Winter diesel tips

[HappilyLost]

Good evening all. We’re making the switch from a gasser to a diesel for our new rig, first time with diesel. Reason I didn’t get a diesel the first round was because of the winters in Wisconsin and me not being sure what to expect. Any cold weather diesel owners with advice on when they plug them in? Radiator covers? Or any tips in general. I like to be fullly researches so I can take care of something once I buy it. Appreciate all feedback.

[aeblank]

I carry a red bottle of fuel treatment (well..I need to toss that in the truck). Other than that, I try to get fresh fuel as it gets cold, figuring it's properly blended.

Otherwise, nothing different.

[Skip12]

We're in Chicago area. I would plug ours in when weather is below zero for over 24 hours but wife says if overnight lows "feels like temp" is near zero it needs to be plugged in, so...I'm going to plug ours in now.

[aeblank]

Originally Posted by Skip12

We're in Chicago area. I would plug ours in when weather is below zero for over 24 hours but wife says if overnight lows "feels like temp" is near zero it needs to be plugged in, so...I'm going to plug ours in now.

"feels like" is a person thing. Trucks care about the actual temperature, it won't get colder than that.

[007matman]

Most fuel that far north is already treated. I would only worry about that if you're traveling down south. I don't think I'd bother with plugging it in till you get closer to zero for an extended period of time.

Make the switch to a 5w-40 oil. I prefer the synthetic Rotella T6.

[HappilyLost]

May be dumb question but do you guys cover the radiator? And is all diesel the same at gas stations? I feel I’ve heard diesel 1/diesel 2 thrown around before.

And how long do you let idle before actually driving

[Lins]

-38C today for us. I start plugging in around -20C for 3-4 hrs with a timer. Rad cover goes on in the fall when temps approach freezing, comes off in spring. People say don’t idle, but I idle long enough for the windshield to start defrosting itself for safety. I just take it easy until it’s fully warmed up. Turning on exhaust brake helps to warm up significantly faster - high idle is automatic or I can manually turn it on and choose between 11-1500 RPM. I also have a battery blanket on each battery and a Noco battery tender installed.

Edit: I run Rotella T6 5w40 year round.

[B and B]

My F 350 gets plugged in when under -20 C on a timer for 4 hours. It is battery blankets only in my case. Helps on cold days with cranking power.

No there additives, fuel is blended for cold weather. My Truck turns exhaust brake on for additional heat. My electric duct heater helps with defrost as well.

[aeblank]

I don't run a cover. Would help it heat up faster if I did. I guess I also run a smart plug on my block heater. It doesn't need it, but I know it makes the oil flow faster.

[aeblank]

Originally Posted by B and B

My Truck turns exhaust brake on for additional heat.

Huh. That's interesting. I'll have to try that (maybe it (GMC) does, but I don't think so).

[TowPro]

I ran cover below freezing because it warms up faster. Would plug it in lower 20s only because it warms up faster.
Turn on exhaust brake for faster warm up as it puts load on engine. You can also turn on high idle big ram auto trans plus exhaust brake. Ram will idle up itself if cold enough. In some model years if it was really cold the engine would turn off some injectors to cause engine to heat up faster. But no need to let it idle more than 30 seconds. They heat up fastest driving them

[tomkatb]

We are on SW Ohio.

The truck is the DW’s daily driver.

We plug it in anytime the temp is below 40F. On really cold days she uses the remote start.

Thus the truck produces heat very quickly. A DW requirement!

On a timer. Heat starts around midnight. Cost is minimal. Around here about $.30 a day. 90 times a year.

But our Ram is well known as an easy starter in cold weather.

We do nothing else.

