Well this is my first diesel vehicle... and I want to treat it right.

I only work like 3 miles away each way... and in the mornings its about 15-20deg lately. I have been letting it warm up for about 15-20min every morning, and about 10min before I drive it later in the day when temps are around 40deg.

Is this overkill? I don't really run it hard when I'm driving it till it's fully warm, but about the time I normally drive it the needle is over 'C'.

What about when the weather warms up to a cold start of say 40-50deg, and warmer day starting of 60-70deg? How long should it warm up then?

It's a not all that bad when I plan to drive it, but if I have to run to the store, or if we descide to take my truck somewhere I have to put off departure 10min?

Thanks .

 

I've always warmed up every vehical I've ever used/raced/owned and it's just good practice to give anything 5-10 minutes of warm time. I'm so commited to that idea my Supra has a remote start on it (and it's a six speed) and soon my truck will (also a six speed)

 

Is there any more of a damaging effect on a powerstroke vs typical gas engine when driving it cold?

 

Warming up these engines like that is not recommended. Search for the term "wet stacking" and you will get gobs of info on what can possibly happen to your engine if it idles way too much.

Now, since you don't drive very far too and from work, you may want to invest in a chip with a high idle mode. That way you can warm your engine up faster without the effects of wet stacking.

 

Will do. I'm planning on getting a chip in a couple weeks. You think that may cut down the warmup time to about 5min?

 

How high is high idle? Usually when i get in the truck it's idling around 1200rpm (normal high idle) then I hit the brake and it idles down.

 

You can select your high idle when you order your chip - well, at least from DP Tuner, and others, too, I'm sure. Mine is set at 1200 rpm, which should be high enough to prevent wet stacking and help warm the engine up, and low enough that the neighbors don't complain (too much) about the jet engine in my driveway (EBPV, as heard through my 5" exhaust ).

However, I usually don't warm it up that way. Usually, I let it run a minute or so, until oil pressure and such have stabilized, then I drive it with very little throttle or rpms so the engine has a slight load while warming up. This is better for the engine than idling.

Also, if I know I'm going to be driving just a couple of miles, I leave earlier and take a long route. That is MUCH more effective at warming up the engine (and trans, and exhaust pipe), seems much less a waste of fuel, as I am actually driving it, and is a lot more fun.

Wife - "I thought you were just going to the store?"
Me - "I did."
Wife - "But you were gone almost an hour."
Me - "I had to warm up the truck."
Wife - "But when you take my car, it only takes you 20 minutes to go to the store."
Me - *silence*

 

Let me help you with the last part:

Wife - "But when you take my car, it only takes you 20 minutes to go to the store."
Me - "We're selling the car and buying you a truck."

 

The other thing that you should look at is cloging up the converter. This happens with lots of idle time.

 

When did 7.3L trucks get converters? My factory truck doesn't have a cat. Another question I've had for a while. So warming up these trucks isn't recommended.....what is excessive idle time as a definition?

Oil works a lot better when it's warm, that I know but I never read anywhere in any factory manual that warming up the truck was ill advised. Can someone send me to some information about this "wet stacking" issue?

 

Let me change that too.

Me - Joe Diffie said "There's something women like about a pickup man." That is why it takes so long.
wife - You are never going to the store.
Me - Pretend to cry but celebrating never having to shop for groceries

 

I think someone once told me that you can idle it for a long time but it doesn't help much. I start it, put on seat belts, adjust myself and take it easy for the next few minutes before hammering it.

 

I found some more info on wet-stacking. Seems like a reality!

Q: What does the term "wet-stacking" mean?

A: Wet stacking occurs in a diesel engine when the engine is run at too light of a load during the run-in (also known as load banking). This causes unburnt fuel and oil to collect in the exhaust stack. The exhaust stack will be coated with a black, sticky, tar-like substance. If you run a new unit at light loads and/or idle for too long, the rings will not seat properly. If it is a diesel, wet stacking may occur. Both of these conditions will cause poor engine life and performance.

And the below source got me the posted info, you can read the entire thread here.
http://www.rv.net/forums/index.cfm/f...g/14755224.cfm

Ever since the PowerStroke came out, Ford has said not to allow the engine to idle for prolonged periods especially in cold temperatures or engine damage may occur. They have never defined exactly what they mean by prolonged idle or what damage may occur.

I had an opportunity to talk to a Field Service Engineer from International Engines. He told me that if the engine is allowed to idle for long periods there is the possiblity of fuel residue collecting on the exhaust valve at the stem. This usually happens when fuel quality is low. This residue may build up over a period of time to form a sludge which may harden into a resin over night in cold temperatures. This resin can prevent the valve from fully closing, which can lead to piston-valve contact. Also the resin may cause the valve to stick which will result in the push rod becoming bent.

The hydraulic lifters will pump up to reduce the clearence caused by the bent push rod and this can cause the push rod to bent more. It is possible that the rod can bend enough to become dislodged from the rocker arm or lifter, which in itself may cause damage due to the rod being loose inside the engine, and the lifter may come out of its bore which would be indicated by no indicated oil pressure on the gauge.

Due to the high compression of a diesel engine, if the exhaust valve is stuck closed this can lead to the intake push rod becoming bent and the same series of events describe for the exhaust valve above may occur. This condition where fuel residue collects on the valve stem is referred to as "wet stacking".


It seems to me that if extended idle can cause this to happen, the following may also cause wet stacking:
Starting the engine before the wait light has gone out.
Operating the engine with a non-functioning glow plug system.
Removing the thermostat or installing a lower temp thermostat.
Deactivating the Exhaust Back Pressure valve on the turbo.
To help prevent "wet stacking" from happening, use a fuel additive like Stanadyne Performance if fuel quality is in question. Allow the wait light to go out before starting and have the glow plug system checked if you suspect a problem (excessive white smoke on start-up, long crank time, crank/no start cold). If you have a turbo-mounted exhaust brake that has deleted the operation of the EBP valve, activate the brake during warm-up in cold weather. If extended idling is necessary, install an idle controller.

 

I have only had mine a short time but I was surprised at how fast these motors warm up. I let mine warm up for about 4-5 minutes then just about idle out to the highway and by that time the needle is in the heat range and down the highway I go, not stomping on it or anything like that.

 

I never let the engine run for more than a minute unless the window is iced up and I cannot see out.
It's ALWAYS best for the engine to work during the warm up cycle. The combustion chambers get hotter faster that way and you never ever have to worry about wet stacking. Just don't hammer it until it gets warmed up.