Cold Weather starting

S

samiam44

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Joined
Sep 4, 2010
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Ok Guys,

I'm not not use to starting in cold weather. Today it was 16F and the engine barely cranked(slow). It has a fairly new battery( year or so) and I'm wondering what is normal.

15W40 Mobil oil.

Are you suppose to wait till the grid heaters turn off? Should I disable them somehow?
I'm betting it wouldn't have started if it had been more than a few degrees colder.


Michael
 
Yes wait for the grid heater to cycle off. What are some details on your truck? You might want to try plugging in your block heater. Do you still have both batteries or have you deleted one?
 
Plug it in. If you live in an area where it will consistently be low temps like that then it is not a bad idea to put a tender on the battery and a pan heater. If it doesn't normally get that cold then the block heater will be fine for those rare cold days.
 
Michael,

I'm at 24deg timing on a 300k 12v and I can start in -25F (did it yesterday).
Here are some notes:
-Make sure you're using a diesel additive to avoid gelling (and put sulfur in to promote lubricity.
-I run Rotella T6 5W-40 year round, but I used to run conventional in the summer. It really helps for crank speed.
-Let the grid heater cycle. I do mine twice when it's below zero. Sometimes when it's really cold, I'll do twice, crank a little, then do it again.
-Run a larger wire to your starter from your battery (ground as well). This will help your starter crank faster.
-Two batteries. I run two Red Top batteries. I know a couple common rail guys around here that get away with one, but there's no way I could do that in my truck (maybe with lower timing).
-Block heater. If I plug my truck in for an hour, it starts like it's summer time even if it's -25F. Mine died last year after tons of use (18 winters, I used to leave it on all the time when I didn't have to pay electric when I rented)

A lot of people like to delete grid heaters, but you gain almost nothing and it makes the trucks almost unstartable in winter (without ether). Remember that diesel doesn't ignite with a spark plug, but from compression. When the aerated fuel is compressed in the cylinder, it heats up and ignites. If you lower temps, it's going to take more compression to ignite, and you're running on a fixed compression ratio engine which is why you need some sort of heat to help you (glow plugs, grid heater, or alternative fuel source).

Good luck!
 
zfaylor said:
Plug it in. If you live in an area where it will consistently be low temps like that then it is not a bad idea to put a tender on the battery and a pan heater. If it doesn't normally get that cold then the block heater will be fine for those rare cold days.
Click to expand...

I had an old timer neighbor in CO that took an old lamp, put the bulb right by the battery, and left it on. That little bit of heat somehow made all the difference to his batteries.
 
What size battery did you put in?

Double, triple check, cut and buy new grounds on these trucks.
 
EnduringAtlas said:
Yes wait for the grid heater to cycle off. What are some details on your truck? You might want to try plugging in your block heater. Do you still have both batteries or have you deleted one?
Click to expand...

I think first gens only have one battery from the factory. At least the hand full I've been around only had one.
 
first gens only have one and it is a group 31 IIRC. One group 31 is plenty for turning a 5.9 over. My 2nd gen had one in it and it started fine assuming you plugged it in.
 
Personally usually don't plug my stuff in till it stays around -10. But check your batterry and cables. Sounds like you have an issue in the starting system. I did have a starter do that to me one time also.
 
dirty starter solenoid contacts and / or battery cables and posts will do this as well. It will become more apparent when its cold out, since more current is needed and the resistance (corroded, pitted contacts) is higher than normal.
 
Thanks,

I'll try just letting the grid heat first and I'll try and remember to plug it in... first start in the teens in years.
 
CorneliusRox said:
If you're going to plug it in, go buy a garden timer. If you leave it in all night, every day, you'll notice it on your electric bill.

Century Heavy Duty Mechanical Timer Dual Outlet - 24 Hours - - Amazon.com

And if you plug it in, you seriously won't need to do anything else (not even the grid heater). They're incredible.
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Timer is a must. I normally let mine run for about 4 hours to help it out. Not one of my dodge block heaters came close to being as goo as the ones in all my powerstrokes!
 
In the winters I would run 0w40 synthetic on my truck. This helps also helps get oil around quicker when cold. Plug the truck in. It's so much easier on it when it's had a chance to be a bit warmer. It's anywhere from -30 to -55 yo here during winter.
 
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