All I can tell you is we have older trucks at work that run all day long and they still going everyday. They aren't the best mind you but they're 15 to 20 years old too. These are mostly IDI 7.3 non turbos though. It seems the trucks are destroyed and start having electrical issues before the engines die. Again, anecdotal, but I don't think idling for extended periods are going to cost you more than fuel, which is cheaper than a tow off a jobsite because the beater wouldn't restart. We also have medium duty bucket trucks, the oldest of which is an 88 and it still runs, burns a lot of oil though. We also tend to start em up in the morning defrost til the snow melts off or start em up on a cold snowless day and pull loads with white smoke pouring out the truck. At any rate, I don't think you will cause noticeably more wear by idling than not. By the time it makes a difference, that truck is gonna be whipped anyhow.

 

I gotta be honest buddy, you have me really confused. You've stated a few times in different threads that you're 10 years old, even when asked to clarify. What's the story on your truck?

And to contribute, my (and company) trucks see alot of idle time at work, but those are all bigger rigs (smallest engine being a dt466), which sees a ton of 8-900rpm idle while working the hydraulic system.

 

Hi Guys, I'm going to jump in and ask a few questions. I've read elsewhere on this forum that we should not tow anything heavy with the 5 speed transmission unless it's fluid temp is over 100 degrees or so. Then I'm reading here about the concerns with idling, which I can understand. Note that I have NO experience so I'm just asking. What should I do on a cold day (30-50 degrees) when I want to pull my trailer right from the driveway? Should I idle enough to get the transmission hot (which is about 20 minutes it seems) or should I just roll out after 5 minutes and let the tranny deal with it? I'm sure this will get a range of answers.

BTW, my truck is a 2003 F350 dually with 6.0 and 45K original miles. I just purchased it last fall and have only been pulling with it a couple of times. Right now I'm using the Ford 15W-40 dino oil, will switch to synthetic next change. All filters replaced and I'm working on the bigger updates as the weather warms up.

 

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Another thing people forget, you let a vehicle idle, and you aren't there to see the gauges, what happens if you loose a waterpump, you won't know it, and you might eat an engine. I know our trucks will shut down with lack of oil pressure, but water temp?

I do let my truck idle for the dog when temps are below 20 or above 90.

 

Low Idle= what the manufacturer of the engine decides the lowest spec for LOW idle RPM

High Idle= Where your RPM's stop when you place the throttle control lever in the max fuel position.

Elevated Idle= *Sample* The PTO control wire in the Superduty ELEVATES the RPM's to 1200 RPM when 12V+ is switched to this wire. Also, any RPM's between low idle and high idle.

 

satwood,

If it's cold enough to have frost on my windshield I may run the vehicle for 5 minutes or how ever long it takes me to scrap the frost off. I then just start driving, easily til it's up to full operating temp.

When it's warmer out, I may let it run 20 seconds before driving off, easily again.

 

How long ago was this? I only ask because alot of engines are equipped to only idle for a certain amount of time before shutting themselves off, but I don't believe I've seen a cat yet like that.

I have Cat engines idle for hours on end. Every once in a while I'll throw a few revs to clean it out, but that's all. It's a pretty regular use for a big truck to idle.

 

2003-2005

It's pretty common for Detroits to have the 5 minute idle shutdown, if the RPM's aren't bumped up. That seems to be more common, and also depends on the owner of the truck, if they have it programmed into the trucks computer. I ran into a contruction company that had their trucks programmed to shut off after a certain time just to try and save fuel.

It may be regular use to idle engine, but it's not what they were designed for. The cat guy had said idling causes the most wear on a engine. He said it's better to shut it off and start it up again than to idle it.

 

IIRC my truck automatically elevates RPM to 1200 when in warm-up/high idle mode?

 

True.

That's one reason why I frequently check all fluids & for leaks, but your right something could go horribly wrong while you are away from the vehicle, extremely unlikely, but it could happen.


Thanks for your post Spamjohnson

 

Right around 10 min in the morning. I'm off to work by about 0515, so it's the coldest part of the day anyway. Coming home from work about 1430? Oh.....a couple of minutes.

Any nights that are in the 30s or colder, I've got the block heater plugged in.

Oh yeah. 2000 F250 4X4......125,000 miles.

 

All the posts have been great, thank you, but I have not been able to make a choice between idling & not idling. One of the things that is really bothering me is that it seems that FORD Motor Co. R&D has specifically responded to this particular issue with the "high idle mode & exhaust backpressure". So I wonder if those features are preventing the problems that are at issue. Now of course I know car manufactures do not always deal with prevention very well and there could always be glitches in their intent & implementation, but this is not a very difficult problem to solve, right? The engine RPM & core temp must be elevated to a specific level to prevent damage/premature failure,right? So are our trucks equipped with the right safeguards? Seems like they might just be, because I am sure this is not a new issue for engines,right? So that's my "sticking point", you know, what I am "hung up on".


The reason why this issue is so important to me is because when it comes to my truck I try to have many good habits and very few bad ones. I treat my truck the way everyone should theirs, like an investment, because thats exactly what it is. My truck will pay for herself if I take of her.

Keep posting your thoughts.

 

A Thanks to all 76 members who have voted so far in the poll for this thread.


Thank You for your feedback.

 

I have also had this same question, in relation to idling. Good time to bring that up, satwood.

Thanks for posting