Just a couple tips from someone who has to deal with a lot colder temperatures.

Your truck and cab will warm up quicker if you use one of the lower fan settings instead of high. When you use the high fan setting, you are sucking in a lot more cold outside air. The engine isn't producing enough heat to heat all this air, and you are effectively just filling your cab up with cold out side air. Secondly all this cold air going past the heater core is sucking out what little heat the Cummins produces at idle, making the truck warm up a lot slower.

Once the truck warms up, you can crank up the fan speed as needed.

Have you determined why you were low on coolant? Did you recently drain and refill your coolant? I had a similar experience right after I did a coolant change.


Carl

 

Your tips worked. Thank you very much!

Also, I bought the cord for the engine block heater, and I am patiently awaiting its arrival. Thank you again for all the help.

 

Before you go jumping up and down with glee, check the condition of the coolant. If it is diluted then the freeze point can be a bunch higher than what you think

Antifreeze is still cheap compared to the cost of a cracked block. We tend to forget that bit of information. Do a complete change every two years. Cheap insurance.

 

You are right. I am having the oil changed tomorrow and the cooling system flushed and refilled properly. I'm just glad the tips pointed out the problem. Also, found the source of the leak. A hose that will be replaced. Thanks for the help.

 

glad someone chimned in about low coolant, this happened to me couple years ago, for some reason out of the blue truck lost some coolant somewhere, has been a-ok since then, but very same symptoms as you described. And as for the block heater cord, try a heavy truck parts place, or kenworth or john deere or something, bought mine from dodge like a dope for 40 bucks, buddy bought his from kenworth dealer for 10.. any block heater cord i've ever saw was same thing, just 2 holes and a copper ground strip on it, just make sure your cords long enough

 

Just put on my cord to my block heater. Wasn't too difficult, but I did have to take off the air intake from the filter to the turbo to get to the plug. I got the plug for $18.00 on ebay. Thanks to everyone for all the advice and help.

 

The heater pulls coolant from the radiator. The thermostat is designed to keep the coolant in the motor until the motor gets to normal operating temperature. Until the thermostat opens up and lets the hot coolant out, you won't get heat.

I plug me truck in when it gets cold but I still don't get immediate heat. I get it a lot sooner than if I don't plug her in, but still not instant.

 

the heater pulls from the block, like they said before if you plug up truck for a few hours, when you start it you have instant warm air, the block heater heats the coolant in the block not the radiator

 

Good point. Never crossed my mind about the radiator. Give yourself an "Atta Boy" with a donut!