Diesel as a daily driver?

[ronheater70]

My Ram 3500, I just engage the EB at startup and it automatically goes into High Idle after a minute or so..

[herbike]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

Yep, almost all diesels have a high idle setting. You just have to do a little research in how to turn it on/off. On mine you have to turn on the left blinker, press the brake 4.5 times while holding your left ear, and make sure the Eagles CD is playing.
I honestly don't remember the gyrations to turn mine on as I never use it. But I know it's available

Considering there is a PTO option in the book for my '15 there must be a high idle setting some how. I'll have to look into that, not that I need it but if you have a PTO driven winch or something you may want to idle it up some.

PS: NMWildcat, I couldn't figure out how to do the .5 brake and I don't like the Eagles so I guess I'll never get it into high idle.

[NMWildcat]

LOL!

Originally Posted by herbike

Considering there is a PTO option in the book for my '15 there must be a high idle setting some how. I'll have to look into that, not that I need it but if you have a PTO driven winch or something you may want to idle it up some.

PS: NMWildcat, I couldn't figure out how to do the .5 brake and I don't like the Eagles so I guess I'll never get it into high idle.

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by herbike

Considering there is a PTO option in the book for my '15 there must be a high idle setting some how. I'll have to look into that, not that I need it but if you have a PTO driven winch or something you may want to idle it up some.

PS: NMWildcat, I couldn't figure out how to do the .5 brake and I don't like the Eagles so I guess I'll never get it into high idle.

Here is a link from the Duramaxforum. It has to be flashed in at the dealer:

https://www.duramaxforum.com/forum/1...ml#post1828496

[BandJCarm]

Originally Posted by ependydad

My truck has remote start and keyless entry. When it’s cold, there is a delay in starting. I haven’t entirely figured out what it considers cold yet. I bet there’s this weird manual for owners that might tell me, but no way I’m actually reading that!

Exactly. Men don't do some things.


I tried remote start last week in CO Springs when truck was buried under 14 inches of snow and it was 6 degrees. I couldn't get it to start remotely even if standing in front of it. When I tried, I could hear the truck clicking and the air bags adding air, but no starting.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

Exactly. Men don't do some things.


I tried remote start last week in CO Springs when truck was buried under 14 inches of snow and it was 6 degrees. I couldn't get it to start remotely even if standing in front of it. When I tried, I could hear the truck clicking and the air bags adding air, but no starting.

Had you started it before with the remote ? You can only Remote start two consecutive times and then you must key start before you can remote start again. Three different vehicles and they all worked the same way.

[BandJCarm]

Originally Posted by TheWolfPaq82

Had you started it before with the remote ? You can only Remote start two consecutive times and then you must key start before you can remote start again. Three different vehicles and they all worked the same way.

Hmmm. Didn't know that.


Not sure how to remote start two times....??? Maybe I don't understand. Remote start will not "last" but 10 minutes (I think that's the time) unless you stick key in and turn it on. It'll die if you don't. So Not sure how to remote start twice......unless you're waiting on it to die before ever putting key in ignition.

[tomkatb]

My DW uses the block heater much of the winter. Costs about $50 per year.

Regardless of outside temperature, her truck starts almost immediately and is warm in a few miles.

The Rams historically start well in cold temps.

[rocco52]

Originally Posted by traveltrailerrookie

I'm looking into purchasing a newer diesel ('18 or '19) with low miles. I have talked to a tech that attends many auto workshops and conferences each year and he tells me that using a diesel as a daily driver is not good because it doesn't really get a chance to "work" like they were designed. I'm wondering how many of you that have diesels use it as your daily mode of transportation and how is it holding up?

2017 Chev Duramax 3500 is my daily driver. 43K miles. Average MPG commuting is 17.5, towing 13. Love it. I never idle it more than a minute or two when cold before taking off. I use TOW mode when it is cold. Nothing has broken or not worked right in those 43,000 miles.

P.S. It has a setting to allow high idle when cold. It does this when temps are at or below 32 degrees.

[Lins]

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

Hmmm. Didn't know that.


Not sure how to remote start two times....??? Maybe I don't understand. Remote start will not "last" but 10 minutes (I think that's the time) unless you stick key in and turn it on. It'll die if you don't. So Not sure how to remote start twice......unless you're waiting on it to die before ever putting key in ignition.

That's the exact situation. Starting it with remote start and letting it time-out twice.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

Hmmm. Didn't know that.


