series 60).
2Stroke Diesel Power I sure can’t complain about my 12.7 Detroit.
I used to run a soil compactor with a 2 stroke V-16 Detroit Diesel. Two V-8 blocks bolted together end to end with a single crankshaft. Two separate superchargers. Those old Jimmy's liked to be run wide open throttle and that rig would wake the dead two towns away, Lol!
This is one thing I like about the new Cummins in the ram pickups. The exhaust brake kicks on and loads up the engine a bit, keeps the fuel dilution of the oil from getting out of hand.
...and my '19 Ram goes in to higher idle in cold temps to warm it up. Literally at operating temp in less than 10 minutes.
Over here in the UK my 28 year old Land Rover 200tdi gets between 3-5 mins warm up every time I start it from cold regardless if I'm in a hurry or not!
I then drive it through the gears very slowly until I've done a few miles and I never take it over 65mph, I also let it idle for a min or two when I'm about to shut the engine down.
It's covered just over 300,000 miles now and apart from servicing and a head gasket it's never given me any problems.... I also service it every 6 months with good quality oil.
Look after your vehicle and your vehicle Will look after you!
Do you ever tow a trailer through the mountains?
Christian Eidsmoe I do tow a trailer with it sometimes at full weight which is 3.5 ton here In the UK.. I do also tow ships mooring ropes and wires with it which probably takes it over the recommended towing weight!
I sometimes tow a small X army Sankey trailer into the Welsh mountains but that's about it!
Why do you ask?
Pill Sharks just curious, I'm always amazed at how well diesels tow.
Christian Eidsmoe well I did Drive lorries or Big rigs if your a yank, over here the maximum weight is 44 ton and my old Land Rover towed my lorry across the yard... mainly because another driver kept saying how shit land rovers were! I had to prove him wrong...
Hey, you don't need to let the engine idle before shutting down in most cars nowadays. The ECU will keep a pomp running to cool off the turbo and prevent the oil from burning up :) !
An old trucker taught me to never put it under a load until you see the gauge move. If the gauge doesn't move, don't move the truck. 1000 rpm warmup after initial startup and idle settles down.
Pretty much spot on. No need for extended warm-up, but you should take a minute or two before you start to load the engine. One thousand rpm for idling is the proper way if you have extended idle time. Also, as you move the vehicle you should remember that the transmission, rear axles, and wheel bearings need to be warmed so their lubricants can come up to temperature.
I have seen a lot of wheel seals taken out in cold weather.
This is the most intelligent discussion of idling I've heard.
Growing up on the family farm, we would always start our tractors up in the fall/winter and idle them for about 4 or 5 minutes and then bump them up to around 1300 to 1500 RPM to speed up the heating process. After about 15 to 20 minutes or so we'd go to work. We put anywhere from 8k-15k hard hours on all of our machines and they never needed a rebuild (short of our cotton picker but it was already heavily used when we bought it).
I worked in a NASCAR shop for 7 years.
ANYTIME we started a “cold” engine, the oil was heated (to 210 deg) and circulated thru the engine before starting it. Not letting any engine warm at least 3-5 minutes raises the chance of excess bearing wear/ damage. While today’s synthetic oils do flow better at “9 degrees” than older conventional oil, it does not flow that good. 1-2 minutes warm up is not enough in below freezing temperatures. All engine oils have an optimum temperature operating range. Room temperature and colder is not in that range.
JFC.
This is not a nascar engine!
Anyone who lives in a cold climate (Like Canada!) will have enough common sense to gradually warm the engine after the initial 2 minutes.
For example.
If hooked to 140,000 pounds, starting my day in Btfk nowhere I would open hood, check the oil and other fluids, do a visual for leaks, check steering,
Then I would start engine, do a proper walk around, check tires, etc, come back to the engine area, do another quick visual, close the hood!
At this point you can start moving WITH LIGHT THROTTLE INPUT!
You do not Jeff Gordon the thing and hit the rev limiter even if at 180 -200 °F, that is just plain stupid!
Axles, tires, wheel bearings must be gradually warmed too! At -40°F you could easily rip apart a driveshaft or do unnecessary wear to the tranny or diffs.
To make a long story short...This is not grandpas 6v71 using straight 30 weight conventional oil.
We run modern electronically controlled engines.
:)
@@fredg8199
Sorry but you haven't told me anything I don't already know and many others as well. I figured someone would take my point and miss apply it or twist it into some other meaning. I cannot make my point any simpler and I'm sure the other 99% of readers understand it.
BTW, when did they start using pointless ignition? Golly things sure are changing fast! Now where's my dwell meter and timing light?... there's other oil than straight 30W WolfsHead?!
C R.
Pointless ignition.
@@fredg8199
Exactly.
@@fredg8199 " jeff gordon the thing " is that like " rick james " ? 😂😂😂
Here in Canada we get some pretty cold temperatures. I run 0W30 or 40 synthetic oil in all my vehicles, including my farm tractor, generator and snow blower. Even this oil is fairly thick at minus 30C. Here are my tips for winter driving: cover the grille to allow the coolant to warm up faster, use a good block heater, and consider a garage. Even an unheated building is far warmer than outdoors and your vehicle will be much happier!
