Hi, I have just purchased a 2004 F250 PSD and have a few questions. I'm from just around Toronto. Ontario Canada. So you have feel for the weather here in answering some of the questions. I'm just needing some general/ practical advice/experience here.

1. When starting the engine cold in the summer how long do let it warm up. I have been letting it warm up for about 4 minutes/one song on the radio?

2.Same question but in the winter. ( minus 18 degrees C)

3. If you have parked for a a few hours do you glow plug again or if the engine is still warm it is not needed.

4. I know you need to use the block heater in the winter, but does anyone use battery warmers? Do you heat both? How do split the power load? Do you use power saver cords?

5. When you come off the highway to park do you allow the turbo to cool down by idling it prior to turning the engine off? If so how long?

Thanks for you time and advice

Glenn

 

Congrats on the new truck Glenn1. I'll try to answer what I can. I'm sure others will add in.

1) 2-4 minutes should be fine as long as you're not hitting the freeway right away.

2) 5-10 minutes, and then go slowly until temp. gauge starts moving. If you have real gauges, maybe someone can say what temp is actually required.

3) You should always wait until the glow plug light goes off before starting it.

4) Some folks up north use battery heaters, and more.

5) When I come off the freeway I try to make sure I stay under 1600 rpm's for at least 5 minutes. Again those with gauges can say how long is long enough depending on rpm's you've been running, towing, and how long it takes for the egt to be low enough.

 

i'm also new to 6.0(5/04)

stay w/ the site and these folks will help you in any way they can!!!!!

i find by using the search option here, that i had most of my questions answered without posting, however, if you can not find just ask.

you while find yourself smiling everday you turn the key!!!!

 

I don't think I can answer ONE of those question.... since I'm in Texus and it doesn;t quite get as cool down here :-)

but I can say...
1) I just start and drive.... and have for over 30K fun miles... (but I do go easy at first)

2) I would move further south or not go out :-)

3) These engines are BIG blocks of stell and retain heat a very long time once warm...
just turn key to warm glow plugs once... once the light goes off - crank it and go:-)

4) Man, I'm glad I don't have to worry about that :-)

5) you shouldn't have to worry too much about extensive idling to cool down your turbo if it's THAT cool up there ! and even here, I just know that a few minutes of around town driving before coming home and shuttig down is fine...
BUT - on long trips - when stopping for a snack - or wife potty break - or fuel...
I DO let it idle for a while.... in fact, I'll let it coast off the interstate to cool down because I typically run VERY hard on long trips...

good luck... and mine has been STOUT - especially post Predator...

 

C'mon guys, help a noob out.

Glenn, I know Twin Tritons has gone the battery warming thing. Try searching for some posts from him.

 

Ahhh, I was bored. Glenn, this thread should answer your cold questions.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=245577

 

Hi, thanks for the advice. I will search for the post on the battery warmers



Glenn

 

I like the key-pad door lock. I can run to the store, hop out and lock the truck, leaving it run. Also when beating the truck to the firehouse for a call, i can do the same, just let her sit and idle for a bit. I am STILL looking for a remote engine start with a time sensitive shut down? Just asking....


Gary

 

Glenn, I would love to help, but here if it drops from 100 to 95, the weather guessers call it a "cold front".

 

Glenn1, Great questions and you certainly have received some good answers. Thus, I will only chime in about the block & battery heaters. As a native Minnesotan and now living in northern Utah, I've seen more than my share of cold (below zero) winter temps. Using the engine block heater is the single most effective method. Also, using a fuel additive specifically designed for cold weather is good insurance. I've had my 03 F250 since Feb 26, 2003 through a lot of cold with no weather issues. Good luck.

 

We have a number of Alaska guys that hang out with us....if you would like I can change the name of your post and see if we can draw a few into the conversation.

 

Hi, yes Tim change the name of the post to have more peoplepost.

Thanks

Glenn

 

Done. lets see if this helps

 

Glenn1-

I'm located in the southern pandhandle of Alaska. While we do not see the "extreme" temps the Alaskan interior experiences, we Southeasterners so get our fair share of high temps in the single digits and teens. So I'll throw my two cents in about cold temps. Twin Tritons can help if you really want to know about sub zero temps!

Cold winter starting without block heater- Wait for the glow plug light to turn off, if it is really cold (teens) I like to cycle the plugs two or three times before starting (i.e. wait for the light to disappear, turn the key off and repeat). After the engine is started, let it warm up for a couple of minutes to get the oil ciruclating. No need to let it idle to long, as wet stacking can occur (Ford has installed the high idle feature to allievate this). I do agree with huntercgr - Just take it easy until the engine has reached full operating temps.

The block heater is your best friend, warm air flowing from the heater vents within a mile! I'm a new owner of the 6.0 (previously owned a duramax and other diesels). I've started my dmax, and 7.3PSD, in sub-zero temps without the block heater, with 15W-40 oil to boot! They don't like it - but any of the new generation diesels should not be a problem. You should consider switching to 10W-30 in the winter, the lower viscosity does help with oil flow issues, and really is critical with the HEUI injection system on the 6.0. I just did my first oil change, and switched to Delo 15W-40, but probably will switch to Delo 10-30 when the temps go south.

I believe the block heater is sufficent for most condtions except the most extreme. If you are really concerned, wrapping the batteries/and or use of battery heaters help, and you can even install a block heating unit that uses diesel fuel from the tank to heat the engine (the advantage being it works anywhere, as you don't need electricty). I work in the undergound mining industry, and we do have some of these units installed our some of larger diesel equipment (surface operations), and they work extremely well.

Hope this helps! let me know if you have any more questions.

 

Glenn1,

Here in Alaska, I definately see cold weather (-50F) with my trucks, so I hope my experience can help you.

These trucks don't warm up very fast at normal idle or even the "high" idle (about 1050-1100 rpms) when the temps are very cold. The engine gets warm enough to drive without damage to the engine in 5-10 minutes, but you will not get the coolant warm enough to defrost the windows or make the cab very comfy. I would recommend a Auxillary Idle Control (AIC) to allow you to run the engine at a higher idle to build more heat. I usually start the truck and allow it to run at the lower idle for a few minutes before I set it to the high idle setting (1750 rpm). The -18ºC (0ºF) you mentioned is not really that cold, so you may not need the AIC, but may have to idle longer. The AIC is about $800-$1000 if you did not purchase it originally with the truck, BTW it was only about a $175 option if ordered at purchase.

Ford states that the glow plugs will start the engine fine to -10ºF, but I always plug in the engine block heater when colder than 20ºF. Yes, it will start with the glow plugs only at even colder than -10ºF, but I like to do every little bit to prevent unnecessary wear/strain on my vehicles. I also use oil pan (engine and transmission) heaters and battery heaters. The battery heaters are cheap insurance to maintain your batteries. A warm battery will offer more cranking power and a low charge battery will freeze and crack the internal plates. The batteries for our trucks are about $100 a piece and you would need two of them. I ran the factory battery with a battery warmer plate/blanket in my 1997 truck for 6 years until I sold it last year without any problems. All these are plugged into a distribution box with only one cord out of the front of the truck to plug in. I like to run synthetic oils in my truck for the lower pour point when cold. This allows the oil to flow better on cold starts, lubricating the moving parts, and hopefully causing less wear. I am still breaking in my engine (5,300 miles) and will switch to synthetic at 10,000 or when the weather gets below freezing here.

Cold weather and the 6.0 was discussed in another post here recently, here is a link to the post https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=245577

Please feel free to ask me more questions also.