For the past few mornings i didn't plug in the truck, and when i start er up, for the first couple of minutes of low idle, 700rpm, i get a very light haze of light blueish smoke from the tailpipe, Is this normal for am 18*f cold start?
Doesn't do it when it had 3 hrs of being plugged in before the first start of the day!
If it is 25*f for cold start, No smoke except for normal black/grey puff as usual at any warmer temp.
This is an 89 non IC truck with a new .5 mm thicker head gasket.
My first winter with a cummins!
Peter.

 

Yes, very normal. That's unburned fuel, not oil - just walk into the cloud and inhale if you need convincing.

You oughta see one with POD's smoke in the cold. MMMM, diesel!

 

Try cranking one over at -45*F. When it's that cold I figure that any color smoke is a good thing cause it's running! I don't care how long it has been plugged in it smokes like crazy.

 

I can attest to that. We had -30*C here a few weeks ago and even when my truck was plugged in overnight it smoked pretty good. I had the lovely experience of starting it up in that weather without plugging it in. It was on a snowmobile trip and my truck was parked outside our room, which happened to be next to the kitchen of resteraunt. Took two tries to get it going and when it did, whoooweee did it puke out that raunchy diesel smell (that I love, many others hate). Well one of the cooks came out and wiped the snow off my licence plate and reported my truck to the front desk .

 

edit man you wouldnt have been concerned if you'd seen the smoke that my old 97 7.3powerstroke would beltch out at those temps. The 7.3 powerstrokes are/were great engines, just not as good as a cummins . All the various versions of the I6 cummins offered by DC have just seemed to be much more refined and efficient when compared to their model year ford and Chevy competitors. Dont fret over the smoke its just the nature of the beast.

 

My work truck wouldn't start. I had to plug it in for a few hours. 97 powerstroke 250,000. Heck I don't want to start on a cold/windy morning either

 

When I leave for work I let the Cummins run for about 5-10 min. Boy does that make people mad at work. And people try not to park next to you eighter. ha ha. ooohhh the smell of dieeessellllll...ALL real diesels smoke.