I idle my C15 on startup for 10-15 minutes at the minimum everyday. Plug it in on cold months and idle before shutdown at least 5 minutes. Got 1.3 million before I inframed it. I've ran several different CAT engines with the same routine and never had any problems with long idle times.
1.3 is pretty good for a c15.
@@ai_university I really like my C15 engines. I have 3 kenworths with C15 ACERTs and will go out of my way to avoid the ACERT in the future. The single turbo have been way less problematic.
@@countryrebel01 KT3406E says the same thing about those ACERTS. Haven't dealt with them myself.
@@countryrebel01 I keep
Hearing about this single turbo conversion. What’s the benefits of doing this? Should I wasn’t until my turbos are on their way out to do this ?
@@romanshevy257 Just keep running them until a turbo goes then throw a bigger BW single turbo on. Gets rid of a bunch of extra crap hanging on the motor and will run better. Thats what we've been doing with our ACERT's.
I work in the gas compression industry on cat g3600's. The most important thing on them is that your oil temp never exceeds the jacket water temp in fact the ecm will shut the engine down if there isn't enough differential between the two. Since the pistons are oil cooled they don't want the hotter oil to expand them any larger than the cylinder liners. As a general rule of thumb I never start to drive or load anything until coolant temp is up to 160 degrees. Good videos man it's nice to watch someone with a good head on their shoulders
Cory, I am puzzled by this part, "...oil temp never exceeds the jacket water temp...", because there have been excellent industry tests demonstrating the benefits of engine oil temperatures exceeding 212° F, the primary one being evaporation of water from the oil.
Chad Jessup yessir it does promote evaporation but for the oils we run at temperatures that high the viscosity is usually out of spec also at high temps the oil will break down quicker and when you're talking a 240 gallon oil change we try to squeeze every penny out of it. In certain applications like running on landfill gas they will raise the temperature of the jacket water to promote more evaporation due to the corrosive nature of the gas it will form acids in the crankcase when it mixes with moisture but most all of our gas isn't corrosive so we run lower temps, jacket water at 190 and engine oil at 180. We also run a straight 40w oil to help with oil life as multi viscosity oils (15w-40 etc) have a shorter life comparatively.
Amazing to hear your comment. We run g3600 generator sets and ended up cracking the cylinder liner due to this very fact ....oil temp over Jacket water temp .. Adem alarms but does not shut down engine when this happens
Peter Ronson awesome where are you located? What size of engines are you running? It may be because ours is a different application but it will shut down if oil exceeds water by 7 degrees and will alarm at three degrees,
We've got a pair of g3612's and a g3616 in full cogeneration application. Toronto, Ontario.
Ours when it failed cracked the liner scuffed up the piston but fortunately all the parts stayed in the cylinder. I can't remember what finally shut down the engine but it was not the temp differential alarm in the ADEm. My memory is that shutdown has a long timer too...so damage is already done. We added external valves on the JW circuit after the failure to make sure the JW temp stays high and gets up to temp quickly.
When I got my Diesel Oldsmobile Regency, I was told to sit ONE MINU"TE to allow oil distribution and DRIVE. The cabin heat water temperature reached comfort in 2.75 miles.
working in temps down to -58*C or -78* F they were never shut off for months unless it was a quick oil change !
My motor loves the -5 and a cold start, i hold the pedal to the floor right when it starts . A little red line for a good time ! It's lasted all of 580 miles !
Or you could just do a proper pre-trip inspection and it'll be sufficiently warm when you're done.
Terry Waters that’s what you do as a professional driver prestart safety checks
And fill your paper work out
And then ready to go
Dont go injecting logic into the situation. Nobody appreciates it.
I drove in northern Alberta for many years. I two block heaters and an oil pan heater. No problems starting -35c . Coolant temp was about 95c and oil temp was good. Put over a 1.5 milliom kms and with just normal maintenance. Love your channel.
And that is why standby generators tend to have catastrophic engines failures at super low hours.
Very true. Any decent one will have a coolant and oil heater, they usually keep it around 100f, so it’s a little better. And for the first 3 or 4 seconds of running it doesn’t have load on it
I was always taught with tractors and heavy equipment that if you idle a machine in the winter to bump the throttle a smidge to keep it off the low idle. I was always told it was for oil pressure and flow reasons. Never thought about it much, I just did it. Granted these were mostly older machines also.
Mmmm.... interesting ! It's minus 11 F this AM. like it usually is this time of year in my neighborhood, sometimes a lot colder tho.
I do plug it in always, I have an oil pan heater and a block heater , I start the truck and let it idle while I roll up the extension cord, then I increase the idle to 1k turn on all the lights and do my walk around( pre trip) then I increase the idle again to 1150 and do my paper work.... I will not stuff it in gear till the coolant temp reaches 110... by then the oil is about the same.
Always take it easy at first till temp are up in normal op. range.
I got a 1.1 million on the odometer with this ISX 550 and still running strong pulling 102K lbs every day. Knock on wood ! :)
Thanks for the vid !
Francis B this routine that you apply is the same that I have done and I believe is an excellent method to getting the longest life out of your rig. I’ve retired now from the trucking industry after 40 years and millions of miles. Good luck be safe and happy trails.
