Good people,

2006 F250, Strokin 6.0 here...I had a question about the idle time. Just to preface this, I am new to diesel engines, so I am learning more and more each day. I have read on this form that you shouldnt let the engine idle too long. But in the manual, it says that if you have been running the engine for a long time you should let it idle like 5mins or something before turning it off.

1. How long is "too long" as far as idling before you start to do damage??

2. Say for instance I am on a road trip and I pull into a rest stop off the side of the interstate. I could have been riding for hours so the engine would be "turbocharged"...would it be best to leave the engine running while I go walk around or whatever, or can you go ahead and turn it off?

3. Also, how long is good to let the engine "warm up" in the morning? On some people with older diesels they used to run them for a LONG time before taking off. In the manual it only says let it run for about 15 seconds then you can take off? Any thoughts on that?

Just a little confused about the whole idle thing is someone could clarify a little for me, lol....thanks!

Cheers

 

Over idling causes something called "wet stacking", this is usually caused by motors idling more than 15 to 20 mins or so i've read.
A good idea for motors over idling is to make a "high idle mod" on your truck that is noted on the first page of this forum under the "Tech Folder" heading.

Its a good idea to idle your truck for 1-5 mins or so before gettin goin to warm up the oil etc.
Gettin off the interstate and doin a truck check or such let your truck idle for 5 mins or so, this lets the turbo cool down. If you don't let it cool down turbo's are known to FRY the oil sitting inside and cause a baking of the oil to some surfaces inside.

There are company's like Greddy and such that sell turbo timers that let the vehicle stay running for a selected time to let the turbo cool off. My Compustar alarm has this feature.

 

Fallguy has it covered. I would just add, don't over think this thing. You are not going to do damage if you have to idle for 10 minutes for some legit reason. But it is better if you don't. There is rarely any reason for leaving it run at a rest stop. But if your bladder can't wait 5 minutes for cooldown, letting it idle for 5 won't hurt a thing.

On the other side of the coin, you don't need 5 minutes for cooldown. It's best if you have an EGT gauge to judge temp, but usually by the time you exit the interstate, cruise around the ramp and find a parking spot, you will be pretty cool. If you don't have a gauge, another minute to be safe should be fine. I've confirmed this with my EGT gauge.

Just don't be like the old timers that learned to let their diesel idle for an hour while they had dinner. There was once a reason for that, but not on any Powerstroke. For some, old habits die hard.

 

There is absolutely no need to idle 5 minutes after starting. I routinely drive off after cold starts in the -20F range (truck cold-soaked for 6 or more hours - no block heater) after a couple of minute or less. Of course, I'm running 5w-40 synthetic and I drive off slowly. If you have 15w-40 conventional oil in your engine on a -20F start, good luck.

Since you have a 2006 PSD, you can hook up the factory BCP or SEIC circuits. You can find the instruction for these up idles on this website. With the truck in Park and the parking brake engaged, the Battery Charge Protect circuit will up- idle to 1,200 RPM to prevent wet stacking. It helps keep the cab warm or cool and allows you to operate a power inverter for your lap top while stationary. If the computer sees low battery voltage, the BCP can ramp up the idle all the way to 2,400 RPM to charge your batteries.

The Stationary Elevated Idle Circuit raises the idle to a fixed 1,200 RPM for powering things like generators, water pumps, etc.

Unless you power equipment with your truck in the back 40, hook up the BCP circuit.

for 2005 Powerstrokes, BCP and SEIC aren't really "modifications" as they are programmed into the factory engine management software and already prewired. All you have to do is locate the correct wire underneath the steering column and hook it to a toggle switch.

 

Thanks a lot guys, this def shed a little more light on the situation for me. I am not very technical, but I will see what I can do about hooking up those circuits you mentioned. I am not one looking for extended idle time really (gas too high!)...the most I do is keeping warm (or cool) while waiting on someone to come out of a store or something like that...so I am not too sure if those mods are something that I really need to do.

Fallguy, I am definitely in the market for an alarm. I looked up information on the compustar website, they have some good stuff! Does your alarm have remote start? If so, does it work well with the glowplugs in letting them warm up after a cold start and what not?

Cheers,

 

I always up idle. Even in fast food drive throughs.

By the way, a 1,200 RPM up idle burns about .74 gallons per hour.

 

I let mine idle before I turn it off and before I start it. It is rare for me to let it idle more than 15 min. most common is 5-10, I dont turn it off when I fill up, or go to a store for something quick I will lock it and let it idle.

 

Wow, It can idle for an hour and not even burn a gallon of gas??

Sheesh, thats not bad! I was looking over the instructions for setting up the high idle, I do not believe my truck has those "upfitter" switches! Does this mean I pretty much would need to have a set of switches put in there?

 

Wow, It can idle for an hour and not even burn a gallon of gas??

Sheesh, thats not bad! I was looking over the instructions for setting up the high idle, I do not believe my truck has those "upfitter" switches! Does this mean I pretty much would need to have a set of switches put in there?

 

You don't have to have those switches, but they are easy to add if you want. Here is a writeup I did on the install:
Installing Upfitter Switches - Ford 2005-2007 Superduty

But you can use any switch you wish for the high idle.

 

There was a thread where the guy hooked the wire up to his park brake switch. That way he didn't need a added switch. And he wouldn't forget to take it off before he left.

 

Watch. Some guy will post his 6.0 up idles at .23 gallons per hour!

 

Gene I let mine idle for hours on end at work. Some days are 10 hrs of idle time. While I wouldn't recomend this to anyone I haven't seen any issues to date. I have the high idle mod on mine and use it a few times during the day. I think the bottom line for the ideling issue is 10- 15 isn't going to do any harm. It just burns a little more fuel.

Just my .02

Mud

 

Whats better for these trucks: lots of idle time or multiple starts in a day? During construction season, I am in and out of my truck A LOT during the day. I may be out of my truck for 30 seconds or 30 minutes, I never know how long its going to be. Sometimes when I mean to get out for only 30 seconds it might turn into an hour.

So, should I be shutting my truck down everytime I get out or should I let it idle? FYI, most of my driving is around construction sites which means I don't get to get on it until I leave to go home at the end of the day.

 

If it were me, I would shut it down if I had to walk away from it. If I didn't have to walk away, I would shut it down after a couple of minutes.

IMO it is better to start it than to idle it.