Problems caused by idling?
 

After reading on here for a bit I've noticed a few concerns about letting the new 6.7 sit at idle for long periods of time. Not sure what problems could come from this or if it's even true. My concern is do to the fact that I remote start mine every morning for about 25-30 min. Does anyone know if it's bad to do this?:-drink

Idling that long will start to let some fuel into the oil, but if you have the idle mod done, so it will idle higher you would be okay, lot of info on how to do the mod.

Even with the high idle mod it's certainly not helping anything. Why do you idle your truck that long?

Idling any engine isn't good for it considering what they were designed for. Sitting at idle is the most inefficient method of warming the engine up and it maximizes the amount of time the engine spends running below temperature. It's best for the engine to get up to temp as fast as possible, and idling works against this.

That's not even mentioning the few dollars worth of fuel you're burning every time you do this. But to each their own...

I can see why you would want to idle - it sucks getting into a cold vehicle, especially if you have small kids (like me). But like Tom said, idling without the high idle mod really won't get the truck warmed up much, if at all. The high idle mod seems to get it warmed up ok at idle. What I like about that mod is that the truck is warmer when you start driving so some heat is in the engine before you put a load on the motor, which one might argue could even be beneficial for the truck, especially if you live somewhere where you hit the highway right away and don't really get a chance to putt around a bit before needing to accelerate to highway speeds. My $0.02 and not based on any real knowledge other than general engine care knowledge I've gained over the years.

My only concern with the 6.7L PSD with the high idle mod is whether the combustion temps get high enough to prevent wet stacking. I'm not sure anyone on this forum can say if this is or isn't an issue - only a Ford engineer would likely know that. But if you oil level is increasing over time, then you are probably idling too much.

If really cold, add some cetane booster to the fuel as well to help improve the combustion process and misfiring - all of which should minimize the amount of oil dilution that results from long idle periods.

Even 1,400 RPM idle takes awhile.
I think it's about 10-15 minutes of idle before heat will show up when it's at freezing.
When cold, these engines will burn through some fuel and Crazy001 has said many times, that's purchased fuel that's not moving you from A to B.
I'll admit, I do idle more than some but I try to be responsible too.

Driving around the block will aid in heating things up more quickly, if possible.
I understand leaving your kids to warm your truck up if no one can watch them is dumb, though.

PaintedHorse explained EGT's (idle vs driving) in a post a few weeks ago.

I get the idle for a period of time burns fuel with small results. Just getting 6.7 next week.

With my current 6.0 at cabin, we get up in the morning to come home at close to 0 degrees. I go out and fire it up and idle for 20-30 minutes, while we pack to come home. By then windows are defrosted and it is luke warm.

Is this a bad strategy with the 6.7?

Just use the high idle and plan for 10-15 minutes of idle near the end of your packing.
I think that would be enough to clear the windows and begin to warm things up if that's what you want to do and the doors will be opened less since most of your stuff will be in there already.

It may take a few experiments once you have your new truck before you know how much high idle time is needed based on temp but 30 minutes should be a thing of the past for you now.

Of course, I live in AL where the coldest I've seen in the past few years is 8 degrees so take that for what it's worth.
We do have our fair share of iced over windows this time of year from the moisture in the cold air, though.

Thanks, ice over the window is similar circumstance but temps are different.

Appreciate the input, can't wait to start experimenting......

It should work about as well with a 6.7 as it does with your current truck, idling isn't good for any engine.

If anything I believe the 6.0 would be a bit worse when it comes to sticking EGR valves and turbos, which are the more immediate casualties of extended idling. So far the turbos and EGR valves have been really good with these, but carbon buildup and oil dilution issues still remain.

I am not a fan of idling unless it's necessary. I get that we want to be comfortable and everything, but it burns lots of fuel and is detrimental to your engine's health. I had one really cold start at -10 degrees last winter without the block heater and I didn't let it idle more than 30 seconds. Just enough to get the oil going and I eased it out onto the road. Yes I was cold for a few minutes but I got to where I needed as efficiently as possible and I limited the time I was running my engine below operating temperature.

JMHO, YMMV.:-X22

Agreed, which is why I was so determined to get mine to work with my remote start so it will be somewhat warm before I even get the kids anywhere near the truck. Love my setup now! Works like a charm. I still don't plan to (high) idle if I can avoid it - rather, I'll use my 900W in-cab heater on not-so cold days. On the colder days where that little heater just won't cut it, I'll high idle in addition to the heater.

I was looking at other $3000 options to get heat into the truck and the way I see it, that will pay for many mornings of idle fuel - especially when I consider the time-value of money! LOL :-X04

can you give me some details on the 900 w heater? Sorry not trying to hyjack but idle time and short trips are a rwal issue for me as i live where it gets darn cold and only live 4 miles from work

Yup, sure. It's a Pyroil 900W heater. You can buy them in Canada at Canadian Tire:

Pyroil Interior Heater | Canadian Tire

Not sure where you could buy one in the US but I'm sure there are companies in the lower 48 that make similar heaters.

i am in canada too how well does it work?

I would think you can get better result by plug in a space heater, some thing like this Sears: Online department store featuring appliances, tools, fitness equipment and more and it cost lot less

What is idleing?
 

I just saw my hours. It says 130 hours and 40 idling. I do not believe it. They must count every stop light and drive through . There is no way I have idled this truck for almost 1/3 of the time I have driven it.:-X19