Hell, it takes 5-10 minutes to build air to release the brakes and air up the suspension
You need to fix your air leaks.
Faulty air-leaks are the most common cause to fast warm-ups!
@@blackericdenice you drain the airtank daily to get the moisture out
@@SYNOPTIC747 I have not drain an air tank in over 20 years. Trucks have air driers now.
@@blackericdenice yes but not everyone drives newer trucks. It is a good habbit to have.
So in the end it is a compromise: Get up to operating temperature as soon as possibly, but not in the brutal way. Start the engine, idle for a minute or two, then put some load on the engine to rise the temperature faster by driving away, but under light or moderate load, increase load as the engine temperature goes up.
Another thing, modern oil doesn't get thick. SAE 5-40 or 0-40.
+Kristian Jonsson The most widely used oil over here is 15W40 and it is a bit thick when cold. Those wider range multigrade would definitely flow much better in the cold, that is for sure.
That will be 0W-40 or 5W-40. Those oils pour point is around -30 deg C or lower on average.
Kristian Jonsson exactly what I've heard. And it makes sense.
Kristian Jonsson..... He is NOT addressing little diesel engines in pickup trucks, cars, etc..... we do NOT use 5-40 or 0-40 oil in Heavy Duty diesel engines in HD trucks.... semis, Off hwy mining trucks, Heavy Equipment, etc, etc. The main focus Of The Video is on heavy-duty diesels in Semis or class 7&8 heavy-duty trucks (all diesel) in general.
I have a 1982 Citroen CX Diesel in Vancouver Canada. the oil is 20-50 all year round. I must be doing something right, its still going. What I do not do, is drive any distance shorter than 12 kilometer. Watching your video made me feel good, thanks.
It would have been good to mention that a piston is 'cam ground' during it's manufacturing process. Meaning it is slightly oval shaped and not perfectly round until it has reached, or nearly reached, operating temperature. A cold piston will have some piston slap on the skirt which can result in piston damage if put under even a light load too soon. A short skirt will suffer more damage than a long skirt. Just something to keep in mind.
The C series cat engine went to a 3 piece piston. The piston head and skirt are separate and held together with the wrist pin. The skirt is built perfectly round and according to cat can be put under full load as soon as it comes off high idle. The old 2 cycle Detroit also used the 3 pice piston. They were well known for standing up to cold weather operation.
As a Helicopter Maintenance Test Pilot.... And Dodge Cummins Owner...
Above 32 Degrees.....5-7 Minutes minimum at idle......Below 32 Degrees maintain idle speed until I see the engine temperature gage start to increase..... While living in Alaska for 7 years I utilized Block, Pan, radiator and battery heaters / blankets.....
Whole heartedly agree with you on an easy warmup on diesels. When our engines are started, let oil pressure build at minimum RPM and after a few minutes, drive off under empty load until close to operating temperature. Never push a cold engine. Up here in Montana, we see -40 F. We use oil pan and block heaters. The newer 5-40 synthetic oils are also a big advantage for sustained cold driving. PS.. you will have to keep your window open and breathe outside until your heater starts throwing heat to keep your windshield from fogging up.... you won't experience that in AZ Haha
It's a good thing to warm up a diesel engine depending on how cold it is depends on how long you warm it up allowing the oil to get to the turbo and the Pistons to warm up so you don't end up with piston slap and wrist pin knock from not warming up your diesel it's not a bad idea to read the owner's manual you'll find a lot of tips
It takes less than a second for the oil to get there
I think this applies to all engines. I always warm up my car to get the oil through the engine on my gas car . Unlike my neighbors that jump in and take off while their car sounds like a sewing machine because there is no oil in the valve train yet. Great video
Dariusz D, correct :)
Did you even listen to the video? The pressure may be there but the engine isn’t properly lubricated until the oil warms and thins and begins to flow through the engine at the right rate
Dariusz D concerning gasoline engines: gas engines use an open/closed loop fuel trims. When cold, a gas engine will operate under open loop, meaning the ECU commands the engine to run with the injectors dumping fuel into the combustion chambers in an effort to increase overall operating temperatures. Gasoline is a solvent: so when in open loop, the engine runs extremely rich. If left to idle before the ECU commands the engine to go into closed loop (14.7:1 air fuel ratio), the cylinders will wash down, causing premature wear. If it's super cold, say around 10 below 0, then yes, let it idle, but if not, jump in and take off. The lack of immediate oil pressure in the cold will not negate the loss of lubrication by letting a gas engine idle in open loop. Carburated engines of course are a different story, but with EFI, it's a whole new story.
Getting your oil up to operating temp before stressing the engine is what's most important in warming up a gasoline engine I think we all agree. The best way to do that is to start driving as soon as you start your engine but under very light load conditions until your oil temp is up to its operating range. In the winter it might take 20 or 30 minutes for that to happen just letting it idle. So cold oil combined with rich idle conditions means minimal lubrication. Idling a gas engine for more than a minute will shorten the life of your engine without a doubt. I know this goes against what most of us were taught but if you think about it, it will be obvious to you. Plus if your one of those tree hugging people your catalytic converter will not be able to change CO2 into O2 until it is heated up either. So not only are you damaging your engine warming it up by idling in an evironmentalists eyes you may as well be clubbing baby seals.
