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Cold weather operation is why I switched from a Dodge to the Ford. -40 is where Celsius and Fahrenheit meet and it’s not uncommon in my region of Canada to see that. I simply plug the truck in for minimum 3 hrs before I start it, hit the command start, cringe a little at the clanking noise it makes for the first 4 seconds of run time, let it run for 15min,
hop in and go. The dodge on the other hand was terrible at warming up. I had to hit the command start, bundle up to go outside to set the high idle to 1500rpms using the cruise control buttons, make sure I had my heater fan at exactly 3/4 speed and let it run for 30min before even trying to sit my *** down on frozen seats. Would never reach close to operating temperature unless I drove it for 20kms. So happy with how the Ford warms up. That was worth the switch right there.
Expect all your vehicles to snap/crackle/pop when you move them in that kind of cold. Been there, done that.
Check battery connections for cleanliness, cold kills batteries and it takes but a few minutes for hypothermia to set in and kill if stranded, even when not far from home.
Cold weather operation is why I switched from a Dodge to the Ford. -40 is where Celsius and Fahrenheit meet and it’s not uncommon in my region of Canada to see that. I simply plug the truck in for minimum 3 hrs before I start it, hit the command start, cringe a little at the clanking noise it makes for the first 4 seconds of run time, let it run for 15min,
hop in and go. The dodge on the other hand was terrible at warming up. I had to hit the command start, bundle up to go outside to set the high idle to 1500rpms using the cruise control buttons, make sure I had my heater fan at exactly 3/4 speed and let it run for 30min before even trying to sit my *** down on frozen seats. Would never reach close to operating temperature unless I drove it for 20kms. So happy with how the Ford warms up. That was worth the switch right there.
What year Dodge? The Rams will high-idle on their own under about 35*F
What year Dodge? The Rams will high-idle on their own under about 35*F
I had a 2012. The ram does have an automatic high idle that will go up to around 1100rpms. That was not high eneough to warm the vehicle. The manual high idle using the cruise control buttons rose the rpms to around 1500rpms. One weird thing to is hot weather, the ram engages the automatic high idle to keep the air conditioning blowing cold (if you idle your truck for longer periods of time)
Yeah, I thought about that after I recorded the video, but figured what the heck, I’d post it anyway and look like an idiot on YouTube 😜. Thanks though! Still wish there was a dash light for it. With all the gizmos and electronics on these things, that would be a very simple addition.
Yeah, I thought about that after I recorded the video, but figured what the heck, I’d post it anyway and look like an idiot on YouTube 😜. Thanks though! Still wish there was a dash light for it. With all the gizmos and electronics on these things, that would be a very simple addition.
Im in the same boat as you as I travel a lot for work. I’ve had the little lights in the extension cord fail multiple times so all I do now is unplug the block heater cord to make sure there is a spark. No spark, no power.
-25 here the last two days, yesterday I got a "warm up" message and around a min countdown on the dash, never saw that before ..
also getting the low fuel pressure warning and it feels like it is gelling up a bit as it is starving for power, I am hoping that when it warms up the next few days that it will suck the filters clean again
I seen some where that you are suppose to unplug heater before starting is that true?
No, you don't need to unplug it before starting - I use autostart everyday from the office window, while the truck is plugged in. If anything, it'll help things warm up more and keep the transmission (up here most folks also have a pan heater on the transmission) warm until you're underway. Just remember to unplug and stash the extension cord before taking off.
These trucks perform very well in the cold, especially when properly maintained and taken care of. My 6.2L Super Duty performs amazingly well in the frigid temps. I specifically went with a gas engine because I didn't want the PITA of a diesel in frigid cold. My truck warms up quickly and never fails to start. We've done cold weather camping (boondocking) such that it sat overnight at below zero temps and started right up the next day (w/o being plugged in). I run full synthetic year-round and have it changed out every 5,000 miles. Most of you guys in the lower 48 only have to worry about these temps for about a week, so I wouldn't be too stressed. If you have a block heater, plug your truck in when it's parked outside and you should be good to go.
For extreme cold weather operation, many wholesale fuel suppliers will carry an "arctic blend" which is about 70% No.2 and 30% No. 1. Works real well along with a cold weather additive. You can also cut diesel fuel with kerosene, I believe the same ratio 70/30. But I would recommend using a lubricity additive when doing this as kerosene does not have much lubricity. We used to run our diesel equipment (years back) when we performed snow removal at the airports on Jet "A" which is a bit more refined kerosene. But those were old unit injector type fuel systems, you could run almost anything through there and they ran. These new common rail systems are less tolerant to fuel issues.One good thing is it would never gel or freeze. If you have a block heater, use it-but these new powerstrokes will start in pretty cold temps without them. I guess they have some "superheat" glow plugs.
For extreme cold weather operation, many wholesale fuel suppliers will carry an "arctic blend" which is about 70% No.2 and 30% No. 1. Works real well along with a cold weather additive. You can also cut diesel fuel with kerosene, I believe the same ratio 70/30. But I would recommend using a lubricity additive when doing this as kerosene does not have much lubricity. We used to run our diesel equipment (years back) when we performed snow removal at the airports on Jet "A" which is a bit more refined kerosene. But those were old unit injector type fuel systems, you could run almost anything through there and they ran. These new common rail systems are less tolerant to fuel issues.One good thing is it would never gel or freeze. If you have a block heater, use it-but these new powerstrokes will start in pretty cold temps without them. I guess they have some "superheat" glow plugs.
I have tanks on the ranch with 50/50 #1 and #2 diesel blend for the winter and even that was "slow" during the 20-30 below temps. I usually put additive in as well when it gets really harsh.
