I took this quote from the Super Duty and Heavy Duty section. Just figured this was a better place to start the discussion.

My 06 F-350 Diesel CC is my first Diesel. So I'm still wading thru the information and of course, finding out that like Coke/Pepsi... SO much is just personal preference...

But now I hear conflicting things about warming up a Diesel.

I've heard from a number of off-board sources that Diesel's won't warm up much just sitting at idle. Best just to drive it.

I've also read on this board that letting our 6.0's idle for 15-20 minutes is a sure way to clog up your EGR and that you shouldn't let your truck idle for that long.

While I suppose its safe to assume that HARD driving with a cold engine isn't a great idea.

Is there an objective answer to the questions of how long to let your engine warm up? Or is it all just opinions and personal preference?

In cold, I typically start the engine, let it idle for 30 seconds and go. Not driving 'hard' until the engine warms up, but not driving like a grandma either.

 

i usually give mine about 5 minutes if i can, but if i dont have time i at least give it a 30 second count so it can at least get oil to everything

 

It doesn't get that cold in San Diego so my "cold" experience won't be the same as some one in Omaha where I grew up. I start the truck, give it 30 seconds or so just like superfast6.0 so that oil has had a chance to get everywhere in the motor, and then clank out the driveway and more or less idle my way out of the neighborhood.

I then pull out on to a secondary road where I decline a 450' or so tall hill and by the bottom I figure the truck is ready for me to start feeding in more throttle. I only work 4 miles away from home so the truck never really gets warmed up on the trip to work.

I do give it a good spank every now and then on Interstate on ramps to help clean things out. That and towing the Trailer up some of the SoCal hills will further burn up any gunk left over

 

I live in Edgewood NM where the mornings here in the winter are 10 degrees or so and I let my truck warm up for about 3-5 min. The truck WILL NOT warm up at idle in that cold. Take it easy on a cold engine and get the turbo's going gently at cold and it will warm up nice and slow. I also have no problems starting it in that cold.

In short... Warm up a 3-5 min max and drive easy till it warms up. Simple and I've had no mechanical issues running it this way for three years.

~Jonathan~

 

If it's cold enough, you won't have to worry about whether or not your truck will warm up at idle RPM's in the driveway. The truck will automatically kick-up the RPM's. It was 23 degrees yesterday when I first started my truck, and wow! That has got to be one the ugliest noises I've ever heard come from my truck. It took about 30 seconds for the RPM's to increase and another 5-8 minutes before it sounded "normal" enough for me to drive. I definately will not forget to plug it in again.

 

i live here in texas but on days its like 40 or if its the first day of start up usually about 1:30 - 2 mins

 

An option I should have mentioned is the fast idle mod that is covered in the Tech Folder stick at the top of the forum page.

That will run the idle RPM up enough so that the truck will build some heat and you won't have any cold stacking worries during extended idling - though you would burn more fuel I'd guess

 

Milwaukee,

You should have a block heater....plug 'er in. I plug mine in whenever it's below freezing...makes a huge difference in how fast the engine warms up!

 

I do have a block heater. My garage at home, and my downtown parking garage at my office are both heated. I'm just asking for the times I go someplace overnight that doesn't have plugging it in as an option, and because as was stated in a post in the superduty section, someone made the comment it was "critical" to let it warm up completely before driving.

I was stuck by the comment that 10-15 minutes "at least" and also the 'critical' comment.

Just wanted to get some other opinions. Warming up a truck for 10-15 minutes seems rediculous and not at all feasible...

Add 15 minutes to every trip you want to take? Not realistic and I question if its "critical" as was claimed.

I understand this is just an internet board, and there is no way to verify the experience level of someone posting things. So I thought I'd get other opinions. See if anyone was going to give any validity to the 10-15 minute warm up being "critical"

This is my first diesel, and i'm trying to separate fact from fiction.

To me when I hear the comment that its "critical" to let a diesel warm-up for 10-15 minutes minimum. Critical indicates that I risk the integrity of the engine if I don't. And if its REALLY critical to let a diesel idle for 10-15 "minimum" or risk mechanical failure, I made a bad purchase decision. As I cannot feasibly let the truck warm for 10-15 minutes every time I want to go somewhere.

 

I have had several diesels from cats to cummings to internationals and each one is different. To say "critical" is a bit much. I usually do a 3 to 5 min warm up no matter the temperature outside and drive it easy till it warms up.

In my semi's. I let em warm up while they fill all the air and I do my walk around pre trips which is about 10 min.

It is not "critical" in my experience with my 03 6.0. Diesels are a lot less drama than made out to be. :-) Tough as all hell too! Enjoy your truck.

~Jonathan~

 

I believe the only thing that is "critical" about owning your new diesel is that you read thoroughly, and understand the information in your Owner's Guide and Diesel Supplement. Some of the information you may get about diesels will come from "old timer's" who have been driving or working on diesels since the day after Mr. Diesel invented it. Well, and you can quote me on this, the 6.0 isn't your grandfather's diesel. This engine is a lot more consumer friendly than diesels of the past. Keep up the maintenance according to whatever schedule you fall under, severe or normal, and this engine will treat you just fine, barring any manufacturer or assembly issues you may run into.

 

heres the general opinion maybe this will help you, warm it up a few minutes on ur first start up...then just dont punch it around till its at opt temp...there thats what everyone is sayin in a few lines...that should be good for ya

 

I plug my 6.0 in every night and it is parked inside a heated garage. Although garages are heated to around 60 thats not really enough to keep that block nice and warm and ready for driving in the cold. You should really try to plug it in as much as you can when parking it over night. 3-5 mins for warm up is good. My truck idels a large portion of the day and I have the high idle mod. Just go with your gut if you think the truck has warmed up enough then most likley it has.

 

37f below here the other night. Of course I had it plugged in, block heater, oil pan heater, tranny pan heater and heated battery pads. I start it up with my auto start before leaving work, let it idle for 5 - 7 mins and then drive easy until it warms up to operating temp. At home I have it parked in my heated garage, warms faster when plugged in but I would rather have the interior warm versus parking outside at home.

 

Here is some info I gathered last weekend. I have a scangauge that tells me my water temp (along with a bunch of other parameters).

Truck plugged in for 12 hours, a low of about 15 °F during the night, and the water temp was 84 °F

Truck plugged in for 4 hours, an outside temp of about 25 °F, and the water temp was 87 °F

It has to be pretty darn cold for the water temp to drop below 40 °F, even when the truck sits for 12 hours. It was 20 is degrees last night and when I fired up the truck this morning the water temp was 44 °F. Once you get the engine warmed up there is tons of mass that has to cool down. I think the engine weighs 1100 pounds. So if you put a fully warmed up truck into a heated garage at 60° and let her sit for 12 hours I bet the water temp is still darn close to 100 °F.

So I don't plug in until it gets close to zero.

Either way, plugged in or not, I don't move the truck until the water temp hits 80 °F. That usually means a few minutes of idle (3-5 minutes) time.

Just as a side note, the first tick on the stock temp gauge is about 120 °F and my truck usually runs at 186 to 191 °F when fully warmed up.