Getting your oil up to operating temp before stressing the engine is what's most important in warming up a gasoline engine I think we all agree. The best way to do that is to start driving as soon as you start your engine but under very light load conditions until your oil temp is up to its operating range. In the winter it might take 20 or 30 minutes for that to happen just letting it idle. So cold oil combined with rich idle conditions means minimal lubrication. Idling a gas engine for more than a minute will shorten the life of your engine without a doubt. I know this goes against what most of us were taught but if you think about it, it will be obvious to you. Plus if your one of those tree hugging people your catalytic converter will not be able to change CO2 into O2 until it is heated up either. So not only are you damaging your engine warming it up by idling in an evironmentalists eyes you may as well be clubbing baby seals while your at it.
Learning from other peoples failures is our least painful lessons. You have changed some of my behaviors and my duramax thanks you.
I start my 12 Valve and then open my driveway gates. Move truck outside using low gear and idle rpm. Park truck and then close the gates. Drive away normally and don't get on it until coolant temp is normal. If towing heavy it is warmed up until temp registers and then I take it easy for 5 miles until trans and rear end warms up.
I've had much better luck starting my diesel in the cold by using only full-synthetic oil. Rotella 5W40 is my year-round choice.
It stays thinner in extrememly cold weather, which guarantees easier starting, but somehow retains sufficient thickness after warming up.
Regular oil guarantees a very hard if not impossible start-up in very cold weather, i.e., -10*F.
Rotella x2!
How often do you change yours?
What do you run in the TC? Just curious about others. Maybe multiple replies? Ty, cheers
@@dmax06 I change oil every 10k miles which works out to once a year, more or less.
My 7.3 picked up 2mpg going from motorcraft 15w40 conventional
To Rotella 5w40 T6 full synthetic
@@dmax06
Picked up 2mpg going from 15w40 motorcraft
To 5w40 Rotella T6 full synthetic on 7.3 diesel change every 5k miles
Even the BMW gasser idles smoother on startup with it so now I use it in everything even pressure washer
Rotella T6 5W40 is amazing for 2nd and 3rd Gen Cummins year round. I will swear by that
Increased wear from lower oil flow. So switch from conventional oil to synthetic and there is better flow especially at low temperatures. Better oil flow from a better flowing oil means less warm-up time for the oil.
I live in Canada and we use block heaters on all of our equipment. We have several aftermarket circulating heaters and those things can actually get the engine up to operating temperature. We have to actually be careful about it because if you leave it plugged in to long it will boil all the water out of the engine. To be fair these things draw over 1500 watts and do not include any sort of max temp switch.
Wish I watched this before I put a quarter million miles on my 03 duramax, still runs great though.
Completely agree. There's so many people that need to hear this, they think they're doing good with extended warm up and cold weather idling. Cummins ISX operator DVD says start and drive, no warm up time ever. I prefer 30 seconds to a minute like you said in 10 degree weather and start moving increasing load as coolant warms up. These engines are designed to work, not idle. The idling engine is shot long before the working engine is. Very good advice like always.
Very sound advice. On the older diesel trucks and equipement, we used to idle them for long periods to warm up, and once started for the day they stayed running, often idling for hours at a time. With the modern diesels, it's pretty much fire them up, idle for 30 seconds or so, then drive or operate conservatively until up to operating temperature. That's pretty much in line with your advice. P.S. I enjoy watching your channel.
My 2011 Duramax has a cold weather fast idle setting. I found the instructions in the owners manual. This setting is smart enough to turn off if the temperature is above 30F. It has done wonders for the truck in Alaska
Please don't forget about having a hot hardworking engine and bringing it down to an idle and letting the heads and cylinders cool down before shutting it off ,,,,, your turbo and head gaskets and everything else will love you much more
Nonsense
Makes sense letting it cool down. Shut the ac off as well, with fan on to remove water and not have ac stink at next start up. How long do you wait before you shut your diesel off?
My diesels include:
1981 rabbit 1.6 non turbo diesel
2002 excursion 7.3 turbo diesel
2017 john deere 2032R non turbo diesel
@Les Brown
Makes sense
@Al Forster dude dont make an idiot of yourself.If you dont allow an engine to cool down you can ruin it pretty fast.If you have a turbo and you shut it down immediately the turbo will cook the oil and bye bye turbo.A non turbo engine has other issues,shutting it down hot can cause the valves to bend and also bend or crack the cylinder head.Not to mention the head gasket
@@FredFlintstone21 3-4 minutes is enough to circulate the coolant and oil and bring them to a reasonable temperature,that will prevent your valves from bending and possible damage to your cylinder head
Our marine SOP's stated 2mins idle, then easy load use till engine temps rise then full load after that. If it was a generator, it would be 2mins idle, then 1800rpm no load till temps rose, then bring on load. Our main propulsion diesel engines (PDE) were 2mins idle, 850rpm no load till temps rose, then full use. Keep in mind that our PDE's were 90Litre MTU V16, so 1000rpm was midrange operation.