Not sure how to remote start two times....??? Maybe I don't understand. Remote start will not "last" but 10 minutes (I think that's the time) unless you stick key in and turn it on. It'll die if you don't. So Not sure how to remote start twice......unless you're waiting on it to die before ever putting key in ignition.

Two ways the remote start works.
1. You let it run for ten minutes and it shuts off. Then you repeat the same procedure and it will run for another 10 minutes. After the second time, you must key start the vehicle for remote start to work after two times.

2. Remote start vehicle, let run for 9 minutes then hit the botton sequence again and vehicle will remain running for another 10 minutes, giving you a total of 19 minutes of continuous run time. After that time expires, vehicle must be key started for the remote feature to work again.

[Wes Tausend]

...

Another ND story.

A few years ago I bought a 'pre-owned' 2000 Ford F-250 with the 7.3L diesel. It was suitable to drive as a daily driver, but I usually didn't in the winter. This was mostly because it had little or no rust when I got it from the original owner. ND became a big salt user and joined the rust belt just like Minnesota some years ago. Apparently the seller hadn't driven it in the winter either and from the shape the paint and upholstery was in, it spent most of it's time in his garage. It had less than 130k miles and ran like a top.


Except for an initial steering problem, I liked the overall truck and especially the diesel torque band for towing. I'd still have it, except some 'lady' totaled the truck while it was sitting in my driveway. This 4-door F-250 even rode considerably better than the V-10 I have left, in an Excursion with it's thicker, stiff spring-leaf pack.

It's possible some of the 7.3L glow-plugs were open because, in below zero weather, it initially started and ran on less than 8 cylinders for a bit. I didn't find the plug-in for the block heater until after it was wrecked and the notoriously 'secret factory cord bundle' finally fell out from somewhere behind the bottom radiator bracket.


The truck came with a fast PTO idle accessory, but I never needed it as the cab heater warmed up after driving just a few blocks. I always try to just get in and drive immediately with all my vehicles, but I drive easy to the extreme, low rpm's, until the heat gauge is a full normal. The only time I don't do this, is when there is hard ice (too thick to reasonably scrape) on the windshield. I seldom shut them off until the oil is hot, which takes a lot longer beyond the water temp wait. This helps keep excess water condensation out of the oil.

So, yeah, they work as a daily driver.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diesel Locomotive Trivia:

I worked my last 20 some years in operations on a major railroad. Our older locomotives sometimes ran for years and millions of miles without ever being shut down. If they ever shut down because of an engine fault, or on purpose, many would not restart again out on the road, because the batteries had long become junk. Roundhouse Terminal personnel could restart them by jump start from another locomotive. There were a VERY few that had air-starters on them and I assume they could be started by the main reservoir hose being connected to any other working unit, or even a consumer-sized, 110v air compressor.

Except for switch engines (some CAT V8's), all engines were V16's. Some were EMD 2-strokes and the rest GE 4-strokers.

The 2-strokes use cylinder side-port intakes (like a chain saw) with OHV exhaust valves. The 2-stroke turbo's are connected to the crankshaft with a one-way Bendix over-running clutch so, for starting, they always turn (blow) with the crank like a centrifugal supercharger, providing fresh cylinder air. Yet the turbo shaft over-runs crank rpm, acting like a standard turbo, when the exhaust impeller becomes engaged under power. In effect they are Detroit Diesels and EMD is a division of GM.

The 4-stroke GE's are just like any other engine we are familiar with. Valve lifters on all brands use roller-rockers and have since the 1950's. The early SD-40's put out 3000 HP, both 2 and 4 strokers. Later SD-60's went to 3800 HP and the latest went to 4400 HP... while I was still working anyway.

Although the HP increases sound impressive, all locomotives are still traction limited on a hill. They all have about a 415,000 pound total locomotive weight limit where more weight per wheel on the tiny contact area would just deform the wheel/rail by crushing beyond the special steel alloy plasticity. The extra HP only helps to achieve higher speeds, not static traction. In addition all locomotives since the 1950's have traction control which prevents wheel spin... when it works. When traction control occasionally fails on a heavy, dead start, the guilty spinning axle immediately burns through the entire ball of the rail in seconds causing a major delay to repair. The ball is the thick part above the web.

