cold weather advice

[NoDaK]

hey guys, first post!


long story short, i am going to pickup a cherry 1989 f-250 single cab 4x4 diesel with a 5spd from my Dad who lives in Bend Oregon. i live in North Dakota (obvious climate change). i have a couple questions pertaining to acclimating the truck to the cold here. its balmy today at 20f, but the past two days, when i leave for work at 0615, its been -30f which is quite common here. the truck already has a block heater installed, and i have a pad heater i am going to put on the oil pan and i am going to somehow shield the radiator (any ideas that don't involve cardboard would be appreciated i.e. those black fabric things that snap on to your grill) but, other than that, i don't know what else i should do. any advice?

 

[fury9]

put a timer on the block heater for something like 2-3 hours before you leave that way you aren't wasting electric all night long, and if everything is operating like it should you will be just fine.And Welcome to the best site for these trucks especially

 

[Jake S.]

Change all the oils over to synthetics.

 

[7bicks]

Just make sure the GP are all working before you leave Oregon, that way if you need to change them it will be warmer to do them there.

 

[kas83]

And make sure your returns lines aren't seeping/leaking.

Good call on the pan heater as well, will keep it nice and toasty for easy morning starts.

 

[NoDaK]

Just make sure the GP are all working before you leave Oregon, that way if you need to change them it will be warmer to do them there.

whats a quick way to check this?

 

[RedTruck]

I grew up in Minot. Great place and great people. For you folks that don't know, you can count on at least a few days every year of -60 Deg F straight temp. There have been several occasions where parked cars will litterally be blown accross parking lots in icy conditions.

Anyway, on to your questions.

Here are some suggestions on testing glow plugs:

Clicky

Here is a link to a diesel powered coolant heater. If you think you may be away from an outlet for an extended period of time and need to start your rig this would be a good idea in Northern ND.

Clicky

Good luck and welcome aboard,

Paul

 

[RLDSL]

If you're picking up the truck cheap enough it would certainly be worth the investment to pickup an Espar. No matter where you park, you'd come out to a nice toasty truck. If you wire it into your heater fan it will even defrost your windows and heat the cab up nice and cozy, it also uses a very small amount of fuel to keep you from freezing to death if stranded out on the interstate for 2 days waiting on the plows to clear the wrecks out of the way

 

[NoDaK]

I grew up in Minot. Great place and great people. For you folks that don't know, you can count on at least a few days every year of -60 Deg F straight temp. There have been several occasions where parked cars will litterally be blown accross parking lots in icy conditions.

Anyway, on to your questions.

Here are some suggestions on testing glow plugs:

Clicky

Here is a link to a diesel powered coolant heater. If you think you may be away from an outlet for an extended period of time and need to start your rig this would be a good idea in Northern ND.

Clicky

Good luck and welcome aboard,

Paul

thanks for the warm (pun) welcome . i like the idea of that espar heater, just not the 1000+ price tag. not right now anyways. we will see after tax returns. should i do anything with the fuel system (tank heater, fuel line heater, filter heater ect ect)? if so, an recommendations?

 

[NoDaK]

If you're picking up the truck cheap enough it would certainly be worth the investment to pickup an Espar. No matter where you park, you'd come out to a nice toasty truck. If you wire it into your heater fan it will even defrost your windows and heat the cab up nice and cozy, it also uses a very small amount of fuel to keep you from freezing to death if stranded out on the interstate for 2 days waiting on the plows to clear the wrecks out of the way

i just got here from arkansas. what area are you in?

 

[RedTruck]

The inline/filter head fuel heaters don't seem to cause much problem. Not knowing anything about your new rig, if I were in your shoes I'd:

1. Purchase 2 new fuel filters and a case of diesel fuel additive (Howes and Powerservice seem to be the most popular here). When you go pick it up, replace the old filter with a new one. Fill the new filter up with fuel additive before you put it on, and put the other filter behind your seat for emergency purposes.
2. Fill up both tanks with diesel before you leave and give it a triple dose of additive in each tank. At each subsequent fillup dose the additive per bottle instructions. This is very important when you drive from warm climates into cold climates. Dose the additive per the instructions for the climates you are going to.
3. If your dad can check the glowplugs and he finds a few bad ones, find some Beru plugs before you get there and replace the bad ones while there. There are some cheaper online spots you can get these, but if worst comes to worst you can probably get them at the Ford dealer in Minot.
4. If the batterys are over 4 years old and it's in your budget I'd replace those before you leave.
5. If it's in your budget and it has never had a fuel return hose kit installed, it may be a good idea to do that before you leave. A fellow named Russ here on this site has a nice kit available.
6. If its been sitting a few years without being driven, I'd think about putting a new fuel lift pump on if you can afford it. And if you have time, I'd think about doing an electric fuel pump conversion. Many here have found that it really aids in starting...especially if you have some sort of leak in your fuel system.
7. Bring a coolant checker with you and verify the coolant is rated for cold temps.

This is a little wordy and seems like a lot of stuff, but most of it is really preventive maintainence. It would take about a day to get all of this stuff taken care of. I don't want to see a IDI Minot guy have problems with his rig. We need more good IDI guys around here.

