Think its time to PULG IN???????

[Pull-n-TugTx]

Nights here in North Tx are getting in the 30's over night, not cold for you Northern guys, but here and this rig its COLD!!! COuple of questions.

How long should I leave it plugged in? Couple of hours before, all night?

Is there any way of knowing that the plug is working?

Can crank with it plugged in?

Forgive my ignorance, never had to plug in any of the other diesel trucks Ive driven. This one seems to be grumpier than the Strokes. The other afternoon, 63F, it took some cranking to get it going.

Thanks guys, take it easy on me.

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

Nights here in North Tx are getting in the 30's over night, not cold for you Northern guys, but here and this rig its COLD!!! COuple of questions.

How long should I leave it plugged in? Couple of hours before, all night?
i have mine set on a timer for about 45min-1hr before i leave. i've never needed much more than that.......IIRC plugging in for more than 3hrs will not do anything. it won't get any warmer after the 3hr mark.
Is there any way of knowing that the plug is working?
plug it in. if you are really quite you can hear a humming noise. can also just wait a while then feel the head/exh mani/valve cover.
Can crank with it plugged in?
no probs with that.
Forgive my ignorance, never had to plug in any of the other diesel trucks Ive driven. This one seems to be grumpier than the Strokes. The other afternoon, 63F, it took some cranking to get it going.

Thanks guys, take it easy on me.

it should start fine at the temps you speak of and even lower. how much cranking did it take to get going on that 63*F day? how long does the WTS light stay on for?

 

[dmaxjoe]

Could be time for a tune up. I don't usually plug in until it gets around 0*F. It should start with no trouble in the 30's.

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

also just b/c the engine does not NEED the heater to start doesn't mean it's not a good idea to use it. helps in cab heat, heats up the oil as well. i notice my oil pressure comes up faster when i have the heater plugged in. it does crank a bit easier as well.

 

[Wyreth]

Sounds like you might be having GP issues, or perhaps minor air intrusion. How long is your WTS light staying on? When it's just cranking and not lighting, are you getting white puffs out the tailpipe?

I say GP issues, because we've got the same temps here, and the she-devil has yet to miss a beat starting on glowplugs alone. (and only 3 of mine are working)

As for your plug in? An hour should be more than fine for those temps. Overnight won't hurt anything but your power bill. (it's like a 1kw heater IIRC) You can crank it plugged in, so long as all the cords are out of the way of the belts/fan.... but then you're gunna have to reach in there while it's running to unplug it. So I wouldn't do that.


Also, with that many miles, it's prolly a good idea to check your compression.

 

[Pull-n-TugTx]

WTS light was on a li'l longer than normal, usually 10 sec. Less than 15 on that day. Cranked for 10-13 sec. Did that 3 times and then it cranked up.

 

[Pull-n-TugTx]

Also I 'am getting some White Puffs at cranking.

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

i would say air intrusion. based on your WTS times all your plugs are in good shape.

 

[Pull-n-TugTx]

This AIr Intrusion could be the prob. The more I think about it. Ive had issues with the shower head, added the fuel line. Replaced the Fuel Pump, and filter. Had to crack every injector to finally get the thing started. Now I notice that the rear tank is leaking at the sending unit ring seal.

Could this be the whole issue!!!

 

[riotwarrior]

This AIr Intrusion could be the prob. ..... Had to crack every injector to finally get the thing started......Could this be the whole issue!!!

Time for a quaility retrun line kit, new o rings and Olives....eliminate those issues first...as they are not expensive....then see if your problem gets better!

 

[Pull-n-TugTx]

For give the newbie. What are the Olives?

 

[diezelcrazee]

Nights here in North Tx are getting in the 30's over night, not cold for you Northern guys, but here and this rig its COLD!!! COuple of questions.

How long should I leave it plugged in? Couple of hours before, all night?

Is there any way of knowing that the plug is working?

Can crank with it plugged in?

3 - 4 hours should be plenty of time. You will know if its working by feeling of the engine, after a couple of hours you will feel warmth coming off of it. No problem cranking with it plugged in.

Everything the other posters are saying about air intrusion and glow plugs are certainly things that need checking.

One other thing that could be part of the problem: Your sig says your truck has 360k on it. Any idea how many miles are on the IP and injectors? I have seen tired injectors cause starting problems. My 94 isn't starting to well right now either, even when plugged in and the gp system is working correctly, has new glow plugs.

So tonight I pulled an injector and put it in my pop tester. Pop pressure is supposed to be 1950 lbs. Mine are cracking at 1000 lbs. I'm sure that has a lot to do with my starting problems....

Injectors are supposed to have a 100k - 125k life span, so you might look at 'em.... If they have the original grey paint on them, chances are they are original.

 

[Kevin 007]

X2 on the 3-4 hours. No need to plug it in all night. I have a lower rad hose heater, which needs a bit longer then a conventional block heater. The reason I have it is because I have an
"early" 6.9l block which were know to crack around the heater port. So I use a rad hose heater instead. Works fine, just needs more time.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Sounds like an air intrusion to me, as stated get a return line kit and install it. Also check that the GP's are all working.

Started my truck up this AM and it was 18*, I heated the plugs for about 10~12 seconds and it fired right up in just a couple seconds of cranking. Usually don't plug it in until it drops below zero.

 

[nitroguy]

Hope I'm not hijacking, but I, too, have heater questions.

Is it possible to let it be plugged in too long? I'd imagine overnight wouldn't be a bad thing, but would it ever burn up oil, or cause bad things?

Also, anyone ever put their truck on a timer? Leave it plugged in all night, then at 4am have a timer click on and start warming up my truck before I get in at 7am?