It takes at least about 3 locomotives on average, in 5 throttle or above, and a heavy train, to develop enough tractive force to pull apart the train on start-up, unless a bozo operator inadvertently jerks stuff. The strongest knuckles, used on coal trains, are rated at 395,000 pounds of tension. I'm not sure what the rating of lighter knuckles is, but all are designed to break before the drawbar does and are made to be changed out in a few minutes... once the long tedious process of finding and placing a new one near the break-in-two is achieved. Sometimes the drawbar lets go anyway and this snafu requires the use of a really HD tow-strap to set (abandon) the bad order car off the main line, before the train can be recoupled and resume, minus one car.

Each standard road locomotive has 6 axles, each driven by an electric traction motor just like a toy train. (Some branch lines with sharp curves have only four axle locomotives.) There is one large gear on one wheel per axle. The gear ratio and allowable top locomotive speed are determined by a specific smaller spur gear that is shrunk-fit to the motor shaft. This protects the top armature rpm from exceeding centrifugal limits and throwing the wire. These two straight-cut gears are lubed by thick, tar-like crater compound from a pan bolted around the axle assembly. High speed passenger and heavy freight locomotives differ in gearing.

When I first started, we had older SD-40's and we left them, still idling, just about anyplace where another train could need, or return them. Locomotives idle at about 200 rpm and max at about 900 rpm. If it was cold out, the older units had a fast-idle switch that had to be set to keep them warm enough provided they were deemed reliable enough to keep on running. If they weren't reliable, we shut them down and drained the water on the ground. No locomotives use any anti-freeze, just colored water with anti-corrosion additives because anti-freeze leaks and crankcase bearings don't mix. The engine analog or digital controls adjust cooling by opening shutters on the side of the general hood (the roof, paneled side-doors and vents). Many older engines had leaks or other faults that caused them to overheat, drop their load and go to idle. There were several times that I stopped to add water to get my power all back online, so I could make track speed. In later years we were not allowed to add water, perhaps because we had no additive paks and our quick-fix, diluted without proper balance.

Newer locomotives have computers, with temp triggered idle and auto-drain. Within a few years, they also shut them selves down, if not being used, and restart if necessary. They burn about 5 gallons (of 5000+) per hour idling and that can be saved. And finally, although a lot cleaner burning at all rpm's, idling still puts out unnecessary CO2. Auto-shut-down was a nuisance at times since the darn things often quit running shortly after we parked in a siding and the A/C shut off. Some, but not all, could have this feature temporarily disabled. (ND occasionally gets just as hot as any southern state, just not for as many months.) This was less of a problem in winter regarding heat, since any northern railroader soon learns to dress ridiculously warm in winter and the locomotives restart themselves to avoid freeze-up when they began to cool down too much. The newest locomotives have fairly reliable heat and cooling systems, but I have gone for hours, in a blizzard, in some ancient dead-engined leaders that had no working heat. We were theoretically allowed to switch locomotives around in that case... when it was finally convenient for the traffic and we could dig out the necessary switches. Those incidents are when I got really crazy with warmer clothing, carrying an extra winter grip with extreme layers inside.

All in all, the railroad ended up meeting similar EPA mandates, as have all of us with our trucks. I suppose nobody really wants to permanently trade for the 'good old days' anymore and it probably won't be long before somebody, maybe Tesla, figures out how to build a totally electric RV tow vehicle for long distance. Trains wouldn't have a major problem carrying a lot of extra batteries and recovering up-hills with down-hills. But trains will probably run without crew long before that. Nothing surprises me anymore.

Wes

[dodgemark]

Originally Posted by Wes Tausend

...

Another ND story.

A few years ago I bought a 'pre-owned' 2000 Ford F-250 with the 7.3L diesel. It was suitable to drive as a daily driver, but I usually didn't in the winter. This was mostly because it had little or no rust when I got it from the original owner. ND became a big salt user and joined the rust belt just like Minnesota some years ago. Apparently the seller hadn't driven it in the winter either and from the shape the paint and upholstery was in, it spent most of it's time in his garage. It had less than 130k miles and ran like a top.


Except for an initial steering problem, I liked the overall truck and especially the diesel torque band for towing. I'd still have it, except some 'lady' totaled the truck while it was sitting in my driveway. This 4-door F-250 even rode considerably better than the V-10 I have left, in an Excursion with it's thicker, stiff spring-leaf pack.

It's possible some of the 7.3L glow-plugs were open because, in below zero weather, it initially started and ran on less than 8 cylinders for a bit. I didn't find the plug-in for the block heater until after it was wrecked and the notoriously 'secret factory cord bundle' finally fell out from somewhere behind the bottom radiator bracket.


