This is my first diesel, and this is the first time I have it during winter.

I live in Oklahoma, winters are not horrible, but they are not good either. What kind of things do I need to do to ensure my 7.3 still runs/operates starts? I also plan on going skiing in New Mexico in December so it will be cold, and snowing.

It does have a block heater, I need to check to see if it even works.. have never used it.

Also, do I need to partially cover the front of the truck to prevent cold air from getting in? I see semi's doing this a lot.

Thanks guys!

 

I haven't worried about covering the front of my truck at all. A block heater is nice if you can find an outlet, but it isn't really needed until it gets down near zero or below as long as you can let your truck warm up a bit before you drive. I live in MN and mine started just fine @0 degrees. One thing I have been doing is adding a fuel additive to lubricate the system (Damn ULSD) and to keep the fuel from gelling. The fuel companies add an anti-gel additive, but a little extra insurance isn't a bad thing. You can search for different additives since this issue has been brought up before. What weight oil are you running? You have nothing to worry about.

 

we are well below 0 for a couple of months here..a good 3 weeks of 20 to 40 below...I treat every tank with white bottle DK for jelling..I keep my truck out of the wind as much as possible..like putting the grill up against another parked truck or building..I carry a bottle off 911 for just in case it does freeze up..(never had to use any) I also change my fuel filter before winter.. then again half way though winter or 5000 miles..witch ever comes first..i also always carry a spare fuel filter...also make sure the coolant is up to specs.. i run delo 15/40 oil..if it gets below 0 i will plug my truck in...2 winters with this truck and never had a problem..im not a fan of covering the grill.. unless she is parked for the night..turbo needs air.. i been driving tractor trailer for 15 years up here doing the same thing as my PSD and yet to have a jelling problem or truck not starting..

 

I like my block heater, its on a timer and starts about an hour before I leave. I am here in New Mexico and you may not be skiing this year

 

shush... I am hitting up AngelFire on opening day Dec 15th... I better be skiing, had to rent a place out ahead of time.

 

We are suppose to get some snow over thanksgiving. I have not seen any snowstorms on the news yet. But by December you should be head deep at least.

 

Thats good to hear...... so... on another subject. How common is it for streets/roads to be closed due to snow around Dec. 15th? My tires are not bald, but they are definately not new anymore, in fact I could use new ones. Would it be a good idea to pick up a cheap pair of snow chains?

 

Last year I had some pretty crappy tires on my truck but was able to drive 200 Miles in 4 hours in a heavy snow (snowing and 6"+ on the roads) at night. I had 1/16" - 1/8" of tread on the tires. If you think you will need 4WD just lock your hubs in (Manual Hubs) before you think you might need to and just switch into 4WD whenever you need to just in case. If you are worried throw 200+ lbs of sand/salt in the back of your truck for traction. I have found that helps even more than you might think. In a pinch you can use it for extra traction if you get stuck too. Just don't drive stupid and you should have nothing to worry about. Also, there is a really cool tire chain that is made of a rubber/plastic. I don't have the link, but if you do a search for tire chains these will pop up I am sure. Sorry for being so long winded.

 

Up in north New Mexico they tend to keep the roads pretty well groomed. At a ski resort it is usually Ideal, but you never know last year here in central NM we got 11-14 inches overnight in town, That shuts a desert down by the way. So chains are not bad I usually have to put it in 4 wheel at least once in the winter.