All i know is just let it idol for 10 -15 minutes and your good to go
Live in Northern Ontario, can get down to -45, start it, let it low idle for a few seconds for idle too smooth out, watch oil pressure, when it comes up (will be much higher than normal pressure), idle it up to 1000 and let it warm up. 10 -15 min before you move. And when you move remember the oil in the transmission and differentials are also the same viscosity as jello, so take it easy first few min. All of our trucks have block heaters, many use auxiliary heaters like a proheat or webasto, set them to start 1 hr or so before you go to start the truck, will get coolant very warm and circulated. Was the way I was taught
I use the Royal Purple 100% synthetic (5W30 in gas, 15W40 in diesels) in all my engines. In -20°weather it flows very well. But even then I will let it warm up a minute. Especially the tractors. It's a little more expensive upi front, but when I rebuild an engine that has 300k miles it looks like the day it was build. No sludge, no wear and the rings are perfect. The cross hatching is still visible on the cylinders. Magic!
I started my engine back in 1988 January 1st and I have never shut it off . Until July each year for ten years with no problems whatsoever. I always used Chevron Delo 400 30 W engine oil . I used Wix filters . I also put K-1 kerosene in the fuel tanks when I was in the North part of the country . To keep the fuel from gelling .
Wow
That was a very good presentation. Good tip about fuel wash in the cylinder from extended idle time. Thanks for posting.
Is fuel wash a problem in diesels? They typically run very lean when idling, and diesels run hotter than gassers anyway.
@@markdavid4897 no they do not diesel engines run cooler at idle hence why alot have tarps over the radiator during cold months... Easy to tell just by the exhaust temp... A gasser exhaust at idle will be 700° while a diesel can be 300°....
In the winter, I unplug it, start it, increase the rpm. Then i go back inside, where it's warm, and have another cup of coffee or two, before going out and hooking up the trailer.
There was a great article a few years back, on an RV web page, about warming up your diesel pusher before going all out. Pretty much what you said. They recommended taking off right after oil pressure came up (one minute?) but go easy for the first few miles. Once coolant temps bumped up a little (noticeable rise on the gauge) you were good to go. From that point on run like you normally would. If it's really cold (teens or lower) plug in the block heater for an hour or so before starting. Either way don't sit at a cold idle waiting for the engine to warm up. Preheat the engine or take right off but get it warm as soon as possible. JMO
Our airforce has engines with 18" bores, a v16. When a power failure occurs the engine is on cycle within 3/4 of a cycle of 60 cycle ac power. The large radar sets need an uninterrupted flow of electricity so the set does not miss a single moment of time it is not online. Can you imagine air starting this huge diesel engine under load on cycle with 60 cycles/sec in 1/60th of a second with air start? It is phenomenal when you think about it even how a generator that large comes online that quickly. I have never heard the workload hours to keep these huge engines ready but it shows diesel engines can start much faster than you can believe.
Another great video , I would like to see a video like this be mandatory in CDL and heavy equipment schools. The drivers and operators that come out of these schools have no idea how to properly operate the equipment for longevity
Mine was taught by old school guys it was pretty good
I agree cdl training is expensive and almost no knowledge is acquired.
I keep my 2018 ram 2500 6.7 plugged to preheat the engine year round. It’s on a smart plug and scheduled for 4 hours a night. I’ll override that when temps are cold. All I have to do is tell Alexa to turn on the truck. I have a short commute and I hope the preheat helps reduce the time to come to normal temps it certainly doesn’t hurt. The engine is between 125-145 degrees when I start it. It also saves me money, the electricity is cheaper than fuel at high idle for 10 to 15 minutes. This is my first diesel pickup and I’ll never go back to gas. Just my take on it.
I agree and I do the same with my 7.3 PS diesel.
The destruction segment is great, love the general content of your channel. I work on ships/boats. Used to run 3516s, C280-12 & C280-16. More recently 3304 & 3406. Now I’m on a Dredge boat with Cummins QSM 11 Generators and QSK 17 for Main propulsion. Keep the info coming!
3516 is a big motor
Generally good advice. Read the manufacturer's handbook for specific guidance. Intuitively as a mechanical engineer I would say warm up before applying load to expand piston rings etc whereas the manual may say drive away. Whatever, no violent revving please after start, no high rpm ever and avoid heavy load when cold seems wise and always idle for a few minutes after heavy use before shutdown whether or not there is a turbocharger. I also apply a short time rating approach thrashing my Unimog's OM366LA or anything else for short periods up steep hills, but not overdoing it continuously, a bit like standby versus prime bhp ratings on generators. Keep changing the oil is another obvious longevity no-brainer. No mechanical failures to date in any engine or transmission component since 1981 and I've had some high mileage clunkers!
I let the low air warnings stop before I raise the idle. Then wait till the coolant temp to get to 150 to roll out
It revs up because after 5 min it figures you're not going to do it, so go ahead and raise idle to 1k and it will warm up quickly.
I wait tell the motor says 125F before I start rolling
Here in the Northwest I always let the oil pressure stabilize and temperature start to rise. This is 30 seconds to 1 minute above 40⁰F and 1-3 minutes below 40⁰F...more or less. I then put it in gear and drive gently for the first couple of miles out of my community to the paved county road. Pressures are stable and temperatures rising smoothly by then. I then drive gently for the next 5 miles or so to get everything into operational range. No issues to date with my '03 F350 over 230,000 miles. Granted I use the OEM block heater below 32⁰F, too. It helps tremendously.
