Engine Temp in Cold Weather
 

Hey guys, I bought my first CTD this year, so I've never used one in cold weather. It was about 30 degrees this morning, so I let the truck idle about 10 minutes to warm up and then drove about 10 miles to town. The temp gage never got above 150 degrees. The heater put out luke warm air, but on a colder day it may be a little chilly.<br><br>My question is do I need a new thermastat (85,000 miles), or does this sound normal for the CTD?

Re:Engine Temp in Cold Weather
 

Sounds normal. You definately do not want to let it idle that long. Start it up, wait for good oil pressure, then drive it normally, but gently. Also, use your block heater.

Re:Engine Temp in Cold Weather
 

I plugged mine in for the first time last night.<br>Not sure on the temp, but below 32.<br><br>Actually, have it on a timer, it turned on 2 hours before I needed to go out and start it.<br><br>It didn't seem to help it warm up any faster, but started right up without haveing to wait, or cycle the heaters.<br><br>It sounded different though, hard to put a finger on, but less &quot;pingy&quot;, lately it has been really noisy in the morning.<br><br><br>phox

Re:Engine Temp in Cold Weather
 

Hi Tishmael, I don't know about the rest of these guys, but that don't sound right. My truck is an '02 with about 7000 miles and this morning it was 1 degree Fahrenheit ( no not a typo ONE= -17 Celsius), let it idle about 15 mins and then started out, and the heater was putting out luke warm at first but with in couple miles it was at 80 degrees Cel ( 175 degrees Fahrenheit) and the heater was putting out heat, after a few more miles it was 90 degrees Cel ( 190+ Fahrenheit). I don't have a winter front on it yet, but I think this weekend one will be going on with temps like these. I also had the dealer set the ECM for what the call &quot;Cold weather warmup&quot;, which cost me $75, because it's not covered under warranty and considered an &quot;option&quot;. Go figure, you would think DC would have everything possible on a truck for cold weather when it's sold in Canada, but I guess that would be to much to expect. So this might have improved warming up but it only works while the manifold temp is below -9 cel. So my advice to you is to check your T-stat, because it doesn't sound right. Later and have fun ;D

Re:Engine Temp in Cold Weather
 

Yo Tishmael. I have an '02, and it warms right up to 180-190 pretty quickly once I hit the Interstate. Our morning temps have been running about 25[sup]o[/sup], but it doesn't seem to affect the water temp a bit. Also, I've yet to try the block heater. Starts easy, 30 second idle, and go...easy for a mile or two.<br>

Re:Engine Temp in Cold Weather
 

When the temps drop, &quot;Winter Fronts&quot;, or a piece of cardboard with a 6&quot; circle cut in the middle to cover the radiator will help get the engine to temps quicker, and let it stay in the &quot;Normal&quot; range while driving.

Re:Engine Temp in Cold Weather
 

O U C H!!!<br><br>Start cold and let it idle for 10 minutes?<br><br>again I say O U C H!!!!<br><br>everything I read says that's the way to trash your CTD. If Cummins themselves tell us not to idle the truck for extended periods because the combustion temps get low enough for unburnt fuel to score the cylinder walls, what do you think is happening when doing this BEFORE the engine ever reached operating temps?<br><br>If you want heat when you start your commute, use the block heater...<br><br>

Re:Engine Temp in Cold Weather
 

I make my own cold fronts. Notice the cutout for the intercooler. ;D

Re:Engine Temp in Cold Weather
 

I would deffinately recommend the winter fronts. I use them, and like them. If you are not running the freeway, it really helps the engine warm up faster. But don't let it idle much longer than it takes to get good oil pressure.

Re:Engine Temp in Cold Weather
 

I would think if your thermostat is working properly and opening at 180 that your engine should be at 180 degrees or at least close. 150 sound a bit low for a properly working thermostat. The thermostat should keep all the coolant in block until it reaches 180 degress then release it for new coolant should it not?

Re:Engine Temp in Cold Weather
 

[quote author=tishmael link=board=4;threadid=6414;start=0#59244 date=1035985180]<br>Hey guys, I bought my first CTD this year, so I've never used one in cold weather. It was about 30 degrees this morning, so I let the truck idle about 10 minutes to warm up and then drove about 10 miles to town. The temp gage never got above 150 degrees. The heater put out luke warm air, but on a colder day it may be a little chilly.<br><br>My question is do I need a new thermastat (85,000 miles), or does this sound normal for the CTD?<br>[/quote]<br><br>Sounds like your T-stat is stuck open or removed.

Re:Engine Temp in Cold Weather
 

Use your block heater and Leave it on all night. If you are using it , then the block heater is not working.

Re:Engine Temp in Cold Weather
 

[quote author=Motorhead link=board=4;threadid=6414;start=0#60121 date=1036109980]
Use your block heater and Leave it on all night. If you are using it , then the block heater is not working.
[/quote]

If this method is used on a nightly basis, be prepared to see a hefty jump in your electric bill. Figure a dollar for a 10 hour plug in.

Re:Engine Temp in Cold Weather
 

Definitely put the block heater on a timer! I run mine 2 hours before I leave. That works out great! Also, get the winter guards!<br><br>Tony

Re:Engine Temp in Cold Weather
 

Right now I have my timer set to turn on for about an hour (really hard to tell with the manual dial) around 4am, then on again for 2 hours before I will be driving off, around 8:30am.<br>(the timer came with 2 sets of the little tabs for on/off, didn't want to lose them, so put them all in)<br><br>Works great.<br><br>TBA on the electric bill [laugh]<br><br>phox<br><br>P.S. Forgot to plug it in last night, it had to of gotten down below 20, was only 35 at 11am when I left, decided to cycle the grid heaters on twice and it fired right up.<br><br><br>