0º is my 91 limit. What's yours?

[icanfixall]

The gens where I work have coolant and oil recirculating heaters set to 135 degrees. They are expected to run up from a stand still to 3 megawatts in five seconds... That puts a HUGE load on things in a hurry. I don't disagree in any way that a block heater and oil heater would be ideal...

If it's the right thing to protect a multi-million dollar generator set, then it's all right with me!

Ever see a direct drive 12.9 meggawatt motor fire off. We had several of these at our coal burner in Needles Ca. We close off the inlet dampers to cut off the air flow. Then clear personel from the area and call the control room to power them up. Sparks and balla o fire shooting out everywhere from the windings. All the airborn coal dust makes for a great flash fire. Sometimes they would burn out the windings too. Then a huge hole is blown in the motor case from the high voltage looking for the shortest way to ground... Sparks like you have never seen before... The pants really got in a bunch watching that... No matter how many times this happened and we knew the potential it was still a shock to watch it unfold in fron of us.... That station is now a dirt lot. All gone down to the dirt and oil stains...

 

[6.9poweredscout]

As the starter began to die and crank slower in the scout it got harder and harder to start. Now the starter pooped altogether. Time to replace it.

 

[Black dawg]

I understand with temps below 30F I dont have hands on experience cranking my truck. I do though have plenty data starting af 40F and higher.

I am glad I dont live inside an igloo. My truck is important to me so I like to have the right tools to get her started every single time.

Next time I get a chance I will install a oil heater that installs into the oil pan.

Might seem overkill but I dont follow the crowd of sheep.

I never let anyone touch my truck either, I have built the whole truck with my own hands, the entire drivetrain is mine.

I am very pleased it has blessed me with 20++++ miles per gallon, last check was 5 gallons to travel 135 miles.

I think I got something right.

Always trying to help others out. Always getting flammed for it .


Javier

Sorry, that is just my ******* way of pointing out that cold means different things to each of us.

You will like the oil pan heater, I have a cheap stick on 150w, and the difference in starting at all temps is nice.

 

[Rot Box]

Alright men, turns out the cable end on the starter was one of the solder filled type however someone must have forgotten you still need to crimp those.. Cable got hot--solder turned to liquid---cable fell out its as simple as that ;p With a new end crimped on, two fully charged batteries and the block heater plugged in for 3 hours she lit off like a rocket

I know the limits and don't plan to push them again... Even if curiosity gets the best of me .

I still wonder why it sounded like WWIII under the hood Its -10º and dropping after that nonsense I'm going to warm up with a cold one and call it a night. Thanks again everyone.

 

[SLC97SR5]

2 cycles of the gp's and she's off after about 5-7 seconds of cranking even after a 10 hour soak at -5*f. That is the lowest I've pushed it. I usually have the block heater plugged in. I also have a 20 amp automatic marine charger under the hood that ties in with a 3 way tap. When the block heater is plugged in, the batteries are also being maintained and I supposed warmed to some extent. The ol 7.3 really lights off nicely after being plugged in for 6+ hours!

It sounds like hell after a really cold start with the cold advance going...

 

[Wyreth]

Never did get around to fixing my glowplugs. (only three work) was 26* last night, and she hadn't fired in two weeks, but five secs of glow, about five seconds of cranking, one HUGE plume of white smoke and she fired.

Guess my compression is ok =P

 

[X-NRCan_IDI]

I unexpectedly got to test how cold it can get before my IDI won't start. It was -23 C this morning and I hadn't driven it for the weekend. No blockheater/batt. blanket or anything. Cycled GP's twice, cranked for ~10 sec and she started. Idled a bit rough for the first bit but cleared up fairly quick.

 

[Sycostang67]

I usually have mine plugged in but had to fire unassisted last weekend at 7*. It must have killed one of my glow plugs because ever since then I only get a few seconds of glow before it starts clicking. At least it still starts on the first try at the end of work in 20* weather.

 

[justinray]

As the starter began to die and crank slower in the scout it got harder and harder to start. Now the starter pooped altogether. Time to replace it.

Same just happened to me, had the starter and alternator rebuilt locally, 200 dollars and a hell of a difference, really.

 

[idiabuse]

cold starts empty your wallet quick.

I unexpectedly got to test how cold it can get before my IDI won't start. It was -23 C this morning and I hadn't driven it for the weekend. No blockheater/batt. blanket or anything. Cycled GP's twice, cranked for ~10 sec and she started. Idled a bit rough for the first bit but cleared up fairly quick.

The other thing that’ll keep your engine running longer is preheated coolant. The more cold-starts your diesel is subjected to, the shorter its lifespan will be. Inconsistent metal expansion and poor-flowing (thick) lubricants don’t provide protection from moving parts.