When my Dad started teaching me how to drive his B-78 Mack around 1971, his rule was not to exceed 1000 RPM for 5 minutes after start up. They were also using straight 30 weight motor oil at the time. When I actually started driving on my own, it was in a 74 K-100 with a Cat 1693. If some idiot forgot to plug it in during the winter, you might be able to get it started around March, maybe.
I own two vintage semi's from the early 90s and started using the block heater on one of them during cooler temps in Texas. Yes, it gets cold in Texas and most of us don't give much thought to cold starts in the Southwest when we truck. I want my engine to last longer so I put the block heater on at least 30 mins under 50 degrees and idle for at least 10 mins high idle. I can really hear the difference in my engine cold and at operating temperatures. Big difference.
What do you consider "cold" in Texas 20°F? 0°F -20°F? -40°F?
@@misters2837 // "cold" in Southcentral Texas (San Antonio) is the temperature when my truck sounds and acts different at startup, which is under 50 degrees. I know that sounds silly 😜 but my oil pressure under 50 degrees is like 75 at startup vs 60 when it's over 50 degrees Fahrenheit. I want that oil circulating freely vs syrup. To do that I have to heat up that coolant and keep the block around 100 degrees (?). I want to keep it warmer than that (120) but I think I need to cover the radiator.
@@darkhorse2reign Our gassers start unassisted at -40°F with 5w30 oil pressure is pegged...the Diesels with Grid Heat, glow plugs, or ether will start at 0°F - Interestingly for medium duty trucks gassers hung on for a long time...We had Gas F700s from 80s until 1997...though we had bought a 7000 (3208) but it was basically parked in the winter until We built heated shops.
@@misters2837 // I don't have a shop and I have to get started within 30 mins or I'm going to miss my load. Anything extra I can do to assist ol girl with cold starts I will do it whenever possible. The sound of the dry cold start makes me cringe.
@@darkhorse2reign IDK what to tell you...50°F is an average fall day here...Nobody plugs in until 32°F or colder... My Friend has a Fleet of trucks most have S60 and Clatterpillar 15L... Our Township has a Plow Truck with a 8V71 and an Allison... I started it last week and moved it...30°F fired right up without spray even! - I think it has SAE 40 (can't use multi viscosity oil in DD 2-Strokes) and it hasn't been started in a couple weeks...
Hey Josh,
Love the new segment! Please continue showing them as you're able to.
When I owned and drove my truck I started it and let it warm up for about 10 minutes before I released the brakes and it usually was not shut down until I parked it at home a week or so later. Summer or winter. If I wasn't going to be moving for more than 12 hours I would shut it down and get a room. Usually though I always had a load waiting on me so it was turn and burn. And yes for overnight AC or heat I would step idle up to 1000 rpm. I had a little over 600K miles and it was still healthy and happy when I sold it. 93 freight shaker, N14, and 10 speed pulling a 53 ft spread axle flatbed. All military loads, mainly Marines and Air Force. Be safe.
Having lived in New England, eastern Canada, and best of all Minneapolis, I do know cold weather.
Yes start your engine, allow to idle for 30 seconds to a minute and then start moving slowly and gently until your coolant shows some temp.
Then approach normal freeway speeds.
Also important, a winterfront is absolutely beneficial during the midwest winters. Worked for a propane delivery company, and couldn't get my point across about this. Trucks covering short distances between stops, nothing but idle speed during filling, with heat on in cab, it just drained the heat from the engine. Even a piece of cardboard blocks the radiator and intercooler off enough for engine to stay in normal temp range. Just need to keep an eye on coolant/oil temps at highway speeds so overheat doesn't sneak up on you.
Thanks for the info, someone tried telling me that I should leave the engine at a low idle until warm. I've usually increased rpms over a 1000 almost from the get go, and it takes a few minutes to "air up", by then I'm going down the road . You touched on idling in cold climates, I drove for an outfit out of Yellowknife, NWT. The idle on their trucks was preset at 1500 rpm to maintain heat, both for the engine and for the sleeper.
great point, the colder it is outdoors, the more you have to adjust various routines to suit the situation
As a mechanic for 45+ years when ever I notice anyone starting up a gas or diesel engine and drive off immediately whenever I run into that person again I hand them one of my business cards for any repair work they might need anytime to keep me in mind ect-ect. I've gotten allot of repair work this way over the years, in the event some who read this think that I should try to explain to the people that this is wrong and hard on engines, sorry I learned a long time ago, "You-Can't-Fix-Stupid"! You-can-only-make-adjustments
[handing them my business card was me making those adjustments]
This video should be mandatory for every new diesel owner, I watch my neighbor turn the key and scream down the street when it’s -20 degrees out in his new Ford.
That's hard to watch lol
Every new car owner as well. Any car I drive, if it's first thing in the morning, I always let it warm up. Start it up, rev it to about 1800 RPM after 1 minute, wait until the engine temperature needle gets to about 20%. At that point, the engine's almost done warming up and I can go.
