At idle you are running about 100 to 1 fuel air ratio so you don't generate much heat from combustion, mostly friction thats why it takes forever to warm up cold. My dad used to build a small fire under his tractor to get it warmed up enough to start in about an hour. (long time ago)

 

No need to idle more than 2 to 4 minutes on initial start up on a cold morning here in Minnesota.

 

Advice I have been given was DO NOT use a throttle cable to hold your idle up. Cummins engines with mechanical injection controls have a real tendency to wind themselves up with this type of system. For example, you set your idle to say 1200 and go in for coffee and when you come out 15 or 20 minutes later, its turning at oh lets say 3300. This would not be a good thing. Might be expensive too, if it was turning 3300 anout 10 seconds before you came out and 0 when you came out . I haven't witnessed it myself, but have heard it from a number of people. For what it may be worth.

 

Greatwhite, the first I've heard about the p-7100 pump doing the above high rev number. Anyone else aware of this happening?<br><br>Jerry

 

I put a throttle cable on my 89 but I connected it to the pump with a short piece of like choker chain at the end of the cable. This left a little slack in the connection. Worked very well and as far as I know is still on the truck.

 

OK here is what I started doing here in Ca...like it really gets cold.. : : : So that I can get the blocker warm..I just run an extension cord and plug it in! Its not necessary here because may drop down to 30* or a little more but thats about it. <br> This weekend I am headed down to the hardware store for one of those heavy duty timers so that it will come on about 4 am. I can tell the difference in the way it ran this morning..<br> Just my thoughts...<br><br> Rick<br>P.S. I heard a story from a friend of mine that use to run long distance truck. They said a front came thru one night and the tempature dropped out the bottom..and nobody was ready for it. Some of the trucks the fuel gelled in the tank..they said there were a few drives building small fires under their fuel tanks to warm the fuel..

 

[quote author=greatwhite link=board=16;threadid=8429;start=15#82220 date=1040280085]<br>Advice I have been given was DO NOT use a throttle cable to hold your idle up. Cummins engines with mechanical injection controls have a real tendency to wind themselves up with this type of system. For example, you set your idle to say 1200 and go in for coffee and when you come out 15 or 20 minutes later, its turning at oh lets say 3300. This would not be a good thing. Might be expensive too, if it was turning 3300 anout 10 seconds before you came out and 0 when you came out . I haven't witnessed it myself, but have heard it from a number of people. For what it may be worth.<br>[/quote]<br>I wonder if you could det up a rod as opposed to a cable to control idle to prevent it from moving in either direction? I also wonder if the above problem is just do to gravity or whatever is holding the pedal (or something propped on the seat) to settle or push harder after awhile?