I will be traveling to Colorado in the next couple of weeks and have not yet been in really cold weather with my truck. I'm looking for any advice on how to take care of my diesel engine in these extremely cold temps that I may be in.

I have used some Standyne Performance additive in the past. Can you add a fuel additive to diesel #1 or is it necessary? Are there any issues for battery maintenance?

Many questions... any input is appreciated.

Thanks,

 

Bertrbr, you don't say where you are or what year truck you have. I am in Cincinnati Ohio with a 95 two wheel drive 5 speed and have not yet taken any precautions for the cold other than plugging the engine block heater in one night that got to minus 4 degrees.

What you might do -

Use a decent anti-gel additive at the recommended dosage, available at truck stops. Local fuel will be blended for the area it is delivered so fuel you buy there should be fine.

Get some kind of cardboard or such to block off some of the radiator if you need to.

Keep fuel in both tanks at no less than half a tank. Reduces condensation and leaves you a good margin of safety if you get stuck somewhere.

Carry a few things with you like jumper cables, a spare Cam Position Sensor, a spare fuel filter or two (in case you get some water or ice in the fuel, filters are not readily available sometimes). Don't forget spare fuses and tools to do anything you may need to do.

Tire chains if you are of a mind to. I don't have mine yet, still looking for a local supplier. It is not really high on my priority list.

Carry a blanket for each person just in case.

Keep some drinks of some sort and road snacks with you as well (I remember as a kid blowing a tire on a boat trailer and we had to stay with the boat while Dad went for a replacement tire. They were not easy to find in the sixties, he was gone for 5-6 hours or so and we kids drove Mom nuts).

I will come back and post any more thoughts if they occur.

Have a great trip.

Dave / Believer45

 

When waiting for the wait to start light, wait another 20 seconds after it goes off, your gloplugs are still heating up the cylender. Makes for really easy starting. I second the anti-gel, we got a bad tank of fuel from the local sperm and split ( kum and go ) last week, the 3 dollar bottle is worth it.

 

bertrbr,

I live in Colorado and have a 99 Powerstroke. Honestly I don't do anything. I put diesel in it and drive. Occasionally I will put additive in, but my truck will sit for weeks on end and will start without being plugged in. Our weather calls for snow over the next couple weeks but nothing over a few inches in the eastern half of the state and possibly a foot or so at high altitude temps can range from 45 degrees down to 20 below depending on the area. They do a pretty good job on keeping the highways clear. They sell a #2 blend diesel around here just make sure you get your fuel from truck stops as they are the ones who carefully blend there fuel with the necessary additive, some of the smaller stations don't watch there diesel and you can easily get bad diesel. Carry an extension cord with you so you can plug her in if the temp gets much below freezing. Cold weather does put a strain on the batteries so make sure they are in good shape. When you first start her let it warm up for 10 minutes or so then take it easy for the first few miles to give the oil time to warm up. You may here some funny noises but they will go away when she gets warm. Were in Colorado are you going? If you have trouble you can get on the local Colorado Powerstroke club website at http://www.coloradopowerstrokeclub.com we're located all over the state and most of us would be willing to help out any fellow Powerstroke owner.

 

Sounds like good advice, what is the purpose of carrying a spare cam position sensor, I'm not sure what that is

 

The Cam Position Sensor tells the engine computer the exact position of the crankshaft and camshaft so it can time the injectors and such. It sometimes fails without any warning and when it does the engine will just shut down and sometimes restart, sometimes not. Some folks who like to be prepared for the worst will carry a spare on trucks with a few miles on them (100,000 plus). It is not an uncommon failure, however I do not carry a spare. It was just a suggestion for those who like to be prepared.

It is kind of like the tire chains - "just in case".

Dave / Believer45