@@electric7487 lol I think I would let it just idle until the temperature gauge is about half way to normal operating temperature, then go drive it
Fire up my 05 6.0 Powerstroke and no need to let it warm up. I pull out from work and coast 3 miles down hill with little to no throttle needed. Now on the way to work, it is all up hill, so I do let it warm up 3-4 min and never get the RPMs up on the way to work.
Great video...
One thing I learned from a long time diesel mechanic is that, as long it is not slippery, to engage the engine brake. Just as using the engine brake too much in hot weather might lead to overheating, it will help an engine come up to temperature sooner in cold weather. Where I have driven trucks in Canada a cold start might mean minus 40C, which just happens to be the same as minus 40F.
1.) There are actual studies that show the majority of wear in an engine is at start up. At start up you have metal on metal.
2.) you must be able to clear you windows so you can see out of them. A big deal in North Dakota.
3.) synthetic oils flow better when cold. Big factor at start up.
4.) flue blow by happens in all engines when cold.
5,) Block heater looks like a good idea.
Thanks for the discussion
Shit, now you tell me dude. I've been cold starting and idling my diesel engine for a quarter of an hour, sometimes half an hour, before taking off, thinking I was doing it the world of good. I've been doing that for the last 16 years in the same truck!
Totally agree with everything there . As an Operator I would start it and help as required until the Idle was steady .
Then do any Start-up Paperwork . Log-book/Driver Journal Etc . Then bump the Idle to Fast idle 1000/1100 ish .
Time to walk around and do a Lights Check general Inspection . Daily Check .
When done there , you often find there IS some heat in the Cooling System . Oil pressure should be fine everywhere by now .
OK to drive off limiting Revs to 1500 . When Oil Temp gets halfway (or better) to Normal pretty well Rock and Roll time .
I was known by Various employers to be able to keep a Slightly Sick Engine going .
And sometimes diagnose what was actually Wrong with it .
I tend to watch the oil pressure gauge and bump up the RPMs to match the cold start pressure as it warms up till about 1K RPM. Don’t forget that there’s other components that need to warm up as well like trans,rearends,and hubs. I’ve literally blown out hubcaps before when the vent was too stiff and couldn’t vent properly and I started driving too fast too soon at -20°f. Also cold scoring is a thing.
I've seen drivers take out wheel seals starting out too fast at 20 below zero.
My routine here in Ontario (winter)...the night before, plug the block heater/pan heater in, double check fluids and tires. Next morning, do a quick visual of truck and underneath. Start the truck and let idle. Place all my gear (lunch, duffel bag, etc...) in truck. Turn on all lighting, heater/defrost and begin to raise idle while watching gauges. Once it's reached max PSI, charge trailer (red valve) and build trailer air with full air PSI to unfreeze stubborn brakes. Raise/lower lift axles checking function, double check set pressure. Raise idle to 1000. Remove block heater cord(s) and place in tool box. Park my personal vehicle. Return and Clean windows and lights of snow. Flashlight in hand, do your walk around, double checking fuel, coupling, airlines load security, lighting, air bag inflation, tire pressure/wheels/nuts and brake stroke. Listening for air leaks. Enter truck and double check bills, invoicing, permits and maps or direction routing. Do your brake checks making sure all wheels are free and rolling and not locked up. Start log book remove coat and drink coffee. Hit the road!
Well said. The majority of wear occurs during start up and whilst the engine is cold. Because it is impractical to run the engine indefinitely, we must warm it up briskly with minimal load. A full synthetic multi viscosity oil is an excellent preventative because its cold temperature performance is vastly superior to mineral oils and prevents oil starvation in sub zero climates.
"the majority of wear occurs on start up" is a myth made and promoted by Slick50 (a snake oil company) to sell more useless products. They marketed it as a way to reduce wear on start up for those ignorant enough to not understand engines. If most the wear occurs on start up then why wouldn't every manufacturer require you to run one of these snake oils to reduce wear? Because 100% of engine wear occurs during operation.
Morgan Ruegsegger It’s true that startup wear is overstated, however it’s been proven that the majority of wear occurs in the 20 mins give or take when an engine is “warming up”. Once stabilized, an engine with good oil pressure experiences almost zero wear running down the highway. Regardless if it’s conventional or synthetic. Hydrodynamic lubrication is what I’m referencing in the above example
i have a diesel car. (2001 VW Jetta 1.9tdi) And you just totally comfirmed my method. At cold temps, start car, let idle for about a minute, then bring up the rpm to about 1500 for a little bit(helps reduce black smoke in my car) then slowly drive off. As soon as coolant has been up to 180f for a minute or two you can start fully loading the engine.
Especially in turbo-diesel engines, loading the engine while still ice-cold can be devastating for the turbo. The thick oil has trouble making a thin layer on the journal bearings causing them to wear super quick. This is especially noticable in diesel CARS rather than bigger machinery like trucks or machines. The small turbo has an equally small journal bearing for the turbine wheel compared to a big engine with a big turbo.
Seen many engine internals over the years and most have be ragged by their owners, bearings,the edge on the piston rings. Warm your engine up. Before you get happy with your right foot or hand.
