Idle?
Freshman User
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 27
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Generally i will let my 05 f250 psd idle about 5 min in the morning. currently the temp in nj for the morning has been around 40 degrees. if it sits for about 2 days without running ill have it idle about 10 min. i try not to let the truck idle too much cause it appears the psd's are very sensitive and this prolonged idle time is one of many reasons the egr is getting fouled. so i would also like to know what is "prolonged idle time" if i let it idle about 5 min in the morning i take it really easy till it reaches operating temps. in the dead of winter when i first got the truck i would let it idle about 20-30 min at a clip and i think as long as you get the 15qts. of oil going your fine till it reaches operating temps. hope this helps
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2004
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My daily rig is an F550 with the 'Stroke six speed combo. With a push of a button it starts at 6:30 a.m. I'm in it at 7:00 and sometimes I make it to the job site by 7:45. Most days It will sit and idle as I work on a machine. If it's lucky it'll get to rev to 1200 rpm if I engage the PTO to run the hydraulics or air compressor. Most days I jump back in it to head to the house at 5 P.M. So that's roughly 10 hours a day five days a week for nearly 2 years now. My hour meter reads 4328 hours. It only has 27500 miles on it. That equates to about 6 and a half miles per hour! So without a doubt The 6.0 will Idle for prolonged periods of time. To boot my 550 is an June '03 model and had yet to see the inside of the shop at the Ford dealer. 
Elder User
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 797
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From: Wickenburg, AZ
I usually give a cold engine about 5 minutes and allow for a turbo cooldown of 2-5 minutes. After that, I try and be gentle with it until I see the gauge come up.
I'm mostly running on the open road when I have the PSD out, so the motor usually runs solid for half the day. I usually do big trips two-up, and in those cases we only shut it off for fueling and meals. If mine is going to idle for a long time, it means I fell asleep while the turbo was cooling down.
I'm mostly running on the open road when I have the PSD out, so the motor usually runs solid for half the day. I usually do big trips two-up, and in those cases we only shut it off for fueling and meals. If mine is going to idle for a long time, it means I fell asleep while the turbo was cooling down.
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,532
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From: Valdez, Alaska
I would venture to guess that "Prolong Idle" would be greater than say an hour or more. Of course that is a guess on my part. What you are going to hear and there are a lot of threads on this, wetstacking. Up here I have seen vehicle idle for months. Yep months with out the wetstacking occuring. That was the 7.3's so I cant personally say anything about the 6.0 for that time period. I have let mine idle for 4-6 hours without an issue. Common time for me is 1-2 hours during the winter while shopping or visiting friends but our winters are a little different from down south. 10 inches of snow since this morning, couple of feet on the pass today and we still are getting subzero temps with winds of over 100 mph.
From what I have read here if you do have a prolong period of idle time go out and work the motor to burn any possible excessive fuel that might be there.
From what I have read here if you do have a prolong period of idle time go out and work the motor to burn any possible excessive fuel that might be there.
Last edited by mlb4966; Apr 22, 2005 at 08:07 PM. Reason: spelling
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Elder User
Joined: Sep 2004
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From: Nashville
Ford's official description of frequent or extended idling is anything "over 10 minutes per hour of normal driving." Of course, you have to know what "normal driving" is for that to mean anything. I would say it varies widely depending on overall circumstances, as 04F250CC60's experience demonstrates.
WWBeast, you should let the turbo cool off with 7-10 minutes idling after extended runs or heavy towing, but like the extended idling rule, it all just depends on the overall picture.
If you do have to idle extensively, just change the oil more often and push the go pedal down to "blow it out" every once in a while to clean out the EGR valve.
WWBeast, you should let the turbo cool off with 7-10 minutes idling after extended runs or heavy towing, but like the extended idling rule, it all just depends on the overall picture.
If you do have to idle extensively, just change the oil more often and push the go pedal down to "blow it out" every once in a while to clean out the EGR valve.
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Elder User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 821
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From: Nashville
The turbo uses engine oil to lube the shaft bearings, which get hot as Hades when the turbo sees heavy action. If you shut down while the turbo is hot, the oil on the bearings and shaft burns and eventually coats them with carbon and shellac. (Carbon and shellac are not good things for bearings. 
)
Next time you're at your service dept, ask them why the manual specifically says to let a hot turbo cool off before shutting down if it's nothing to worry about. Might be time to find another service dept.
)Next time you're at your service dept, ask them why the manual specifically says to let a hot turbo cool off before shutting down if it's nothing to worry about. Might be time to find another service dept.
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