So, as any of you guys who have been involved in my other threads probably know, I am a complete nb when it comes to diesel.

So, my question here is. What do you guys do to prep your trucks for winter? Ive got new tires thatll handle the snow no problem. I will be servicing the 4wd in a week or 2 probably (Resealing front diff, probably resealing transfer case, installing new selector motor), and hopefully the hubs that are on it still work. . . But other than that stuff and the tool kits and extra winter clothing; what else should I be doing as far as engine prep? Will I need any fuel additive? Do I need to do anything with the block heater?

Any advice you can offer is greatly appreciated!

 

I make sure that my glow plugs are working. You can plug in your block heater and listen for the sizzling water, you should be able to hear it, if you can't leave it plugged in for a while and check for engine warmth. Also if you have an insufficient extension cord you can feel it for warmth as well. You could also have someone plug it in while you watch your electric meter and see if it takes off when plugged in.

Other than that diesel additive when it gets below 20 is about all I do.

 

I was about to ask this same question, since I am also new to diesels. I would say also if it's a new to you truck, maybe do a coolant change. You never know what the percentage of water is in it.

 

1000w block heater needs at least a 14 gauge extension cord and more than 100 feet you should get a 12 gauge


most stores sell 16 gauge extension cords cheap which are border line for that load and can result in a 10% loss of heat even at 50 feet of cord length

 

Our weather is more temperate here in N.E. Tennessee. We do, however, get some freezing weather for a few days at a time several times a year. When it is below freezing I leave the truck plugged in. That's about it. so far, knock on wood, never a problem other than a driveway this is steeper than crap onto a road that is almost as steep. Since this is not North Dakota, our hill sometimes is not plowed for days, which adds some fun to the equation just trying to leave the house.

Steve

 

I would....

1. change oil to 5w-40
2. check glow plug relay function and install relay led light in cab
3. check resistance of all glow plugs
4. check block heater function
5. load test batteries
6. check fuel filter/drain fuel bowl
7. add fuel additive to remove water from tank

 

How exactly do I tell if the glowplugs are bad? Im starting to sweat this, cuz the previous owner mentioned something about them starting to go out to me. And my truck takes about 7 seconds to turn over. . .

Thats a good idea, Ill see about doing that

Good to know

Yeah, I live out in the middle of nowhere, so we hardly see a plow. Thus the reason for the lift and tires. Havent gotten to test it out in the snow yet.

I do need to do an oil change anyhow, so Ill switch to that for the winter, but I should change back to 530 for warmer weather?

I do want to check over my glow plug system and see how thats going, also wanting to do that LED.

Just had the batteries load tested a week or 2 ago.

New fuel filter

Got 2 bottles of additive.

Now to test glowplug resistance I need a voltmeter correct?


Talked to one of my dads friends that works at the fillin' station that I will use during the winter, they said that they will have winter blend and you dont need to worry about gelling until minus 20 degrees. This guy has been delivering fuel for as long as Ive been alive so I figure he knows what he is talking about. Also said kerosene is the best way to un-gel fuel.

Although I did find a place selling diesel for $2.14 But I dont trust them as far as using the correct blend for the winter. But they are about $0.15 cheaper than everyone else around.

 

On the glow plugs you will need to check ohms and probably means that you need a voltage meter. I never saw one of them that didn't do ohms but be sure that it does. Then you can ohm out the individual plugs through the UVCH, disconnect it at the VCs and ohm out the flat pins on the outside (2 on each end of each VC). Here's a pic I stole from someone on here. It seems like .1-2.0 ohms is the range you are looking for, the lower the better and is best if they all test close to one another.




Edit: Plus, fuel at the station is treated based on current and/or expected temps. My truck is not a daily driver and even though I live in an area where fuel is treated at the station I got caught up in having month old fuel in my truck from fall to winter and I froze up. If you burn your fuel quickly you will be less likely to have a gelling issue but I would recommend using additives when the temps get below freezing. It's pretty aggravating when your truck gels up and there is no warm weather in sight.

 

I would think 5-30 is the wrong oil for summer. For diesel, I'd leave the 5-40 or go to 15-40 in the summer. Just make sure it's diesel rated.

 

If you know someone with a clamp meter, you can just take an amp reading at the battery or off the glow plug relay.

Steve

 

Thats a good thought. I guess Ill have to play it by ear and see how fast Im burning it up during the winter.

I meant to say 15-30 my bad. It is diesel rated rotella.

Like a load tester? How does that work? Clamp the battery then turn the key?

 

That's a REALLY long time to crank

Switch to Rotella T6 synthetic 5w-40w for diesels. It helps starting in winter and tired injectors.

Get your glow plugs fixed up ASAP. These are large engines that require lots of juice to crank and start. Without GPs working properly, expect to be plugged in all the time.

Run WINTER additive in your fuel. I use Power Service in the WHITE bottle in the winter (grey in the summer)




For your GPs, use only Motorcraft (OEM) for about $10 each and replace your UVCH for about $80-$90.

Yeah, $200 and a good afternoon the first time (get help if you can from someone who has pulled valve covers on a Superduty). But you'll skip the first few months of being stuck in the winter, plugging in each night/morning, hoping she'll start, missing trips because she won't

Properly cared for and treated diesel will start in very cold weather without much fanfare.

You really won't regret having that done, but it's possible you might regret NOT doing it.

Oh- and stay away from fuel additives that look like honey. They have ZERO stuff for cold weather. Ask me how I know where they keep long extension cords at the hotel

 

A clamp meter is a high end volt/ohm meter or multimeter that has the ability to read amp draw by just putting the end around the cable when power is going through it. It eliminates the need to put the meter lead in series with the cable you are testing and allows you to test much higher amp draws (a standard meter is often only 10 amps and cheap meters don't allow you to test amp draw at all).

It is high dollar, but the time saved when troubleshooting is really significant and if you like to do your own work on both your camper and your truck, it is an essential. Here is an example of a Fluke like I carry with me, but there are lots of other manufacturers. https://www.zoro.com/fluke-clamp-met...wg/i/G1994688/. A word of warning is to be sure to get a clamp meter that reads both AC and DC amps, AC only are much cheaper. And do not buy a really cheap clamp meter. Sears used to sell one for $49.95 that was awful, so inaccurate it was unusable.

With a clamp meter you could test the amp draw for all the glow plugs at the same time by simply putting the snoot of the meter around one battery lead or the lead off the glow plug relay and turning on the ignition switch and watching the meter. If you know how much load each glow plugs put on the battery just multiple that number by the number of glow plugs and you should see it on the meter.

Testing things like brake controllers, charging systems, relays, etc. becomes really fast and easy so you quickly become the envy of all your friends.

Steve

 

Yeah it will sometimes crank over in 3 seconds, or as much as 10. Ive had the valve covers off to do the UVCH, which ended up being an issue outside of the valve covers. . .

Ill have to look into getting that, so it just clamps on the wires?


Dodged a bullet the other morning, 36 degrees out and I have summer blend, blew a little white but cleared after 2 seconds. I need to burn the rest of the tank so I can switch over to winter blend. Supposed to get down to 31 degrees on Saturday

 

The jaws open up and you just put the jaws around one wire. For example, if you want to know whether the glow plugs are working, just put the jaws around the lead to the glow plugs off the glow plug relay and you have the total right there. Takes about five seconds and beats having to ohm the plugs, which you can still do if the total is off. You can do the same any time you want to know how much power is flowing through a lead in "amps".

Lots of folks like to work with volts because the meters are cheap or even a test light which limits what you know about what is happening in a circuit. Since the meter also reads volts and ohms using conventional probes, you have it all right there in one meter.

Steve