Thinking of purchasing a 2002 Dodge Cummins.
Question for experienced diesel owners??
My occupation requires me to make several short trips everyday, frequently 15 to 20 stops everyday. Is starting and stopping (short tripping) a cummins hard on it ???
I suppose I could leave it run, but fear it dissapearing.
I live in a very warm climate also, Arizona- desert.
Any ideas are appreciated!!

 

Not after it's up to temperature.

 

I believe that UPS uses Cummins in some of it's delivery trucks. I've heard that they make a few stops every day.

 

Restarting it is better than the extended idle.
It will wear out the starter sooner.

 

If you did idle it for long periods of time you'd have to tow something heavy to burn off all the carbon that's collected in the cylinders, valves, and injectors. Idling for a minute 20 times a day wouldn't hurt I guess.

 

is that the only cool down timer out there?? howards??

 

Let me guess, you are a vendor using a trailer to deliver products to all your stops. I use my diesel every day pulling a trailer stopping at around 20 stops a day in a 20 mile radius and have no problems what so ever. I'm just glad to get out of the breadtruck, the best investment I have ever made. Make sure to get the cool-down timer it saves a lot of hassle (no worry of theft). I use howards and it has worked flawless since the day I got it.

 

My UPS driver has a Cummins in her truck, over 100 stop/starts every day with zero cool down time. Engine has over 200k on it and has never been pulled.
My feeling is folks get way too **** about cool down time, it's not really necessary unless you're pulling a heavy load at highway speeds.

 

folks get too **** about oil, wax, noises, milage, air filters, transmissions, clutches, bed liners, box liners (slide in), shocks, tires, ..........

 

Yeah, but it sure is fun to watch people react when the timer shuts it off

 

Getting one up to operating temp I think is most important. Just cranking up an running up to the store an shut down is not good on either gas or diesel. My work place is excatly 10 miles from my drive an during the winter months I usually take added two to three miles more trip to get to full operating temp. It may be overkill to let it idle a bit before shutdown, but I have always done it since truck was new, (load or no load). Get yourself a set of gauges, an when pyrometer drops to around 300* or below (pre-turbo) I shut down. If I had not towed in a while (which I have'nt) I go out every couple of weeks an run it out some. Never have used a cool down timer myself, but your type of work it may be a good idea.

 

I have just under 10,000 miles on my truck with short trips(10 miles) every day during the week and longer trips(50-100 miles) on the weekends. I have not had any problems and my oil looked really clean after 5500 miles. My first change was at 2000 and the second at 7500. I think I am going to wait for 15,000 for the next oil change.

 

Great reply. And, UPS shuts those puppies off everytime.

He's right, start it, drive it, enjoy and forget it. As far as it having to get warm & then it's okay. Sorry, I don't agree. Just change your fluids and filters as prescribed and enjoy the truck. Forget all this baloney about bottle feeding and diaper changing.

Drive it, drive it, drive it.