Read more: http://www.dieselpowermag.com/tech/...illing_your_diesel/viewall.html#ixzz2IiGBr03k

Cold starts back in 1942 Russia Stalingrad were killing Hitlers advance to the Russian Capital. He ordered scientist to make a lubricant that works in below zero conditions for ease of starting military engines.
SYNTHETIC LUBRICANT.

In the 1930s, Dr. Hermann Zorn[2] of I.G. Farben Industries in Germany began to search for lubricants with the properties of natural oils but without the tendencies to gel or gum when used in an engine environment. His work[3][4] led to the preparation of over 3500 esters in the late 1930s and early 1940s including diesters, polyolesters, and banana oil

Dont abuse your engine and your wallet cranking up your engine without heating the coolant by plugging in the block heater, why listen to all that noise when you can plug it in and it makes alot less noise when started?



Javier

 

[PwrSmoke]

Well, I agree that cold starts without the block heater are not advised but many people have to face them now and again. There isn't always an outlet to plug into, as I found out several times up high in the Rocky Mountains. My truck's record is -15F and if you think Ford Guy's truck sounded nasty..... Oddly, this record was here in Ohio, not Colorado.

It was actually a bit more trouble in Colorado because the altitude added another unfavorable element. My mummified remains might still be lying on a mountain trail near Leadville (10,000 feet) but for some ether in my emergency kit one cold morning. This was my 6.2L powered Blazer, however, the glow plug system of which was a constant problem. Even though the glow system was nearly identical to the 6.9L, the original parts of which lasted until about 2005, I forever had starting trouble and glow plug component failures. Anyhoo...

Below 20F, I usually have to let the glow plugs cycle 5 or 6 times and give it a crank. About half the time, it starts but dies the first time. Repeat and it starts. Every time my truck has been challenged with a non- blocker heater assisted really-cold start, I have been lucky enough to have 10W30 in it versus 15W40... so it spun over well at least (my truck still has the original starter as well).

The 3-cylinder diesel in my Dagnham-built 2810 Ford tractor showed me what happens when the oil is too thick for the engine to spin over sufficiently fast. I ran 15w40 in it until that no-start point. One 5 degree morning, I needed it to start to plow the lane (it was in a building with no electricity) and it barely spun over. It has a battery the size of a house (4DLT with 950 cca for a 158 ci engine, plus I had replaced the cables with 00 and gold terminals) and it was fairly new. I waited unit it later in the day when it had warmed up a bit and finally got it to start but within a week, I had changed the oil to 10W30 and it's never had a problem since. I remodeled the barn a couple of years ago and put power in there, so I plug it in now.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Dont abuse your engine and your wallet cranking up your engine without heating the coolant by plugging in the block heater, why listen to all that noise when you can plug it in and it makes alot less noise when started?

Because there isn't always a plug available. I'm a logger/forester and when you park your truck for the day out in the woods the trees don't have 110v outlets on them to keep it warmed up. Or leave your truck in a parking lot someplace and they don't have plugs in the asphalt.....

 

[Jbevs]

My truck started at 7 degrees the other day. One cycle of gp's and less than 5 seconds of cranking. The cold advance and high idle don't like to kick in for a minute or so when it's below 20 so I have the feather the throttle for bit to keep it running.

 

[GOOSE]

I had thought it was -14deg F but here in a Diesel Power Magazine article it says -10 deg F was the time for a block heater device.



An electrically activated glow plug was used in each swirl chamber to improve starting below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The glow plug temperature was controlled by an electromechanical bi-metallic switching device, which pulsed 12 volts to the 6-volt glow plugs. The initial energized period of up to 10 seconds pre-glow produced glow plug temperatures that provided acceptable engine starting to minus-10 degrees. The system incorporated an after-glow feature that continued to activate the glow plugs for a period of about 1 minute after the engine started. This feature reduced the amount of white smoke developed on cold start until the combustion chamber walls were sufficiently heated. For starting below minus-10 degrees, a 110-volt electrical block heater was provided.

Read more: http://www.dieselpowermag.com/tech/...onal_diesel_engine/viewall.html#ixzz2IkQdVfWK


If I am routinely seeing temps in the low 20's F or colder at night, I will plug the ol' beast into a outlet controlled by a time clock. 2-3 hours of heat up time does me very well, just about have instant heat.

 

[X-NRCan_IDI]

Dont abuse your engine and your wallet cranking up your engine without heating the coolant by plugging in the block heater, why listen to all that noise when you can plug it in and it makes alot less noise when started?



Javier

I normally would have it plugged in for sure when its cold, but I wasn't expecting to be driving it. It just so happened that the batt. in my 4-banger Ranger decided to crap out the morning after I drove all over town with it. Had some crazy temp fluctuations too... the morning before it was around 32F and then the temp just dropped like lead. Tonight is supposed to be -29C without windchill