Purchased my first diesel last month, Its a 97 f350 dually with 5 spd. 133k miles. I believe it has been well maintained by ford dealership. It has new batteries and has always started with no trouble when temps were warmer. I have the engine heater but want to test it tomorrow without using it, as sometimes it may not be possible to plug in at low temperatures.
What do you think will it start?

 

mine does,,,,,,started up 2 mornings ago @ 20 below zero. yea, thats right, -20
holy crap cold.......i forgot to plug it in,,,,,,,,,,,man it winned like crazy for a few minutes and then it high idol and EBPV closed,,,,,,,all was good after that,,,,,
you should always plug in at 20 deg or below.

 

Cold snap here in Seattle that is no where near as cold as Alaska, but it still was around 20F. Truck had been sitting for three days. Started right up with the faintest wisp of smoke from the tailpipe.

 

My truck has to sit at a truck stop every day while I am working with no place to plug it in, atleast 8-10 hrs. Last year several days were below zero and it never failed to start not even once. Year before yeah it gave me some trouble when below 10 deg but new batteries and all was good again.

 

up hunting mine started at -8* with no problem, that was with 5-40 moibl 1 oil.

 

i live in the white mountians of new hampshire..we never plug our rigs in till it gets 0 out there..mine always starts up and very little smoke..sits there and perrrrrss

 

Yep, mine fires right up, and that is with one almost-dead battery (Gotta replace that one). I don't think the electronic deisels are as "cold blooded" as their ancestors, if it doesn't like to start, either GP's or low comp?

 

all this starting talk has got me wondernig. If I dont plug mine in, it wont start when its Zero or below. it just cranks. but I am getting the plugs checked out next week. course it will be warmer then, but at least I will know. and I do get lots of white smoke till it warms up. but once warm it runs just fine. and it sure KNOCKS when it first starts up.

 

Is your relay OK?

 

Last winter I checked my glow plugs and replaced the GPR and it started fine without the block heater down to 8 degrees, but it romp...romp at start. I switched to 5-40 Rotella syn late this fall and this morning at 8 degrees it started and purred without using the block heater...Tonight it is going down near zero, I know it will start easily....You gotta' love it!

 

My truck had problems starting at 45 degrees from cold. When i pulled my GP's though they were all junk, none of them worked according to my battery test. I put new ones in and it fires right up now.

 

I currently am at school in State College, PA and I have to park my truck outside during the winter months to come and I don't have the option of plugging it in because the University pretty much could care less about me. I used to plug it in at home and sometimes it sat for a few days in the extreme cold without being plugged in and it started right up. I have always used a fuel additive and I was wondering if I should increse the amount I oput in each tank or what other ways I help the beast start after sitting for a week. I mean if I have to I will go and start and drive it around every few days but I really don't use it until the weekends. What are your opinions?

 

I would use Winter Dielsel Kleen (white bottle) at the prescribed rate (96 oz per 300 gallons or about 1 oz per 3 gallons). I would change the fuel filter before the real cold starts, if it hasn't recently been changed. Have your batteries checked...Most importantly I would test all the glow plugs and the GPR AND change to 5-40 Rotella synthetic oil. I used the above routine in my heavy truck for years at -30 and never had a problem with it. The 5-40 syn oil makes the startup so much easier with absolutely no romping. This morning it was 0 degrees and it started like it was 60 out...it purred and I did not run a block heater last night. I've left my truck sit for two weeks in the winter and never had a problem starting it in extreme cold.