My 93 f350 currently has the stock group 65s in it that are fairly new and are in good condition. My cables and ends are also clean and tight, but my truck seems a bit slow to crank over. It will always start within a few seconds which is pretty good considering its been about 10 degrees these past few mornings and I dont have a working block heater. I am wondering if putting some g31s in it will be worth the money and if they fit the 92-96 body style hood. What have you guys found?

 

the group 65 should be just fine working your truck. at that temp you should be using a block heater. that will help a lot.

 

If you live where it gets cold, big batteries are never a bad thing.

I am running a pair of just under 1100 CCA batteries in mine.
Single digits when I went out to plow this morning, fired right up like it was plugged in, which it was not.

Stupid weather man said no snow last night.
Stupid me for believing him.

 

i hear ya there dave, damn guy did the same thing to me.

 

wheres a good place to get a deal on the block heater cord? I have the element but no cord and it seems ones from the junk yard are brittle and not trustworthy but the dealer wants a rediculous amount for it.

 

I replaced my chord with one from my "local guy" parts store for about $15. I think Napa sells them for about double that.

 

if your starting inside a "few seconds" @ 10 degree's on glow plugs alone,i don't think you have much to be concerned with.
im getting the same results,and why i don't bother increasing the electric bill for anything.money saved is money earned.

 

the block heater cord can be had at orielly auto parts or kragen for the northern guys for about 25 bucks at least that is what the guy at the orielly in town here said and a timer at wal mart for outdoor service cost me about 10 bucks i have it set to come on avg of 3 hours before i need to start it in the morning warms the engine so the valve covers are even warm to the touch....

block heater warms the coolant, the oil will also warm up, warm oil flows better, better flowing oil means the faster the oil can provide protection to critical parts, protected parts means less wear, less wear means the longer they will last and less replacement cost.

leaving it plugged in 24/7 will jack up your electric bill over time but 3 hours a day won't make a real noticeable difference in your electric bill

 

Ditto on the timer, on 2 hours before I am scheduled to be starting it in the morning. Yes I have started it with no problems at 7 cold degrees but I had to let it warm up at least twice as long as I do when I got the block heater plugged in.

 

and with the cost of diesel fuel now days id rather plug it in for 2 or 3 hours then pay for fuel

 

I don't plug mine in, I let it idle until the high idle shuts off...then for a few more minutes after that. By then, the defroster has cleared most of the windsheild so no scraping required! I probably let the truck warm up for 10 minutes before I leave in the mornings.

 

i don't waste any time either.she warms up fast going down the road.inside just a couple miles/few mins she's toasty warm.

 

yea but by just starting it at 0 degrees cold the oil is pretty thick..... take 2 glasses and fill with oil leave one outside on a cold night say in/on the bed of your truck and put the other in the kitchen sink wake up the next morning and shake around/pour the one in the sink into another glass or something note the constancy/ability to flow.... do the same with the oil in the glass outside you should be able to see a difference i know i can......

and i know with my block heater on for a few hours it takes much less time for the high idle to kick off,takes the heater less time to blow warm air, the glow plugs don't glow as long, i don't have to crank the starter as long, it doesn't feel/sound so rough when cranking or after initial startup.

its all a personal preference thing but i just see way to many positive benefits to pluggin in for 2 or 3 hours than just cranking a freezing cold engine. i don't usually even put my truck in gear until the high idle kicks off so the longer that takes the more fuel im burning as well but i know when it kicks off the oil is good and hot and flowing good i do the same with my 09 focus it has a high idle as well i do the same with it i know if the oil isn't warm and circulating i could be scratching the cylinder walls up and i don't want to do any unnecessary repairs...... i dunno just gives me a piece of mind

 

im running Mobil 1 Fully Synthetic 5W-40 Oil. i have instant 50+ psi cold start oil pressure.
i start it before i load up the truck with tools.so she does kick down off high idle before i leave.i don't start and go that very minute.pretty much around 10 minutes like blue.i don't let it idle to warm up the cab or trans to full op temp or anything,nor often if the idi's t-stat open yet either for that matter.usually takes a couple mins until i see her up to 210-215F.then she cooks me right out.

 

yea thats defiantly the way to go sadly that's out of my budget lol