before shutting the motor off? The owners manual says to let it idle that long to cool down. Since I have never had a diesel before I am just curious as to why. Thanks

 

i think its more for the turbo to settle down before starving it of oil, so if you pull in to the driveway right after blowing the doors off the dodge down the street i think it would be wise to let her idle for a few mins.

 

If you have been working it hard, try to let it idle 3-5 mins. Easyist thing for me is to slow down when pulling into my neighborhood. Then as I park, since I back in (harder to steel the truck!) that gives me the time for the cool and and for the turbos to quit spooling so fast.

 

Yep, manual states that the cool down is for high engine/turbo loads. I also consider outdoor temp.

Important? I don't know but Ford says to do it. My truck was very close to $50K.

 

Easiest way to know when to shut the truck down is having an EGT guage. In between 400*-350* is good to shutdown.

 

Would you be able to tell me where to get an EGT gauge and how to install it? That would be nice to have.

 

Easiest is the Edge Insight. It just plugs into OBD under the steering wheel (underneath). Some people don't like or have preference for a mechanical/analog EGT guage and you need to drill and tap the manifold. Might be some sponsors on here that sell it. I went w/ Diesel Manor for my tripple guage/pod on my Dodge CTD.

I don't know why the EGT guage is not standard on diesels. The most important guage (engine monitoring), imo....

 

Its called coking and happens when you shut a diesel off with an extremely hot turbo. Since there is no oil circulation after shut off it causes the oil to crystallize in the turbo, bassically ruining it. In my opinion when towing heavy loads 3-5 minutes would be the absolute minimum. I would say more like 10-15 minutes.

 

I ran a mechanical gauge in my 06 and I agree its the most important gauge there is on a diesel. On a 6.4 there are already at least 3 EGT sensors in the exhaust for the regen so the new technology is to plug in to the port under the steering wheel and let those sensors do the work for you. Thats better than drilling/tapping/welding for a mechanical gauge.

As mentioned, coking is the biggest concern. I would also think its important for the DPF because its ceramic. I would think if it cools down too fast it could cause the ceramic to crack.

 

I've also always been concerned with this and so, my family has painfully sat in my truck waiting for several long minutes to pass, until recently........

I installed a Diesel Turbo Lifesaver that I purchased from GOS Performance (Livingston MT) for $267. Best price I found on the internet, though most distributors offer the same price.

Install was super easy with detailed instructions and pictures! Basic install requires tying into four wires using scotch-locks and if you desire to use the "security" toggle switch you would cut one additional wire.

When installed (< 1 hr) you have a simple push button that you depress and hold to set the duration.

(1 beep/min. up to 10 min. after which 1 beep/5 min.) The duration is adjustable from 1-250 minutes.

Once set you remove your key, get out, and lock the doors with your key fob.

If someone should get in, the steering wheel and transmission are already locked. If they even bump the brake pedal the truck will shut off. If you install the "security" toggle switch, they couldn't even start the vehicle with the key.

I found this to be the cheapest method to cool my turbos without heating up my family. It's worked great for me.

All of the guys at GOS Performance were great to work with and I've always found everyone from Montana a pleasure to deal with. I used to play rugby with / against guys from Montana and they're good people.

 

anyone out there have a dashdaq. what parameter do u select to watch the egts. thankyou

 

I bought the Edge Insight to watch EGTs. Simple installation and customizable with different colors and many different parameters. Dfuser I believe is where I bought mine.

 

Another item that helps reduce turbo coking is syn. oil. It is not as suseptible to coking.

 

I have a remote start that works in a similar manner. Hit the key fob, truck stays running for 15 minutes or until I hit the button again.

The remote start ran $400 at the dealer but you also get the starting aspect, not just the cool down. Im not taking away from the Turbo Lifesaver, just throwing out another idea if you have the extra $140 to spend and/or desire the remote start feature as well.

 

Just remember these "pollutioin" engines don't like excessive idling. It plugs up EGR valve and coolers.