Hi all .

I'm looking for some more help from other folks in cold states. My big black truck has not been all that eager to start lately. it even left my girl stranded at work the other day and I had to go pick her up in the GMC with a bad clutch.

Any how it has been getting down to -20 f or so at night here and some times dipping as far as -35. if the truck is pluged in all night it starts right up. but if its only pluged in for 3 hrs or less it probably wont start.. I've been thinking I might need some new batteries. 880CCA's or some thing. but dont want to shell out $250 if I dont need to. Should i be running a differnt oil? I just did an oil change 1000K ago and would hate to do it again and waist $50 in oil. if so what should I be running.. I just tested all the GP's and they are between .3-1.3 ohms and the gpr is good.. I 'm also running DK winter in the fuel. is there any thing else I should be thinking of?/ I here the cummins fires righ up in the cold Or is that just hog wash? Thanks much J

 

All diesel engines have a hard time starting in that cold of weather (even the cummins). What oil are you using now? I would think about using a synthetic 5-40w or dyno 5-30w.

How long do you leave your gps on before staring it? I know that here in 20 deg weather I leave the key on for 20-30 seconds before I crank it over.

 

An operational glow plug circuit, block heater, batteries and a fuel additive and it should easily start in temps like that. Not a bad idea to run lighter oil also. I, too, leave the key on for awhile after the wait light goes out. I've heard that the glow plugs will stay energized up to 2 minutes. If it seems to crank slow as soon as you turn the key, it's probably batteries.

 

I leave the key on the on positon 10-20 sec before cranking.. it has no problem when it has been pluged in for 3-4hrs but shorter than that it has problems when my girl frend had it at work the other day it would not start for the way home not too vold may be -10 or so. thanks for the info ..J

 

Try leaving the glow plugs on for 30-45 seconds before starting, see if it helps

 

Take your truck to an auto parts store and have them "load" test your batteries separately (with the battery cables disconnected). This will tell you if one or more of your batteries are getting weak. Really cold weather is hard on weak batteries.

 

wycowboy, I let the GP's run until the volt meter comes back up. the GP's will cycle off after 2 minutes. then give it a try.

 

brr thats way to cold time to migrate south for the winter!!!!!!!


well i cant get much further south moved here to get away from snow and theres 6" on the ground right now!!!!! i think ive been followed.


is it just spinnin the starter and not starting? spinnin till it wont anymore? ive been running the yellowtop group 65's from autozone and there 1000cca i had to buy some for my wifes rig yesterday for $71 a piece

i second lettin them plugs burn for a bit longer. them ovary wagon motors i think are a little more tempermental in the winter especially when there higher mileage motors.

 

Thanks all, any idaas on how much a differance winter weight oil might make?? whether it would be worth it or not?
Jake thats a good deel on batteries! the most cca's I ve found around here are 880
Interstate batteies for $120 I think ther neerest autozone is in salt lake


Oh quick corection,,
I leave the key in the on postion 10-20 sec {after the WTS light gose out} but sounds like I should wait longer.. funny thing I just got to thinking if I
dont wait 10 sec after WTS . in the summer my truck smokes up a storm and can be rough starting. too

 

hmm how fast is your starter spinnin? i never wait for the light in the summer and it lights right off

id imagine it would be a little easier to start with the lighter wieght oil since its easier to spin all that with lighter oil. but dont know if its gonna be that big of a differnce but some of them northerners will know better than me

 

-30C here in Canada, what that is I dont know in F. Anyways, at that temp, no mater what glow plugging I did, the engine simply just would not crank over fast enough, thats running 10w30 like the owners maunual staes at that temp not plugged in. I have the OEM block heater and a circulting heater, plug both of them in and 3hrs later it cranks over fast and fires right up, even better over night.

Plugged in over night and the difference between 15w40 and 10w30 is night and day. Same boat, I'm a little chcoked changeing engine oil before its required but..............

As for cummins, my buddies 99 running synthetic, if its not plugged in, he wont even try.

 

- 22F.



http://www.metric-conversions.org/temperature/celsius-to-fahrenheit.htm

 

As long as I can get the engine to crank fast, I can get her to start eventually. I haven't ever plugged in the block heater specifically because the truck has always started and I rarely have access to a plug. I haven't seen -30, but it has been -15 before and if I let the glow plugs run a complete cycle, it will start after about 8-10 seconds of cranking. Today is was near 0 and it fired after 2 seconds of cranking and only letting the glow plugs run for about 10 seconds.

If everything is in working order you shouldn't have an issue. Fuel clouding and a little white smoke is a different story.

 

Hi Thanks for all of your in put, Here is what it basicly comes down to for me.if my truck is pluged in at sub 0 temps for 4 hr+ it will start less than that it wont. is this what the rest of you in cold temps exsperience?
I was trying not to plug it in all the time but now we are down to one truck.. { broke the clutch slave on my girlfrinds GMC bleeding it..} I have been plugging it in all night.. I just wish I could trust it when she has to take it to work and might not be coming home till 1 am. I would love for it to start w/o being pluged in.. J

 

my truck will start between 0-neg. 5F not plugged in, 2 years ago my truck did start at -20F, hell, even colder when I was forced to take it and it was not plugged in. The difference was I was running synthetic, my batterys were fresher 2 years ago(latly they have been nose diving, still on originals).

Beyong checking all your battery connection/starter connections, the fact you dont have access to plug in your block heater and your running 15w40, you will expearence hard starting.

Dont know how old your batteries are, if their still the original ones, change them. After market obatteries, seems like after 4 years they just dont have the "umph" they use to have(my expearence anyways).

To make your day a little better do the following:

1 change batteries if thier the OEM ones, at least, get them load test seperatly.

2 If you have 15w40, change to a synthetic 5w40, I personaly run 10w30 "diesil rated" dyno oil any colder then 0F. Synthetic is your best choice.

3 Run an anti-gelling fuel additive

4 check your fuel filter, make sure you have no water in the bowl. (I personaly drain every oil change)

5 Look into weather your fuel heater is functioning or note, check your glow plug resistances

6 check all your engine ground straps, make sure all your starter connections are clean and tight, same as battery connections.

7 check your antifreeze strength, to weak is a bad thing, to strong is bad as well, antifreeze that is to strong will be thick and takes extra load on the starter to circulate gelled coolant.

These are the checks that come to mind right now, its a good idea to fire though everything like this every fall so you should have no problems in the winter. Hope someone chimes in for something I may have missed.