Jambbii

This is my first diesel and I have only had it a couple months, and now it is my daily driver. Now that it is finally cooling off down here I was wondering what is a good way to warm up engine. I drive 7 miles to school in the morning and it barely reaches the begining of the gauge when I arrive. It warms up a lot faster obviously later during the day. Is this bad for it not to reach operating temperature?

Thanks

kd460

Probably not a bad idea to let it run a little before you drive. I use my window scraper as a prop rod for the gas pedal. It's cut to the right length so when positioned correctly, it will idle at about 1250 rpms. Some will say 1500 is better, but I worry about the noise and the neighbors. You want to get that engine warm to burn off moisture, and that holds true for the tranny as well (if auto). You could also use winter grill covers to help get the temp up quicker, I personally just some plexiglass that has been cut to fit on the back side of the grill.
Can't tell it's even there from the outside. Some say to leave the area around the fan clutch open, but then others say it does not matter. Others just remove the fan completely, but I don't feel comfortable with that. I worry about getting stuck in a traffic jam. At least with the plastic covers, I can easily remove them.

I agree 7 miles is just to short of a trip. I used to have a 9 mile trip with a gasser truck. I was amazed at the amount of sludge in the lifter valley when I pulled my intake manifold. I used good oil and changed it every 4000 miles. I think the sludge was from the short trips and it not getting up to operating temp for long enough. The sludge was clean, but still sludge.

Also make sure you use a good additive/anti-gel in your fuel (i know this is unrelated to your question, just a heads up). I personally use power service, but that is just my preference. I follow the manufacturer's instructions, and have never had a problem down to -5 degrees. I have had friends have trouble with similiar vehicles and temps. The only difference was anti-gel vs, no anti-gel. Cheap insurance and it helps with the mileage drop due to winter blend fuel. Hope this helps, good luck with your new truck, Kevin

PumpDaddy

when below 45* I ALWAYS plug in the block heater, and in the mornings a good rule of thumb is 2 cups of coffee and a smoke and another 5 minutes trying to remember where I put my cell phone when I came in from work the day before. If you have an auto, I'd put it in nuetral after starting, this helps warm the tranny fluid and get things lubed up. Just my 2cw

DeereDiesel

I have a 10 mile drive to work and when it is around 40 deg and below plug my truck right before i go to bed at night. usually let it run about 10 min. before driving just so the temp needle is off the peg. I even plug in at work a couple hours before leaving if its really cold out.

Jambbii

Thanks for the input guys, I do worry about the noise in the morning though otherwise I would let it warm up for a while. Its not that cold here yet its like 70 degrees here in the mornings.

vernl

with my 12 valve I always plugged in and then started up and drove slowly away..no lead foot till you could feel the engine run right..idling is harder on them than driving them cold, i just installed an interior cab warmer that ran when i plugged my truck in..at least plug it in , if all you are driving is 7 miles in cold weather