This will be my first winter in temperatures at freezing and below...with my diesel truck.
(F350 2002 7.3 Diesel Dually)

-When do I plug in the block heater? At what temperature and
for what length of time.

-I am in the Midwest for the winter. Any other suggestions for
operating a Diesel Truck in cold weather?

Thanks a Million!
Ztruck

 

I plug my truck in anything 40* or below. Keep in mind my truck is no where near stock. I bought a timer from Lowes. It is set to come on 3hrs before I leave in the morning and goes off 1hr after I leave. I start my truck, let it run for only a couple minutes unless the windows are frosted. Run it easy till the temps start to come up then your good to go.

 

Congratulations on your new purchase. The ability of the Powerstroke to dig in and pull massive loads will flat out impress you. I will never buy a truck with spark plugs again for as long as I live.
Carry around a bottle of Diesel 911 to pour into the tank in case it gets REALLY cold and the fuel gels. That will stop your truck dead - not good if you are away from home.
IMO plugging in is optional until it simply get's too cold to start. I live in Seattle where it rarely freezes so I don't how cold it has to get before the truck won't start. I'm going to guess -20 before it needs outside help. It will warm up once started, it just takes longer.
I'm guessing it gets well below freezing where you live, so I recommend that you not delete the Intake Air Heater unless you plan on modding the truck for a lot more power. If the previous owner already did it, then it's not a big deal. It preheats the air going into the engine with a heater coil in the Y-pipe. It's very useful for idling in freezing weather.
Keep the Exhaust Back Pressure Valve. It helps the engine warm up faster.
Lot's of guys delete the above two options to give the engine better air flow. I have removed my IAH and kept the EBPV and converted it to be used as an exhaust brake.
I don't know how cold it gets where you live.
If you decide to flush out your coolant, I recommend Shell Rotella ELC (Extended Life Coolant.) It's red in color, is good for 300,000 miles without adding any anti-cavitation protection at all. I think you have the gold coolant which is basically the same. If you have the green stuff then it's different. It has to be babysat, monitored with little test strips and SCA's added periodically.

 

Get a timer an set it to go three or 4 hrs before you use your truck an use your block heater every night. The best investment you can make. At my current electrical rate its costig me $6.00 a month. The best investment you can make. Anything to reduce the warmup rate off the engine means much longer engine life an less wear. You could easily double the life off your engine. Its not going to be getting any warmer from now on so use that heater every night. Good Luck

 

Temps in winter in the DC area get to zero at it's extreme coldest and only for a day or so. Heater not plugged in and it runs just a very small tad bit rough at first.
Average temps about 20-30 with some days 10-15. I have not plugged it in and it just requires about a 1-2 minute idle before driving. Take it easy until the temps start to rise.

 

I plug mine in when I know it is going to frost the next morning. I too have a timer setup to turn on about 2.5 hrs prior to me leaving. I also have a lighted cord on the plug, the heater pulls quite the load and plugging in and out while loaded will produce some spark. Didn't like the spark so I have it turn off maybe 5 minutes prior to me leaving. It usually takes about 5 minutes to defrost the window, that works for me because I absolutely hate scrapping windows.

 

SHould you unplug for the heater before you start your truck?

 

It doesn't really matter, but for safety, I would unplug it. A few people have driven off with it still plugged in. I beleive plugging it in when it gets below freezing reduces the warm up time and reduces that initial cold oil wear and tear on the engine, even though the engine (with good batteries and glow plugs) will start at much colder temperatures. I would recommend a timer set for 2.5 to 3 hours before starting. Anything over 3 hours is probably just a waste of electricity. If you buy a timer, make sure it's rated heavy enough to handle the current draw from the heater. I beleive it's about 1100 watts. And yes it is a good idea to turn the timer off, if it hasn't already turned off, to avoid the "big sparK". Also buy a heavy duty extension cord with 14 gauge wire, not the normal medium duty 16 gauge wire.

 

Let me add to Stroker's post....
The extension cord should be as short as what you need to make it to the truck.
An earlier thread mentions a model number, if you have to have the timer outside, mount it securely under the hood.

 

I couldn't agree more, I use mine every night once we hit the initial 40degree mark and then until it gets above 40 at night. $10 bucks a month versus 10k engine, no brainer. I like the warm oil and instant heat also. Anything that reduces the wear on my baby...

 

One other note - If you own your own home.... (Helps if you are an Electrician as well)

I ran a 20A line from our breaker box to a pole near one side of our driveway and used an industrial timer to turn a 20A outlet on and off. Works great & my extension cord is only about 4ft long so it cuts down on the voltage drop. My buddy has the same setup @ his place in northern MN where it gets REALLY COLD!

DG

 

I drive my truck maybe once or twice a week, is there a device I can use that will turn on and off automatically like for a hour for every 4? Last winter I was using it as my daily driver and it made a huge difference with the engine already being somewhat warm vs. the times I forgot to plug in.

 

Sprintracer26....I bought an 1800 watt timmer at Wally's that you can flip a little tab for each hour...so you could have the timer go off and on in any combination of times you want around the clock!

 

thats the one i got too....works very nice

I plug in anytime it is near freezing...otherwise i have to cycle the glow plugs a couple times.

voltage drop doesnt occur until 200 ft so thats not a big deal to worry about

i would unplug it before you start the truck. i have noticed it doesnt spark (means theres a load)

make sure that outlet outside it GFI protected and waterproof otherwise you might have a shocking morning