The truck came with a fast PTO idle accessory, but I never needed it as the cab heater warmed up after driving just a few blocks. I always try to just get in and drive immediately with all my vehicles, but I drive easy to the extreme, low rpm's, until the heat gauge is a full normal. The only time I don't do this, is when there is hard ice (too thick to reasonably scrape) on the windshield. I seldom shut them off until the oil is hot, which takes a lot longer beyond the water temp wait. This helps keep excess water condensation out of the oil.

So, yeah, they work as a daily driver.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diesel Locomotive Trivia:

I worked my last 20 some years in operations on a major railroad. Our older locomotives sometimes ran for years and millions of miles without ever being shut down. If they ever shut down because of an engine fault, or on purpose, many would not restart again out on the road, because the batteries had long become junk. Roundhouse Terminal personnel could restart them by jump start from another locomotive. There were a VERY few that had air-starters on them and I assume they could be started by the main reservoir hose being connected to any other working unit, or even a consumer-sized, 110v air compressor.

Except for switch engines (some CAT V8's), all engines were V16's. Some were EMD 2-strokes and the rest GE 4-strokers.

The 2-strokes use cylinder side-port intakes (like a chain saw) with OHV exhaust valves. The 2-stroke turbo's are connected to the crankshaft with a one-way Bendix over-running clutch so, for starting, they always turn (blow) with the crank like a centrifugal supercharger, providing fresh cylinder air. Yet the turbo shaft over-runs crank rpm, acting like a standard turbo, when the exhaust impeller becomes engaged under power. In effect they are Detroit Diesels and EMD is a division of GM.

The 4-stroke GE's are just like any other engine we are familiar with. Valve lifters on all brands use roller-rockers and have since the 1950's. The early SD-40's put out 3000 HP, both 2 and 4 strokers. Later SD-60's went to 3800 HP and the latest went to 4400 HP... while I was still working anyway.

Although the HP increases sound impressive, all locomotives are still traction limited on a hill. They all have about a 415,000 pound total locomotive weight limit where more weight per wheel on the tiny contact area would just deform the wheel/rail by crushing beyond the special steel alloy plasticity. The extra HP only helps to achieve higher speeds, not static traction. In addition all locomotives since the 1950's have traction control which prevents wheel spin... when it works. When traction control occasionally fails on a heavy, dead start, the guilty spinning axle immediately burns through the entire ball of the rail in seconds causing a major delay to repair. The ball is the thick part above the web.

It takes at least about 3 locomotives on average, in 5 throttle or above, and a heavy train, to develop enough tractive force to pull apart the train on start-up, unless a bozo operator inadvertently jerks stuff. The strongest knuckles, used on coal trains, are rated at 395,000 pounds of tension. I'm not sure what the rating of lighter knuckles is, but all are designed to break before the drawbar does and are made to be changed out in a few minutes... once the long tedious process of finding and placing a new one near the break-in-two is achieved. Sometimes the drawbar lets go anyway and this snafu requires the use of a really HD tow-strap to set (abandon) the bad order car off the main line, before the train can be recoupled and resume, minus one car.

Each standard road locomotive has 6 axles, each driven by an electric traction motor just like a toy train. (Some branch lines with sharp curves have only four axle locomotives.) There is one large gear on one wheel per axle. The gear ratio and allowable top locomotive speed are determined by a specific smaller spur gear that is shrunk-fit to the motor shaft. This protects the top armature rpm from exceeding centrifugal limits and throwing the wire. These two straight-cut gears are lubed by thick, tar-like crater compound from a pan bolted around the axle assembly. High speed passenger and heavy freight locomotives differ in gearing.

When I first started, we had older SD-40's and we left them, still idling, just about anyplace where another train could need, or return them. Locomotives idle at about 200 rpm and max at about 900 rpm. If it was cold out, the older units had a fast-idle switch that had to be set to keep them warm enough provided they were deemed reliable enough to keep on running. If they weren't reliable, we shut them down and drained the water on the ground. No locomotives use any anti-freeze, just colored water with anti-corrosion additives because anti-freeze leaks and crankcase bearings don't mix. The engine analog or digital controls adjust cooling by opening shutters on the side of the general hood (the roof, paneled side-doors and vents). Many older engines had leaks or other faults that caused them to overheat, drop their load and go to idle. There were several times that I stopped to add water to get my power all back online, so I could make track speed. In later years we were not allowed to add water, perhaps because we had no additive paks and our quick-fix, diluted without proper balance.

