Developed this just the other day, and will get a video up when I get some breakfast in me, but here's some background information..... Rotella 5-40 oil, archoil additive oil side, white PS fuel side, brand new 185 amp alternator and ficm w/ atlas 40 from ED a few months ago and batteries are rated 950cca motor crafts. Last year even with a dieing ficm the truck would light in -30c in one crank, but clack real loud like well... One with a dead ficm. Now at even -10 it seems when it starts it will drop a few cylinders for a few seconds and rock real bad but fights to smooth itself out, once oil hits 0c it's fine and goes into high idle. No HPOP issues, checked ficm connections twice, voltages hold good, batteries/alternator function well, crank at 10.3 and charges at 14.5... Ever since owned by me it has always been low on power until 100 degrees, don't leave the driveway below 75, but maybe that's just my foot being easy on it

 

If it goes away with the block heater pluged in for a few hours its more then likely stickion

 

Yeah like I said if oil starts out above 32f it's fine, just a regular cold start. That would mean severe stiction on more than one injector then, in conjunction with the low feeling power below 100f

 

Exactly.
The gpcm has a 2 min timer. Run that timer out 2x prior to starting the engine. That may help as well.

 

I've been through the same thing with temp related stiction including the low power until the spools move easier. You can bandaid it with Archoil 9100.

 

I will try a longer double cycle of the glow plugs, have only been doing one cycle until the light is out, all it has ever needed.

 

Light goes off in 30 seconds, plugs stay on for 120 seconds.

 

I know some other posters here, myself included, won't leave or let it leave the driveway until 75 or more. I don't just hop in my gassers until they have moved the needle a bit either.
I am just baffled when I see a diesel truck owner hop in a cold vehicle and take off ten seconds later. Fast forward to about the 4:30 of this clip if you don't watch it all, you might want to cry.

 

So leaving after 75 is a good thing. I figured. I was brought up to always warm a vehicle up regardless. At first I thought in that video it was high idle, but then realized he held the pedal on the floor right after start? 1700 rpm may not hurt it, but sure makes a guy cringe

 

The reason to not leave before 75° is what?

 

Just warm fluids are better? Not sure. So it hit -8f and I got a video but it didn't do the lope, cycled twice and fired but died. Cycled again and fired right up but instantly jumped to 1100 rpm and is slowing down as it warms up. Is this possibly a new cold start strategy on the atlas 40 ficm? My old one did not do that.

 

The high droping rpm is a direct result of oil viscosity and the ipr abilities to bleed off thick oil fast enugh.

 

Oil viscosity is 5-40 full synthetic as always, first time this has happened. What does this tell me then? My IPR numbers are good, 580 icp and 22% at idle and 3800/71% at heavy foot

 

It's telling you it's cold out..... I wouldn't read into it much more than that. Let the idle come down by itself, don't step on the peddle and a minute or so she'll settle down. High idle should kick it back up after a few minutes.

Been plugging it in?

 

If it seems like it's dropping a few cylinders at first you might have a few glow plugs not working, any codes on those?
Like Randy said, don't read into it too much. It's a diesel, they get cranky when it gets cold and will tell you as such until there is enough heat there to get a good burn.
When it's cold out, I won't turn any accessories on PERIOD until the glow plugs are off.