I like your style. keep trucking.

 

I have soooo done that before Nothing like arriving to work 15 miles away only to realize that you have just ruined a $30.00 cord. I wonder what other drivers thought when passing by?

 

Whenever it drops below mid 40's I plug it in before I go to bed. In the morning truck starts and runs quiet right from the start. Heater starts blowing warm air after about 1/4 mile drive, very nice not to sit in an ice box for 15 minutes until motor warms up. Truck sits all day in cold and starts fine, makes a lot of noise and I sit in it a couple of minutes to let it thaw out, then I drive it at a little more than a fast idel till motor quiets down. This truck takes care of me and I take care of it.

 

say what ya want...after 18 inches of snow and 2 days at 10 degrees or below the plug in kept the snow melted above it. Since that heat was under the hood I have to believe it made life easier on that Cummins when I fired it up LOL

 

So is parking my truck in a heated garage bad for it also?!?

 

I never said that the plug was bad for the truck or putting it in the garage. I am just showing all that it is not death sentance not to. As many of you obviously seem to believe. I was just looking through the thread and looking where most are at. It seems to be the temperate climate people that are the most adament about it. Keep it coming people it is good to get it out..... Breath deep now let it out..... goood now do you feel better.

 

If a person doesn't want to plug in and won't run synthetic, then a 10w-30 CI-4 oil like the older Rotella (pre- CJ) is a great option.

It's dino, but the pour point is -40F/C (the temps in celcius and fahrenheit are the same at -40).

I used some two winters ago, and while Cheyenne only gets into the teens, the oil performed well, giving almost instant oil pressure.

My truck now has some of my last stash of CI-4 T&SUV in it-- starts very well even down to -20F. It's just loud and doesn't like it.

Plugging in is undoubtedly better/easier on the engine, but failing to do so is by no means a death sentence for your engine, nor does it guarantee the next owner is getting a lemon.

jmo

 

Part of the "ether addiction myth" on diesels, is the fact that it seriously dries things out. Basically, although minimal, it causes extra wear on the piston rings/cylinder walls, etc.

Hence the non starting due to low compression, mostly over time.

0W40 oil in the winter, and an oil pan heater. But mine has to be ready to go 24/7, so that is a cost I take well.

 

No... it's more like there is an underlying problem and the ether is the only way it will start.

Engine don't get "addicted" to ether

 

I thought I partly explained how it works. guess not

 

That was the Hi for the day...but it was -45 last night and didn't warm up till around noon when a east wind brought the temps up...read my sig. mine is plugged in as soon as I get home, with the thermostat it don't let my heaters come on till water temp drops to +20F. so that block and everything else would be pretty darn cold if I didn't plug in. I don't have Batt pads plugged in in mild temps they only get used at temps colder than -30.

 

The one time I didn't/couldn't plug her in the temp was -5 or -8 and the truck sat for 12 hours in those temps while I was at a party. I use synthetic oil (Schaeffers) but the sound than my Cummins made when I started it was AWEFUL.... Terrible... made me cringe. Never again, I hope... I plug her in almost always when it gets below 30degrees as long as I'm able to....

 

Forgot...
Almost all employers have pluggins for their employees here.

 

AKTP, if they want you to get to and from work, in your location, I'd say that is mandatory.

Love my Ruger Redhawk 44mag w/5.5" barrel and my pitbull... for security... but probably use my Springfield XD9 subcompact or 12guage if I had to... houses are stacked on top of each other where I live...

 

Engines can get "addicted" to either. Either causes high cyl pressure, and it can break the rings, causing a loss of compression, which makes it almost impossible to start cold without either.

I dont plug my truck in except just every now and then, but it doesent get real cold here, and I park probably 100ft from the house. *20 is pretty cold around these parts. Usually when i leave for work in the mornings, and its cold, I fire it up and let it run for about 5-10 minutes while i eat breakfast, and i usually get heat pretty fast when i take off, and she is smooth running, and ready to go when i hop in. It never hesitates to start, so i dont have to worry about that.

Its certainly not death if you dont plug your truck in, but it's also good for it if you can do it. I dont think there will be a big difference in longevity either way unless you live somewhere where it is really cold all the time.

Eric