As far as the winter front is concerned. You used to be able to order them through NAPA. I think Home of Economy in Minot had them at one time, and TSC might have them as well. A good friend of mine had one on his rig. It looked nice in the winter, but I hated those snaps riveted (or screwed) into the grill. I use cardboard between the grill and radiator on mine.

When you get it back to Minot a good place to get fuel will be the truck stop out on 52. If you get fuel there year round (and get the winter blend when it's available), you probably shouldn't have to worry about using an additive. After you're done getting fuel there park your rig and get something to eat. It's a great place for breakfast!!

Have fun with your new rig.

Paul

 

[NoDaK]

The inline/filter head fuel heaters don't seem to cause much problem. Not knowing anything about your new rig, if I were in your shoes I'd:

1. Purchase 2 new fuel filters and a case of diesel fuel additive (Howes and Powerservice seem to be the most popular here). When you go pick it up, replace the old filter with a new one. Fill the new filter up with fuel additive before you put it on, and put the other filter behind your seat for emergency purposes.
2. Fill up both tanks with diesel before you leave and give it a triple dose of additive in each tank. At each subsequent fillup dose the additive per bottle instructions. This is very important when you drive from warm climates into cold climates. Dose the additive per the instructions for the climates you are going to.
3. If your dad can check the glowplugs and he finds a few bad ones, find some Beru plugs before you get there and replace the bad ones while there. There are some cheaper online spots you can get these, but if worst comes to worst you can probably get them at the Ford dealer in Minot.
4. If the batterys are over 4 years old and it's in your budget I'd replace those before you leave.
5. If it's in your budget and it has never had a fuel return hose kit installed, it may be a good idea to do that before you leave. A fellow named Russ here on this site has a nice kit available.
6. If its been sitting a few years without being driven, I'd think about putting a new fuel lift pump on if you can afford it. And if you have time, I'd think about doing an electric fuel pump conversion. Many here have found that it really aids in starting...especially if you have some sort of leak in your fuel system.
7. Bring a coolant checker with you and verify the coolant is rated for cold temps.

This is a little wordy and seems like a lot of stuff, but most of it is really preventive maintainence. It would take about a day to get all of this stuff taken care of. I don't want to see a IDI Minot guy have problems with his rig. We need more good IDI guys around here.

As far as the winter front is concerned. You used to be able to order them through NAPA. I think Home of Economy in Minot had them at one time, and TSC might have them as well. A good friend of mine had one on his rig. It looked nice in the winter, but I hated those snaps riveted (or screwed) into the grill. I use cardboard between the grill and radiator on mine.

When you get it back to Minot a good place to get fuel will be the truck stop out on 52. If you get fuel there year round (and get the winter blend when it's available), you probably shouldn't have to worry about using an additive. After you're done getting fuel there park your rig and get something to eat. It's a great place for breakfast!!

Have fun with your new rig.

Paul

i guess i left out some of the details about this rig. its daily driven (40 miles a day) and its got 75k on the clock. my dad is the second owner. he bought it from an old man who garaged it and drove it to church on sundays. i am not going to have a place to do any serious maintenance on it, due to the fact that my dad is dropping it off for me in portland at the train station. we are going to have lunch, then im on the road. normally i wouldnt just buy a 20 year old vehicle and take off across the country, but my dad takes VERY good care of all his vehicles, so i trust everything will be in good working order, at least to get me back home.

if i was to build a tool/parts kit to take along, what would you put in it? i have a pretty good collection of tools, and i am riding the train, so i can check pretty much as much as i want. what would be great to know is the most commonly used wrenches and sockets.


my list so far.

complete 3/8 drive standard socket set.
xd .45
10 gallons extra fuel
extra fuel filter
case of fuel additive


are belts a common problem?

 

[RLDSL]

i just got here from arkansas. what area are you in?

I'm right near where the hwy 60 bridge crosses the river at Toad Suck.

It wouldn't hurt to carry spare belts in mid winter, cold temps and a long drive can play heck with the things, especially if they aren't used to long drives.
I don't know how long you've been up north or if you lived up there before, but traveling this time of year demands winter survival gear. A sub zero sleeping bag, as many extra blankets as you can haul, heat cans or instant heat pouches, MRE's A set of snow chains ( you should be able to get a set to fit it at the Burns Bros truck stop in Portland, it's owned by the same folks who own Security Chain, they carry a great stock on hand You'll be crossing a number of passes on the way home that have a nasty habit of being covered with ice and being rather steep and winding to boot and there's no place to pull off and get a room( and the places where there are, the rooms are full) Have you figured out what route you are going to take on the way back?

Make sure to bring a coolant tester, The thing may be well maintained, but not many folks worry about temps that fall way below anything their vehicle would ever possibly see where they live and you are bringing that truck back to a severe winter climate.

Wire strippers and a couple spools of wire, 12ga , electric tape and an assortment of connectors and a multimeter
If you have a laptop with wireless, bring itmost large truckstops have wifi and you can get on OB if having trouble
Turn on your *** and i'll send my cell number in case you need a relay number to get messages to the board if you run into trouble

 

[oldmisterbill]

I didn't know about Espar heaters ntill I was finished with my working career.Just imagine the fuel I would have saved a7 how much better I would have slept,not having to wake up warm up & shut down during cold weather. I want one in my van now.

 

[NoDaK]

Turn on your *** and i'll send my cell number in case you need a relay number to get messages to the board if you run into trouble

there on now. thanks!