We have a fleet of 6.7 trucks at work, and they have very high idle hours. For the most part the DPF’s haven’t been a problem. Idling isn’t great, but it’s a fact of life and one shouldn’t be afraid of it. If so, get a gas engine and idle it all day. Either way, change the oil ahead of normal schedule. You can get dual batteries / alternators even on the gas V8’s now.

 

I have been researching idle times for diesels, as I have a 26 HO also. Most mechanics say long idle times are not good for diesels, but in cold weather, below 32 F, you should let it idle 5-10 minutes. I have noticed the transmission takes the longest to warm up when driving in colder weather. Opinions vary on all of this. I think as long as you get it on the road at least once a week, for a long drive you will be ok.

 

I have the engine block heater on mine. If temps are going to hit freezing I plug it in, in which case crank it after you get in the truck, and drive. No need to idle at all. If not, I may crank my truck with the fob while slipping my boots on to walk out but that’s it… so maybe a minute or 2 at very longest. Transmission does take the longest to get to temp, especially since mine has a deep trans pan but if you wait to let that heat up by idling it will take a looooong time! In my opinion, in cold weather, about a minute or less of idling is best. Just give the fluids time to circulate a bit and then start driving. I wouldn’t suggest driving it hard for a few minutes and let temps come up slowly.

Idling on these trucks is just not good. They aren’t the diesels of old that could breathe freely. If you have to idle for some reason, install a high idle switch, but still, less is best! If you are doing a lot of idling it’s also my opinion that you should keep an eye on your DPF and monitor when that is active, and let it complete when it does.

But, this is coming from someone that wants to keep my truck for as long as possible. If it’s a truck that’s just going to get traded in next year… well it won’t matter for you.