[WFD]

Living north of the OP, up in Canada, I am all too familiar with cold temps. Stations start blending the fuel in fall in anticipation of cold temps, and slowly decrease the blend in the spring. Diesel 1 and 2 are common at the pumps in ND and MN as well...Being that you are from Wisconsin, you probably should avoid getting #2 in winter time, it's more of a summer diesel. In winter it can gel up on you. Thats why I always have a bottle of Diesel 911 with me in winter, but in 3 years I have never needed it. What's more important is where you buy your diesel, buy it from a place where you are confident they sell a good amount of it, so it is fresh, as opposed to a Mom and Pop place that may not sell as much of it. In Canada, I haven't really come across 1 and 2, it's just 1 diesel pump and they blend it according to the season. You will notice that come spring and summer when they no longer blend it for winter months, that your mileage will greatly improve. I have never covered my grille front. Today's diesel engines throw heat pretty fast. When I switched from gasser to diesel I was quite concerned the truck would take for ever to throw heat...not the case...my diesel throws heat faster than my previous gasser ever did...and when it is plugged in, the heat comes pretty quick.
I plug in when temps get to about -15c range which is very close to around 0 F. Having said that there is many a night where I forgot to plug in and it starts just fine...

[ronheater70]

It doesn't get that cold here in the south, but we do see a rare 0 degree morning, but many mornings in the 15F-25F in the heart of winter..
If its above 30 I don't even preheat, if its in below 25 I will preheat (with the trucks grid heater) for 6-7 seconds or however long it runs, start it up, let it idle for long enough to get window clean and drive away.

[richp]

Hi,

Northern Illinois resident here, who parks his truck outside all year.

I have never plugged in my '01, '09, and '19 Duramax trucks, have never used the front cover, and have never had a starting problem.

FWIW.

Rich Phillips

[Electra glide]

Cedar Rapids, IA here. On my 2015 Chevy all I do is add Howes every tank. I use the remote start because my drive is short and I dislike being cold. I use the exhaust brake as well. I would like to use the block heater but in 4 years I've never gotten around to putting the plug in the bumper or some other place that is easy to get to. Truck has always started no matter how cold it got here.
Now when I had my 1999.5 F250 it got plugged in every night non a timer. I also learned to use Howes from that truck because one winter my fuel did gel up while I was at work.

[Jim34RL]

I have been around diesel vehicles for 50+ years.

Do you need winter starting aids on the newer designed vehicles? No!

The winter fuel for diesels in the Midwest and Northern Climates is treated for winter operation. But if you travel from a warmer climate such as AZ/Calif to northern climate. I would treat the fuel with a winter fuel anti-gel treatment.

Now I do plug my truck in from 1-Nov to Mid March and a winter front is on over the radiator and coolers! Why? I like a warm truck and one the heats up quickly. My Mega Cab has a lot of air volume to heat up, also I do not like to drive with a coat on. Even in ambient day time temps in the signal numbers or lower!

The block heater is on a timer that turns on for five hours in the morning. I don't have to wait for the engine grid heater to warm the incoming air to start the truck in the AM. With the winter front the truck will warm up faster and maintain the coolant temps longer when the engine shuts off.

Now my wife's Jetta TDI does not have a block heater or a winter front. She drives this all winter long with no starting issues at all. She does have to wait for the glow plugs to heat up before starting her car which does no take more than 15 to 20 seconds before starting.
She then turns on her heated seats and she is fine!

Good Luck!

[Electra glide]

I've always been curious about the cover for the front grille. My truck came with one and I have never used it. I like the inside of the truck to be as warm as possible so it would it be fine to put the cover on and leave it on all winter? Most of my commute is 2 miles one way to work 5-7 days a week.

[LegacyFB38]

We are located in upstate New York. 2018 Ford diesel.

Never used the block heater, but it wouldn't hurt!

Do very minimal warm-up. I start it and drive EASY until warmed up.

Use Motorcraft anti-gel. Necessary??? Forget about the zillions of Magic-in-a-Can on the market.

I use Motorcraft 5w-40 synthetic oil that meets Ford's WSS-M2C171-F1 specsification. Pricey, but I'd guess it is the most important cold weather preparation I do. Follow the owners manual for your vehicle...forget the oil brand wars that litter the internet.

[WFD]

I have had a couple dealers tell me in the frozen tundra up north here, many a time they can't get gassers started when sitting on their lots for a long time in winter and need to boost them, but most of their diesels will fire up, and their not plugged in. I guess they don't really call them glow plugs anymore, but they do have some sort of pre heat mechanism. On my Chevy it's only on for about 5 seconds max. Like I said in my previous post, I am very impressed with how fast my diesel throws heat and starts defrosting my windshield, much better than my 2011 2500 gas engine.