Hello all, I am getting ready to pull the trigger on a '22 6.7 Lariat. And, living in upstate NY, we get really cold, snowy, cold winters. My garage is not big enough to fit the super duty in, so it would be parked outside in my driveway. Now, in the interest in full transparency, I do not need a diesel. I do not tow anything. However, as I have mentioned in another thread, I manage 5 plants throughout the Northeast to include NY and Maine. Therefore, I burn up the roads and easily put 30k+ miles on my truck a year. Admittedly, I am worried about the cold weather as I have never owned a diesel. A friend has a '21 Duramax and his truck went into limp mode this past winter because he didn't have the grill cover on while driving on the interstate during cold weather. I don't know if the 6.7 has that type of issue, but I am worried about it not starting or causing me issues during the LONGGGG cold winters we have here. Can you all please educate me and put my mind at ease, if indeed I am worrying about an issue that isn't an issue? I know that I can "plug in" if needed, but that seems inconvenient as again it would be parked outside. Thanks ahead of time.

 

I took my 2011 up to North Dakota during 2011 winter. Run a fuel additive ( antigel ) anytime temps are single digit or colder.
I never plugged in because that truck didn't come with the engine block heater, And it sat outside on a lot of -25° nights. and I would usually hit the remote start and hear it fire up.
But at those temps I could drive 60 miles at 60 mph and never get the cab warm. Truck ran just fine, just couldn't get warm inside the truck. So a radiator cover would have helped there.

 

cold cuases condensation....fuel tanks are prone to accumatale water....so you need some type of water additive....some folks use emulsifers...some de-emulsifiers

anti gel additive is needed to prevent fuel jelling

you should always use a fuel lube additive

some brands offer seasonal packages of their additives

oil weight needs to be mentioned...you cant use 15W40 at or below 20 degrees

snow accumulate quickly in an uncovered bed..get a cover that can withstand snow weight

todays paint is water based...dosnt do well in ice and snow...keep the paint waxed

winter de-ice in washer fluid

 

The coldest I've started my F-350 is -8° F. Started fine. I was in the mountains camping so there was no possibility of plugging in. I had used an anti-gel additive and wasn't worried about the fuel.

I have the rapid supplemental heat option on mine, so I get a bit of heat long before the engine is warm enough to provide any.

 

I use the ford approved anti gel in the really cold part of the year.

Carry a spare set of fuel filters on board. Learn how to change them before you need to change them.

Hopefully yours will come with the supplemental heater, helps a little.

Heated seats are where its at. Those produce heat in a matter of minutes so you can drive pretty comfortably.

Never had a problem starting without plugging in. Although if you have it, might as well use it.

 

The truck will have no problems starting in subzero temps down to -30 or so. However, it will start easier if you plug it in when temps drop below zero.
I plug mine in anytime temps get below freezing. Mainly because the engine temp is warm enough that I no longer have to scrape frost/ice off the windshield. Remote start, let it run defrost for a minute or two and I'm on my way.

 

I live in WNY. So you are going to get colder as you live in higher altitude than I and are further north. They have been times that I have not plugged in when it got fairly cold here. Truck always started. IMO, it's not that the engine won't start when cold, modern diesels start way easier in the cold than older engines, plugging it in keeps the oil and block warm so the cold start is easier on the engine than if it was a cold start. The heat gets the engine up to operating temps quicker in winter and so you have heat in the cab faster. Putting on a grill cover, partial or full, lets the engine get as hot as it does in warm weather. I don't have experience with that as I have not had problems here as it when it gets really cold (not often), it only gets down to -5 to -10 or so. I don't see temps as cold as you. If it gets below that in upstate and often, you would probably benefit from a grill cover. You want to be cheap, you could use cardboard pieces with little bungi cords to keep it secured. Paint it black so it blends in. Or buy a legit one.

I've used K100D+ religiously since the truck was new...

Lots of different opinions here on additives. I use mine year round. Diesel is a much wetter fuel due to the hydro treating that is done to it to remove much of the sulfur due to the new EPA regs for ULSD fuel. I use double the dose for winter time. Do your own research on them.

I use it as a lubricity agent, cleaner, anti-gel and to deal with moisture. If you use an anti-gel religiously during winter, you should not have any problems. But you know what Mr. Murphy says... "Schit happens." Having an extra set of filters is a good idea.

If it gets down below zero where you are at, plug it in. It will get heat to the cab quicker. And keep engine wear to the minimum.

I bought my truck not needing a diesel. I WANTED a diesel. With said, maintenance costs more but is worth it because of the smile it will put on your face when you drive it. It does to me still to this day.

I didn't know anything about the emissions of these trucks but I do now. I am fortunate that my daily driving routine has me climbing the hills south of Buffalo to work 18 miles one way. The geographical area I live and how i drive my truck keeps regens out to 500 miles or a little less. As long as you have some mountains to climb, high speed driving and don't let the truck idle a ton, you should be good with the emissions.

Any other questions or concerns, let me know.

 

I’m not too impressed with my 20 cold starting, has to be plugged in when it’s really cold. It didn’t start for me a couple times last winter if not plugged in. My 11 was very impressive in the cold.

 

personally i only plug in when temps are below 0, and i have it on a timer so it starts about 20 minutes before i need to leave. Even on mornings when you need to rush plugging in for 10-15 minutes will help get everything warm. I think somewhere on here there is a post about how quickly the engine heater brings the temps up to about 100* in like 10 min? Someone can correct me, but you dont need it to be running all night.

 

I doubt you'll have any issues with cold that can't be over come with a little thinking ahead.

Economic benefit of a new diesel light duty pickup are hard to figure though...if that's the reason you're looking at a light duty pickup with diesel. More miles between fill ups is about all you gain.

 

Anybody have a part number for a block heater for a 2019? Thanks

 

Correct. The heater reaches max temp in about 3 hours. Running it all night is a waste of money. Mine is on a timer as well but I set it for 4 hours as my work start time can fluctuate an hour or two early.

 

Since you'll be parking outside, block heaters on a timer are sometimes nice to make clearing the windows of ice/snow easier and faster.

 

If you have the room I would recommend putting in a carport to park your truck under and then install a plug to plug your block heater into.

 

Is that what you use to keep your truck warm down south in Texas?

(I thought I recall you saying you're in TX)