There has been a lot posted on this forum, and another I enjoy reading, about the importance of warming up the Cummins diesel on very cold mornings and cooling down the turbo after running the truck for an extended time.

My questions are different I think.

I'm wondering about warm up and cooling down during more "normal" conditions.

This morning the temperature was 61 degrees. Spring is almost here. How long do you warm up the engine now that the weather is nicer?

Regarding cool down, what about short trips around town? For example, a two mile trip to the grocery store and back, where the truck is running for under 10 minutes. How long should you allow the engine to cool down before shutting it off.

Any suggestions regarding the above questions would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Well, if you check the owners manual, I think, it states you need at least a 1 minute cool down under normal driving with no load. the time increases when you hav a load and or highway driving. I believe the longest amount of time is about 5 minutes, under heavy loads on the highway.
Everyone will give you their opinion on the subject. The best thing would be to get a pyro installed and watch the exhaust gas temp to allow it to cool off enough before shutting down.
But of course as I stated this is My Opinion

 

The 70 dollar turbo timer advertised on this site is a great product, I have one and use it everytime I get out of the truck.

 

http://cool-downtimer.com/

 

I am the lone ranger on this subject. But, I firmly believe that in cold weather, start it & let it idle for a couple of minutes when it's ice cold. Remainder of the day, just start and go. As far as cool down goes, unless your towing, IMHO, cool down is a waste of time and a little fuel. Just shut it off. If you tow, then cool down is a good idea.

In warm weather, just start and go, just like a gasser. Same thing on cooling down the turbo. Unless your towing, there is no reason to cool the turbo. Just shut it down.

One of the most important things we diesel zelots, SP?, forget is that these are not small children that need to be protected, nurtured, breast fed and bathed each evening. It's a machine. Start it up, drive it, shut it off and forget it. All this non sense about having spectrographic oil analysis samples of your engine oil taken, putting in synthetic oils, K&N filters, vast increases in mileage with break in are all, IMHO, a lot of bunk.

Just drive it and enjoy it. Do the normal servicing and forget it. You'll enjoy it a lot more if your not laying in bed worrying about the baby in the garage.

 

I agree mostly with mymaur with a two exceptions.

One- if you have been running at highway speeds you need to let it cool down. The turbo will get hotter quicker than the engine. Check your owners manual. If I have been on the highway and then drive at slower speeds for a few minutes, then I take this into consideration as to when to shut it down. Damage can be done to the turbo bearings that will not show up for many miles.

Two- hold back on the power and RPM until the engine has reached operating temps (temp guage). This will take longer in colder weather. Pluging in in a few hours before starting in cold weather really helps.

 

Warm up on any vehicle - gas or Diesel - should include engine, transmission, and gear train. Fortunately, I live 1/2 mile from the main street, and even there the speed limit is 25 mph, so by starting off slowly, and double-clutching the first few shift until the transmission fluid warms up, and running in fourth and fifth gear, by the time I hit the highway everything is warmed up and ready to rumble. The shut down is the big point, with a turbo, it is imperative that you cool the turbo-charger (which means the oil), down before shutting the engine down. The ONLY way to know that is to have a pyrometer. Without it, you should plan on about a one minute cool down, even on a cold day and a short run. If you're hauling at highway speeds it will take longer. The $70 cool down timer is a great buy. Not only is it easy to install, but you can remove your key and get out to do your thing and the engine will shut down by itself. Also, starter motors are expensive, and starting and stopping all the time can really do a number on them - so, for a short stop, I set the shut-down timer for six minutes and the truck is still running when I get back in. The same holds true when I'm towing on the Interstates - I can stop in a rest stop to take a wizz, leave the timer on the six minute cycle, and can run all day without ever turning the engine off. Saves a lot of starter wear and tear and also keeps the engine temps fairly stable. IMHO

 

My normal warmup is keeping the RPMs under 2k until the temp needle hits the first tick mark.
I used to let the truck idle for about 30 seconds for the cool down. Then I installed a pyrometer and found this wasn't necessary when driving around with no load. The temp drops below 300 degrees fairly quickly.

MikeyB

 

You're probably right, as for the short cool down for in town driving, If I can I like to set the cool down timer so that I don't have to keep using the starter motor to start the rig ten times a day if I don't have to. I like to warm up the entire drivetrain even in warm weather - the same way I like to run a few laps in the race car before I put the hammer down. I don't pay too much attention to the engine temp regarding warm up as the main thing is to get the lubricants circulating freely. My normal towing is up and over the Sierra mountain range towing an 8500# race car trailer. So far, so good - 30340 miles.

 

Thanks to everybody who responded. Your answers really help.

Thanks again.

 

I'm a new member, don't even have my truck yet, but I'm already worried about it (obsessed maybe).

On a daily basis, I will do mainly in town driving, with a couple long trips every week, plowing in winter and towing camper in the summer. Would you suggest plugging it in every night when temps are below a certain temperature, just to reduce warm-up, and extend engine life?

 

when the oil pressure gauge levels off drop it into gear and take off. I don't get on it right away, especially if its cold and clunky.

I usually let mine idle for 30 seconds or so after a drive into town which is 30 miles on 55 MPh HWY and 70 MPH Interstate.

WHen I tow my trailer, I let it idle for a couple of minutes while I open the ramp doors and warm up the snowmobiles.

 

Plowman - I plug mine in whenever the overnight temp is predicted to be below about 25-degrees. It doesn't get too cold here - I can't remember going down to zero, even at night, so for that reason I plug it into a timer that comes on about two hours before I'm going to leave the house.

 

Bluedresser and Goldenbear:

Thanks for the response. I think the timer is the way to go. I don't have the patience to wait 5 minutes to warm up (always in a hurry to go nowhere important). I will lay off for the first few minutes of driving. It's going to be difficult to lay off with all that power. Can't wait for it to come in!