I think i goofed. The weather has been very cold here for the last week or so, -15* last night and 6-8" of snow on the ground, and more falling right now. The Beast has set for 5 days and never been turned over. Went out to start her and after a good 30 seconds or more the Icon? that shows when it is safe to start never went off. I turned her off and got out the manual and found that I have to plug it in to warm her up at least 3 hrs BEFORE starting at temps below O*.

I have an engine heater in the old 73 and used to leave it plugged in all day and night untill the outside temps warmed up. In the morning I could go out and find the windsheild defosted and slightly warm inside the cab.

Can the PSD be done the same way (has engine heater), will it hurt anything to leave it plugged in that long? I plugged her in and after 4+ hrs, she started just like normal even with the temp at 0*.

Took a little look see drive (hunting yeller dogs= Coyotes) and found out something else. These OEM AS tires are as useless as T-ts on a Boar Hog, I had to put the beast in 4W high to get anywhere, and still slipped all over the place on flat ground etc. These tires are NO GOOD, I will save then for the summer time use and put on my standard Toyo M/S on her and then take the same drive to see the difference.

I have found 6 steel rims from a 2009 F 350 (Dually), but I am not sure if the lug nut spacing is correct. I checked the manual and can not find the correct spacing listed for the 2010 model. Is there a site where I can find this info out?

My little 2wd Ranger Tonka rig does better than the beast in the snow! I am NOT impressed with these tires.

Tia,
Don

 

No, it won't hurt anything (except your electric bill) to leave the truck plugged in all night. A lot of guys put the heater on a timer so it kicks on about 2 hours before they need to leave to save $$$$$.

Yes, the stock A/S tires are dangerous on anything besides dry pavement. The stock A/T tires are a little better, but still I am glad I have 4WD.

Yes, the rims from an '09 will fit a 2010 truck, but you can't swap SRW rims with DRW rims. You need to find a set or SRW steel rims from an '05 and newer truck.

 

truck would have started I know because i have done it while traveling. Kind of hard to plug in at a hotel. Truck is designed to start unassisted to -20 but ford recommends plugging in at 0 F. 3 hours before start up is recommended to give it enough time to heat the oil enough to be useful.

 

like redford said leaving it plugged in all the time will be expensive.(1500 watts). just like leaving all the lights in your house on...all night. i used to have a 97 psd and i would have a timer come on three hours before i went to work. i also had a remote starter in that truck and it had the option of starting up at timed intervals and stay running. like every 4 hours you caan have the truck start and then run for 5-10-20 minutes. it was fully adjustable. good for areas when no power was available.

 

The posts above are correct, you certainly could have gotten it going in those temperatures. The glow plugs can cycle for up to 2 minutes to get the combustion chambers warm enough to start. Just have to be patient!

One thing that is very important in those temperatures is lubrication. Regular 15w40 doesn't flow well enough when it gets that cold. You are using 5w40 synthetic oil in those temps....right?

 

I don't really know, I just bought the new 2010 on 11/10/09 and I am not sure what type of oil it has in it, only has 1000+ miles on it now.

Thanks for the info Guys,
I am slowly learning about a Diesel rig.

Tia,
Don

 

5w-40 oil is required for any temperatures below 0, as conventional dino 15w40 is too thick to flow well enough to properly lubricate an engine in those temperatures.

Here's a thread I started in another forum:

15w40 in winter? - Bob Is The Oil Guy