I remember reading on here that it is bad to shut your truck off until it gets over 140 degrees. Is this right or am I remembering wrong? On these cooler days my truck doesn't warm up and some times I turn it off before it warms up at all. Is this causing damage to my truck?

 

Good question, I'm also wondering about this, becuase I do the same thing

 

Ditto those two....I do the same often...

 

it's hard on any engine gas or diesel to shut them off before fully warmed up as they do not get hot enough to evaporate off the excess moisture and acids that get into the oil from startup

that's not to say if you don't do that your engine will die tomorrow, ut for optimum engine life you want to fully warm it up before shutdown

when I have to go out in the winter I leave a few minutes early and go on a little your to warm up the truck

 

If all you do with your truck is drive it a couple of miles to work then shut down, then a couple of miles home, with a few stops here and there, then you might want to get on the freeway and tack on 20 or so continual miles a week. Moisture builds up in the oil and cylinders and doesnt go away unless the motor is allowed to run. A freeway cruise gets the motor hot enough to burn up all that moisture. Also cool engine temps causes carbon build up. There's guys that dont believe you need a diesel unless you are planning to work it or either you need a truck on longer drives for good milage.

 

These engines are designed to work, and work hard and run warmed up.

I totally agree with the acid and moisture build up if you don't run these engines til they warm up if you can help it. But, having said that, there is no need to warm up the engine totally each and every time you start it. Running it hot once or twice a week should be good enough to get rid of the moisture. Changing the oil every 3-5K miles will get rid of the rest.

.....and please do not put used oil in your fuel. These same contaminants that we are trying to avoid go right through your fuel system. Down south you might get away with it... not a good idea in cold country.

IMHO

 

Fresh oil works good though....

 

Thanks for the help on this and I put at least 80 miles a day on my truck so it gets warmed up all the way everyday. It is just sometimes I need to move my truck or just do something real fast that it doesn't get to warm up. I thought cold shut down would bend my push rods. Thanks for clearing this for me guys.

 

So what you are saying is if you run your truck hard, get rid of the contaminants...then it is okay to burn the used oil?

 

So I have read, idling for REALLY long periods, when its cold outside causes combustion temps to be so low that fuel doesnt burn all the way and also leads to carbon build up on the valves which causes them to stick, thus leading to bent pushrods. There has been MANY topics on this subject and I dont think anyone has got a straight answer yet. Some guys idle as long as they want with no problems. Others dont idle at all. Idling with an exhaust brake raises combustion temps too which means its OK to idle with it on for extended periods. Since I have a pyrometer I just make sure my idle EGT temps stay around *275 or higher. Idling with the A/C-defrost compressor on also raises EGT's *25 or more. But I would say your 80 miles a day is well enough to keep your engine nice and clean.

 

That is why a high idler is a good investment for cold weather........why arent these things seen more?

 

I think I'm gonna have a headache!