What is the coldest temp. you have started your truck in with out plugging it in? I forgot to plug mine in last night and it was -11f this morning. She started but not with out trying a couple of times. My roommates 02 start first time everytime when it is that cold out.

 

10 below without the block heater. It was plugged in but hooked to a GFI outlet that tripped immediately when the timer kicked on. I cycled the key twice before cranking and it fired right up. Smoked like crazy though!...IP buzzed like mad for a few minutes, and the power steering pump really complained too.

 

The coldest I have started my truck was -33 F last year and -26 F this year so far. Both times with it plugged in and fires right up no smoke or rough idle at all. Not plugged in has been -15 F at the coldest. Very rough idle lots of smoke for about 30 seconds and straight to high idle without block heater plugged in.

This weekend it's supposed to get down in the -20's again.

 

The coldest I have started mine was -35.....I cycled the grid heaters three times and it started OK but protested with a lot of clackity-clack and white smoke for about a minute. And my PS pump didn't appreciate that temperature either. Really, it wasn't much trouble....it ran and drove fine after a few minutes.

 

About -25 to -30*F ambient for me without being plugged in. Cycle the grid heaters twice and it fires right up. That is not something I do a lot, but occasionally I find myself parked somewhere for 16 to 20 hours without a plug-in.

 

Jeez that makes my +5 soun like a nice spring day

 

Right, I was thinking the same thing. My all time record 9* is tropical compared to some of these Northern dwellers.

 

Living here in so. Calif. it never really gets that cold but when i got up this morning it was 21 degrees, do all Dodge diesel trucks come from the factory with block heaters?

 

They did up to either 04 or 05 then it was an option

 

I started mine a couple different times...the temp ranged from 0 to -5. I did try to start it once at that temp without cycling the grid heaters...needless to say the mighty cummins didnt like that too well. She started up...ran really rough for about a second or two on about 2 cylinders then died. After that I cycled the grid heaters and she starts up perfectly everytime.

 

-31* C this morning & not plugged in. Hit the old command start and fired right up. As for a coldest that would have to be my 00. New Years 2000 -40* C sitting not plugged in for 2 days. Cycled pre heat 4 times & fired. The old girl ran horrible for like 1/2 hr till things started to warm up.

 

Coldest start was -25 not plugged in. One cycle of the grid heaters.
Gotta love these Cummins! Neighbor next door couldn't get his PowerStroke started even plugged in all night, that same morning!

 

My ol 6.0 started at -14 the scary thing was it didn't knock. It sounded like a gasser. I took about ten minutes before it started to make the "knocking" sound that all diesel's make. Maybe thats one of the reasons it kept breaking down

 

It's kind of a nitpick, but all ctd's come with the block heater. The CORD for the heater became an option. It's $10 if you get a truck with it new, and the dealer will violate your watertight integrity if you go to get it after the fact. There are other, much cheaper places than the dealer to get it if you need one. I think cummins dealers have them, and maybe other places as well.

 

-15 unplugged . Cycle the grid heaters 2 times and off we go. I think that battery condition plays a HUGE part in how well things get rolling when not plugged in.

-40 plugged in, no sweat.