OK, against my better southern judgement, I will be in the Snowshoe mountain area of West Virginia just after Christmas. With the high temps there being colder than my normal low temps in the winter what do I need to do for my truck? Do I need to change any of my just crank it up and drive habits for this trip?


Thanks

 

There isn't much to do in colder weather. I assume that you do not have a winter front so the truck will take a while to warm up. Try to plug the truck in to keep the engine block warm. Check with the manual but I believe when temperatures are in the teens or lower it's recomended to cycle the heaters twice before starting. In the cold weather I stay light on the throttle till it's warmed up (some movement on water temperature). I also try not to really put the hammer down till temperature is at 200*. Have a good Christmas.

 

As long as your truck is in good shape, don't worry about it. Where you are going is not particularly cold but here are a couple of quick things to think about, probably not necessary.

Fuel- I like to plan my fuel so that I fill up where I am going since the fuel there usually won't gel up. If you are going to be arriving with fuel from a much warmer climate, use some form of anti-gel like the white bottle of powerservice.

If you are struggling to get heat, take a piece of cardboard and block most of your radiator. I highly doubt you will run into this problem where you are going but you would if you were going to northern Canada.

As Foxborough said, drive easy for the first few minutes.

You really aren't going anywhere cold and it doesn't sound like you are going for a long period of time so don't sweat it. These trucks come from the factory setup to do what you are doing. If you were going to be in the cold climates for a long time, there would be some productive suggestions of what you should do, but you won't put significant wear on your truck in a short stay.

 

You may want to switch to a synthetic oil or use a 5W-40 diesel rated oil like Valvoline PB or Rotella. It makes a huge difference in the cold.

cd

 

I second that. It doesn't get all that cold here in North Texas....but I noticed a much easier cold start after switching to 5w40 Rotella Synthetic over the 15w40 Rotella. The engine doesn't rattle near as much below freezing after the switch.

..

 

Enjoy your trip and don't worry about the truck. It won't get cold enough there to worry about it. Fill up with fuel when you get there so it won't gel as said above.

 

I had my 06 up in Canada last february, single digit and negative temps. I bought the cold weather kit and installed it before i went up. Never did need to use it. The truck was fine. As stated, I took it easy on the tall skinny pedal until it warmed up a bit. It did have a hard time cranking the first revolution on one below zero morning but it then it fired right up.

 

Thanks, while it might not be cold for some of you, it will be very cold to me. I vowed 20 years ago to never go north of Atlanta GA after September 1st . My southern raised kids have never seen snow so off we go. I figured I'd be OK, but I've only run a diesel in rather mild winters so far. Mild for my area is about a dozen days with light frost in the morning.

 

You call that cold..... You will be fine. maybe add in some anti gell into the tank and you will be fine. I don't even worry about winter fuel or winterizing until it gets into the 20's. Your not even getting close to worring about getting synthetic oils. Just let it warm up some before you go.

 

Yes, I call that cold. I've been watching the weather and the nightly lows have been like 10, 13, 12, 18 degrees. That is cold in my book. Heck it's only the beginning of Dec. What's it going to be like in 4 weeks? Real cold

 

In 4 more weeks it won't be much colder than it is right now if any at all. I am north of where you're headed and it won't be much colder here at that time. Maybe 5 - 10 degrees.

 

Like 2 years ago the ex and I went up to panguitch lake in the 06.. temps were hitting neg 20 at night.. Froze the soda in my cupholder solid.. went out the next morning and 2 cycled the heater coil and she fired right up.. I bought fuel in Cedar City so im glad I wasnt running Vegas diesel.. she turned over.. threw a bunch of black smoke while she warmed up but she started.. i was so proud lol

 

Gets plenty cold enough here at times. The average winter day is 10 to 30 F, with some days/nights down to -20 or so but usually that kind of cold doesn't last too long. I've never had a problem - keep my Cummins plugged in (block heater) at night and a winter front to help it stay warm. Best to let it run 5 - 10 minutes in the morning before taking off. She'll smoke a bit while it warms up. They switch to winter fuel around here, so no gelling problem but mileage drops 10% or more on the winter juice.

I was down in OK last May and it was something like 90 degrees. I thought this Canuck was gonna melt! Embrace the cold - it makes you feel more alive.