www.espar.com

Being from Saskatchewan, I am very familiar with -40 or colder.

I stay away from the circulating heaters for the coolant that are 120 volt. I had two that leaked. Was not going to wait for strike 3.

Block heater and interior warmer worked great but after getting into a friends truck with an ESPAR after it sat for 15 hrs in -35 temps, I was impressed. Warm interior, easy start up and no dependence on the 120 volt power and no cords.
Get in start up and go. SWEET! ;D
Of course one can debate the costs...but how does on factor in the warm ups, cost of electricity, cost of cold butt...

etc?

I thinks I knows what I is getting.


It only took me 25 yrs plus to figure it out.

 

In the operators manual, it says for extremely cold weather starting (below 0F or -18C) it may be beneficial to cycle the manifold heaters twice before attempting to start the engine. You cycle it by turning the key on and off, and waiting for the wait to start light to go out. There's more.... draining battery etc....

Theres a note about excessive white smoke if manifold heaters are not recycled - tell me about it! Thats how you know its cold!

 

Thanks for all of the input. Your comments and suggestions have been very helpful, and the Espar system looks very interesting.

Now my only problem is convincing my wife. She had her first diesel experience when we test drove a new truck the other day and she wasn't impressed with the diesel sound. I told her not to worry about it because she wouldn't drive it much anyways but she wasn't too convinced. Looks like more flowers and a night out are in order. I'm not giving up!

 

I know this should be in an FAQ somewhere, but I've not found it...what about fuel gelling? Do most run some antigel just to be paranoid? If so what stuff, how much, is it a pain in the ***?

 

i see you guys posting about using a starter to warm the truck on a timer during the winter months....

but what about it idling over 5 minutes which i think it would need to do to warm up

 

I let mine idle just long enough to get the juices flowing good in the engine and then I let my morning drive do the warming up.

 

Hey maybe2k4, I've been known to let her idle a bit in the wee hours of the morning while I fix myself a cup of coffee. 5 minutes, 10 minutes, ..... you get it.

Sometimes I used the high idle stick, sometimes not.

 

[quote author=maybe2004 link=board=20;threadid=21404;start=15#msg203180 date=1067462411]
i see you guys posting about using a starter to warm the truck on a timer during the winter months....

but what about it idling over 5 minutes which i think it would need to do to warm up
[/quote]

Maybe2004

I do let my truck idle longer than five minutes to warm up - it seems to need all that and more (even the last couple of mornings at only 30 F - the colder it gets the longer I was going to let it run). The default in my remote starter is 15 minutes of idle time on timer starts. Any reason to think that I should do differently? I am new to diesels this year and kind of feeling my way along so just asking!

 

I've read that any idling of a cold engine is doing more harm than good. Let the oil pressure come up (10 secs?) and take off, easy on the throttle. It will warm up quickest this way, and the sooner it warms up the less harm your doing your engine.

The longer it's running while not up to temperature, the more damage your doing. Seems to defy common thinking but it seems that's what the manufacturers say.

 

[quote author=bulabula link=board=20;threadid=21404;start=15#msg203202 date=1067465814]Sometimes I used the high idle stick, sometimes not.

[/quote]

Speaking of....I've noticed that if I try to use my high idle stick right after I crank the truck up in the mornings that the truck will idle MUCH higher than it normally would with the stick....like around 1600-1800 RPM's instead of the stick's usual 1200 RPM's. Anyone else experience this??

 

Hoss,

I have had the exact same problem as you. The high idle stick doesn't seem to work very well while the grid heaters are running. Once the truck has warmed up it seems to work alright.

Someone out there has got to have some sort of electronic high idle controller for these trucks. What do the guys with the PTO's use for high idle?? I would really be interested in something like this.

 

very new to diesels...

what is a high idle stick?

also if i can't plug in my truck in NY which get cold but never below 15 is it a bad idea to think this would be a good truck for me? do to not being able to plug in... that is why i like the idea of the remote starter to run during the night but don;t want to damage the motor

 

[quote author=maybe2004 link=board=20;threadid=21404;start=15#msg203464 date=1067516297]
very new to diesels...

what is a high idle stick?

also if i can't plug in my truck in NY which get cold but never below 15 is it a bad idea to think this would be a good truck for me? do to not being able to plug in... that is why i like the idea of the remote starter to run during the night but don;t want to damage the motor
[/quote]

Basically a high idle stick is a pole (made of wood, metal, etc.) that gets jammed between the seat and the accelerator pedal. It presses down on the pedal slightly to raise engine RPM and assist the warmup process. These sticks are also used when you are leaving the truck idle for extended periods of time.

With the temps in NY, you should be fine even if you can't plug it in. I'd say go for it....you will love the Cummins!

 

[quote author=Scotty link=board=20;threadid=21404;start=15#msg202248 date=1067294396]
www.espar.com

Being from Saskatchewan, I am very familiar with -40 or colder.

I stay away from the circulating heaters for the coolant that are 120 volt. I had two that leaked. Was not going to wait for strike 3.

Block heater and interior warmer worked great but after getting into a friends truck with an ESPAR after it sat for 15 hrs in -35 temps, I was impressed. Warm interior, easy start up and no dependence on the 120 volt power and no cords.
Get in start up and go. SWEET! ;D
Of course one can debate the costs...but how does on factor in the warm ups, cost of electricity, cost of cold butt...

etc?

I thinks I knows what I is getting.


It only took me 25 yrs plus to figure it out.

[/quote]

Scotty,

I checked with Espar and was told they don't have aproduct to fit the 3rd Generation Rams (with diesel). They said there wasn't enough space in the engine compartment for their unit. In addition, I was told it was expensive ($1,800 CDN) plus installation.

It seems this product is designed for people who do not have access to electricity.

I thought it was a great product, but given the cost and space issues, I'm going to "plug in" for a season and see how long it takes for the cab to warm up in the morning. If it takes too long, I'll start looking for another solution.

 

1st post...

I have a '03 CTD 3500. Do remote starters work with the Key Sentry System you get with the Laramie package? The manual says that remote starters will cause problems. Thanks, -Roy