I live in Houston and i'm guessing there are never any days when the temps get to where it actually warrants having a grid heater. I do, however, make a few trips up north every year or so, but nothing more than a good week at a time.

What temp does this thing actually benefit from a grid heater? The truck came from Alaska so i'm sure it could have used it up there. I was going to add an intake manifold and put a grid heater delete in there unless someone had a compelling argument as to why i shouldn't.

 

Delete it if you want, but evidently Cummins thinks its a good idea to have one. I believe the magic temperature is 59F or less at the grid heater location will cause it to come on.

Maybe try sending an email to Cummins and asking them that question before you delete it.

 

Your grid heater cycles on at 59 like you said. But it is there for a reason, when temps get cold it gets harder to ignite the fuel mixture just on compression alone. this is bc when u compress the fuel it becomes super heated and ignites. Now if u have very cold fuel and air then obviously this cld become a challenge. There is no reason you should delete the grid heater,as it serves a good purpose. If your not sure just think about if you go up north 1 week and its very cold and you dont have your grid heater, then your truck wont start and your stranded wherever. now tell me if that doesnt make it worth keeping.

 

the grid heater is for emmission control the industrial 5.9 does not come with one. the cummins part # for the block without the heater is 3922484. i have a fleet of dodges and they start just fine at 20* below zero with no heaters

 

I have been running my 6.7 without a grid heater for over a year. It will smoke a touch on a cold morning, but I have never had trouble with it starting.

 

speedy you got it, this is the only thing the grid heater was for. it was not cummins idea it was epa

 

I`m in the south also but it was 27 this morning. I unplugged my grid heater just to see what it would do. It started just as quick. I`m leaving mine stock but I just thought I`d pass that along to you.

 

I simply don't wait for it to warm things up unless it's near freezing or lower. Why delete it if you don't spend the time waiting for the wait to start light to go out?

 

Why would you care whether its there or not? Does it materially affect airflow? Are you that tight on air, if so?

 

Like others have said the grid heater is an emissions control. When its cold enough and conditions are just right I can watch the exhaust and see the haze change according to when the grid heater cycles on and off.

 

we were trying many different things for better mpg when the cr's first came out in 03. the best combination was the cfm+ and grid delete payback will occur sometime around 2015

 

Up here, you can tell by the way the truck starts if one of the grids isn't working on a cold winter morning. In the cold, they do make a difference, and I never saw a downside to having them. They can draw a lot of current, but it's not like our trucks are nearly as hard on alternators as some others are.

 

Leave it in. Unless you are pushing some serious HP it won't make much of a difference. If it is broke, then that is a different story.

 

Just bought a nice billet one on eBay-$55, delivered I figure I'll try it out and see what it does/doesn't do and go from there. Maybe I'll even try my hand at fabricating an air horn this Spring. If anyone has done one before, sing out! No sense in everyone making the same mistakes twice

 

If he has the engine heater he can plug it in when up north if it gets that cold.