Chris chomley smyth Old engines yes...Modern engines...nope...
I've been driving semi for 14 years. They drive very raw when they are cold. When it is 40 degrees or lower. I start the truck and set the cruse to 1k rpm and I don't move the truck for 10 minutes. The engine run smoother and the transmission shift better.
That gives new meaning to catastrophic failure!
+wysetech2000 I think it'll make my videos more interesting.
As soon as the freaking thing finally starts running do a redline burnout to warm up the tires so you will be safe on the icy roads.
Block heater, oil heater, warm garage. Idle overnight. Use portable generator and plug block heater in to it. Idle for 5 minutes, then drive lightly for a few miles until until temp gauge gets close to warm temp. Depends on HOW COLD IT IS. Is engine very responsive to throttle input, or is it slower to respond? That is another indicator to overall operating temp and performance. When in double, let it get at least 2/3 to the operating temp area on the temp gauge. Pre-planning and giving yourself at least 5 - 10 minutes before you pull out will help the engine especially with lubrication. Also, blocking the grill intake for air will help it warm up faster. A piece of cardboard or a grill curtain works fine.
I ran my Columbia in nd for several years. Working the oil fields.
U can barley start the truck in the winters.
They have to stay plugged in at all times when shut down.
Or they usually gel up in the fuel filter. And some times even the tanks gel it gets so cold.
-30 was not out of the norm.
If I had my truck plugged in while parked, I still let it high idle at 900 rpms for 30 min to get things to warm up and even then it didn't reach operating temp.
That's on a detriot.
The cold is death to anything.
Such a dandy sound Diesels make as you get down to -20... sometimes wonder if it will throw something.
Les Brown everything has block heaters here. I just try not to have to start engines if don't have to if colder than -30. Move snow at -20 I just want to leave shed after starting rather than hear the rattling
No wonder some working trucks in Alaska are left running for months at a time.
Saw alot of espar heaters being used during that time
Best tip of all..if its -40 outside stay home don't even think on working if that temperature can potentially damage your engine imaging what it would do to you 😅
I do the same most of the time. If I have a little more time I will wait the for oil pressure to come up. Hit the ebrake and put it in gear and leave it for 5-10 min. This brings my egts up from 180 to 550. Huge difference. This also warms up my transmission at the same time. At idle, in park, when it’s -30 out the truck won’t even warm enough to move the needle or defrost the window. Even after a half hour to and hour of idling. This was before I knew idling wasn’t very good for the truck. Webasto is the best investment if you live in cold environment.
If you have a "cold Truck" with no air pressure .trucks don't move without air. it will take a few minutes for pressure to build in the tanks . somewhere near 120 psi . the compressor will start cycling from pumping to not pumping to keep from blowing the air tanks. during this time, pre trip the truck for the day. it is required. get it out of the way. this should be enough time for the engine to get to operating temp. about 10 min.. start the truck .get a coffee and doughnut . if it is that cold be weary of Ice in the brake system .
Eugene Willsey j
Yes, i start & run for 10 minutes while i do my start of day walk around. I also run it 5 minutes when i end my day before shut down to make sure the turbo gets a chance to cool down.
When cold, I always crank the engine over for 10 seconds or so with the fuel pump OFF to prime the engine with oil, so when I turn it to start the bearings aren’t dry......... (perhaps unnecessary, but that’s what I was always told)...
makes perfect sense
This advise makes sense. My buddy that runs a 160 ton diesel train does not let it idle overnight at it's lowest rpm due to glazing and oil contamination issues. Oil changes get pricey at over 100 gallons.
I love the 2nd part and will be looking forward to it . That's a failure I haven't run into before .
As for warm up I've always figured to get oil pressure , wait a few seconds more then slowly bring it up to about 1000rpm until I've got enough air to release the brakes and then ease out .
It's a very subjective discussion without a defined end . well done .
ive run heavy equipment and trucks all my life and ive always done the same thing just long enough to get things moving and go never hard and never had a problem
Interesting amount of spaces
There's nothing wrong with warming up any engine if it hasn't been in operations for a few hours. If it has been more than 8 hours and especially in colder weather (below 60 F), I would recommend letting any engine warm-up for 3-5 minutes (definitely not just 1 minute). A lot of wear can happen simply because the oil isn't in a viscous-enough state and the revs may outrun the ability for the oil to get there quick enough and lubricate. One of my vehicles is a twin turbo 350Z and from the factory it came with an oil pressure gauge. It's crazy to see how high the oil pressure is when the engine is cold and if you simply rev the engine with no load, the pressure shoots up because it is so thick.
Taking of before the engine has warmed up to little can cause thermal shock & can crack the block. I had a friend who did just that.
Josh, typically if the air tanks are empty. Just either idle or turn high idle on until the air dryer snorts. Once the engine has oil pressure and full air tanks , usually the oil warmed up enough to start moving the vehicle. However, I wouldn’t put the engine under any load until after the engine is at least at or above 140 degrees. Plus, at any temp below say around 50 degrees F the operator should be using a block heater to maintain at least 70 degrees F prior to startup. This is Cummins recommendation for the Cummins engines from the old small cam 855 to current ISX15 engines including all smaller bore engines as well.