Newer locomotives have computers, with temp triggered idle and auto-drain. Within a few years, they also shut them selves down, if not being used, and restart if necessary. They burn about 5 gallons (of 5000+) per hour idling and that can be saved. And finally, although a lot cleaner burning at all rpm's, idling still puts out unnecessary CO2. Auto-shut-down was a nuisance at times since the darn things often quit running shortly after we parked in a siding and the A/C shut off. Some, but not all, could have this feature temporarily disabled. (ND occasionally gets just as hot as any southern state, just not for as many months.) This was less of a problem in winter regarding heat, since any northern railroader soon learns to dress ridiculously warm in winter and the locomotives restart themselves to avoid freeze-up when they began to cool down too much. The newest locomotives have fairly reliable heat and cooling systems, but I have gone for hours, in a blizzard, in some ancient dead-engined leaders that had no working heat. We were theoretically allowed to switch locomotives around in that case... when it was finally convenient for the traffic and we could dig out the necessary switches. Those incidents are when I got really crazy with warmer clothing, carrying an extra winter grip with extreme layers inside.

All in all, the railroad ended up meeting similar EPA mandates, as have all of us with our trucks. I suppose nobody really wants to permanently trade for the 'good old days' anymore and it probably won't be long before somebody, maybe Tesla, figures out how to build a totally electric RV tow vehicle for long distance. Trains wouldn't have a major problem carrying a lot of extra batteries and recovering up-hills with down-hills. But trains will probably run without crew long before that. Nothing surprises me anymore.

Wes

Great read, thank you!!

[dbledan]

Originally Posted by Cowracer

Ram's can be idled up off the cruise control. IIRC, you can idle it at any speed you like up to about 1500 or so. I know older GM's had a pin in one of the ECU Connectors that, if connected to ground, would idle it up to about 1250RPM. I put a switch in my old 94 GMC to turn on the high-idle.

I don't know about new GM's or Fords.

Tim

Newer Ford superduty uses the PTO connection for high idle. For the price of a $5 20k resistor you can make it high idle with an upfitter switch.
https://youtu.be/4elafVR-B1w

Or you can spend $10 and pick your idle speed with a potentiometer and an upfitter switch.
https://youtu.be/z0bHrAvN0X8

If you are not handy about $100 to plug and play connection
https://youtu.be/KWt9lKff8BA

I am doing the second option this weekend on my new truck.

[Vetteman71]

Originally Posted by traveltrailerrookie

I'm looking into purchasing a newer diesel ('18 or '19) with low miles. I have talked to a tech that attends many auto workshops and conferences each year and he tells me that using a diesel as a daily driver is not good because it doesn't really get a chance to "work" like they were designed. I'm wondering how many of you that have diesels use it as your daily mode of transportation and how is it holding up?

Not sure that advice is relevant with new Diesel trucks. My 2018 2500HD Duramax crew cab is my go to truck everyday, love driving it!. I get 22-24mpg on the freeway and 10-14 towing our 40 ft. 5th wheel at 68-70 miles per hour. Its comfortable, quite and has room for the dogs in the back. It starts in cold and hot weather at the turn of the key. The only draw back is parking, the 20 ft long truck is not nimble in tight parking lots, but the camera and large mirrors work well.

[Harkerr]

500 pounds in the bed sure helps the ride

[reevesfamily]

Daily driver here also. 99k on deleted 2011 and zero issues. Run to temperature as much as I can. Plug it in when temp is below 50, don’t push it until oil temps are at least in 120’s, maintain the heck out of it. Oil change and filter every 5k with Rotella T6, trans filter flush and change every 35k, rear gear oil changed at 50k. Changed coolant one time, no radiator issues. Change fuel filters every other oil change. Pull heavy TT from March through October around the SE.

[Nastynotchback1]

Never listen or use that "Tech" again! I have been daily driving nothing but diesels since the late 90's both as company vehicles and personal vehicles. Never had any major issues with any except a transmission in 2 different ones and both times my fault while pulling heavy loads. These late model diesel trucks are designed to be daily driven. You won't regret having one.

[John Hill]

Had a new 2012 Chevy 2500 Duramax diesel for 6 years... Started and drove like any gas vehicle, except it gets much better mileage. The mechanic does not know that which he talks about.... Also towed a large cyclone toy hauler behind it and it was great at that...

[Boatbuilder]

I have a 2013 F350 6.7 with 85,000 and drive it everyday and don't have any problems at all. I think what he meant is that its designed and built to do heavy duty work but you can use it like a car if you want. I only use my for pulling about 4 times a year.