Engine Block Heater vs Oil Pan Heater. Everything you NEED to know about Cold Weather Diesel Engines
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- Опубликовано: 8 июл 2024
- In this video we are discussing Block Heaters, Oil Pan Heaters, Intake Air Heaters, Glow Plugs, Ether Injection, Fuel Heaters, and Battery Blankets. @AdeptApe on Venmo or AdeptApe@yahoo.com on PayPal for donations, thank you so much for supporting the channel!
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Every true Canadian truck driver knows all about these things. "Which of these do you want?"
"...... yes...."
While working in Alaska my diesel truck had a battery trickle charger, block heater, oil pan and transmission heating pad. I would plug it in at night to a timer that would come on 4 hours before I left for work. Never had any problems and put over a 100,000 miles on that truck. Thanks for keeping us informed.
This is one of the best maintenance items, I’ve heard. Well done taking care of all fluids. I’m sure you have seen, many truck drivers , have no idea what’s going on under the hood.!
Did you have the 8v71 Detroit engine?
blow torch to the oil pan or small campfire
Never heard of a transmission heating pad. Is it the same as an oil pan pad?
Transmission heating pad is the same as an oil pan heating pad.
4:05 “coolant and oil aren’t in direct contact with each other”
6.0 powerstroke: “am I a joke to you?”
The Six Leaker Had-A-Stroke
Lmmfao
My brother called me a few years back and told me he bought an '05 Ford F350 dually. I asked him what motor was in it and when he started to say the words "six litre" I started laughing.
@@krazykyfan To be fair, if it already had an EGR delete and a stud kit installed he might have got a good deal.
Reykor Jande
No.
Hpop is a ticking time
Bomb
Attached to
A bag of grenades
This guy is probably the single best diesel mechanic on RUclips I've ever come across. Always has information that is easy to understand in a format that presents it in a way that is explained using facts and his own personal experience as a tech. I really appreciate what you do and keep at it.
Thank you very much for the very kind comment.
Yes and he speaks very well.
Dam right.
👍👍👍
I live in Alaska you don't want to insulate your oil pan cause in the summer time it will over heat the engine ,water heater, battery heater and fuel heater you need those three....I run a blanket oil pan heater with the other three heaters but it not as necessary as the later
My last driving job was hauling bulk livestock feed around my home province. When they told me to spec out a new truck, I got a block heater, oil pan heater and battery blankets. The engine came with an intake heater as well. I got it started one morning in -48°C. Engine was unhappy as hell but it went... and then I didn't shut it off for the rest of the week until that cold snap ended!
I remember as a kid in the 70s, the best diesel tractor we had in really cold weather was our John Deere 70 Diesel. It used a gasoline pony engine to start the diesel. Once the pony was started, the exhaust was run though the intake manifold of the diesel and the pony shared the cooling system of the diesel. Also your cranking ability was now limited to the fuel capacity of the pony engine. As you start cranking the diesel, it was decompressed for much easier cranking.
I have a 1955 John Deere model 70 gas tractor, a great tractor, but I've always wanted the matching diesel model. Maybe one day.
The 2 we had was a 720 & a 830 the 720 had the pony motor but the 830 was an electric they both had decompression so we got everything turning over & up to rpm then you could start & go about your business.
@dirtfarmer7472 we have a 59 730 diesel but with an electric start. They sure are nice tractors with a lot of grunt.
Lots of old bulldozers and equipment were that way too, with the pony exhaust in the intake manifold.The decompressed state on them allows the rings to move easier, heat up more, and put a little more heat into the cylinders for when you disengage the release.
The old 2 cylinder Deeres make me laugh with the V4 pony engine having twice the cylinders of the main engine. 😊
Nice video. As a guy that has trucked to Alaska for years. I had a block heater, oil pan heater inside the oil pan and a carrier APU that was also hooked into the truck‘s cooling system. I would shut my DD16 down at -25 at night. The APU powered the oil pan and block heater, charged the batteries, circulated the coolant through the engine and also ran the heater inside the bunk under the bed. The truck would start like it was a warm summer day and the coolant gauge usually settled in at 110-115 degrees. I could never understand why to idle a 16 liter engine to keep the cab warm.
Interesting comment, thank you.
Even into the 70's, those excellent systems were not available OEM, so it was common in the northern latitudes to keep the engine running when the truck left the yard until it returned to the yard say a week later.
Apu or not you won't catch me shutting the engine off at that temp, the fuel burnt is inconsequential if im inside the truck.
There are a lot of guys out there that share your opinion. I was more concerned of wear and tear on the engine and the emission system. I have seen plenty of guys that idle their truck even in nice weather that have put many turbos on the ISX and are plagued by emission system break downs and had to rebuild the engine with less than 400,000 miles. My last truck I sold had an average speed of 50.4mph when compared to engine hours. I easily put 1000 to 1500 hours on the APU in an average year.
@@cullenmiller8170 emissions systems wrecked engines. Even needing a turbo replaced before 600,000 miles is pretty bad.
I have found a heated garage is the best option
I dont own one can I have your.
I find living in Australia helps a lot too lol.
-30 celcius on the side of a mountain with a heli portable drill if it doesn't start on the first crank you're screwed Put a sardine can of diesel under the oil pan and let it burn for 15 minutes, wrap some diesel soaked cloth on stick light it and wave it in front of the intake when you're ready to crank it. Never lost a hole to the cold.
how do you get the diesel lit? using only matches I can get diesel lit at 85F ambient temperature
@@georgewashington938 I carried a zippo in the bush.
@@mrfingers4737 okay - why does a zippo work when matches don't?
@@georgewashington938 A zippo can sustain a flame a bit longer than a match 😂
The diesel needs a fair bit of heating before it ignites. Remember liquids don't burn, it's the vapor coming off the liquid that actually burns. Diesel has to be heated for a while before it starts to vapourise.
Put a piece of a paper towel in the container of diesel, it will wick the diesel just like a candle wick, light the other end while it’s still dry, that will get the diesel heated enough to stay lit on its own.
Up in Canada here we frequently get -30 to -40 overnight temps. We actually have both an oil pan heater as well as water jacket heater plugged in throughout the night. We also have Eberspacher water heaters on a timer that come on 2 hours before the engine is to be started. This usually gives us a coolant temp of 100-130 when starting the engine. It also guarantees startup should one of the heaters fail for some reason.
If installed correctly an Espar will heat to 160F. I installed mine in the engine bay of my Dodge Cummins.
@@kyles234 Metric . . .
@@TRPGpilot 71C
We have them in all of our dozers and excavators too, can’t live without them
@@TRPGpilot Google . . .
Up here in Saskatchewan I use a block heater ,oil pan heater, 5/40 full synthetic oil and run winter diesel. Never a problem starting unless cords get accidently unplugged.
Which oil heater is better, the oil pan heater that is out side or the one that is inside the oil pan?
Sebi Alex the one inside cooked my c13’s oil. Good thing I had warranty.
Look at that. Josh called out cloud point, instead of the internet referenced and fuel additive marketing wank that is gel point. Had that conversation with far to many people. "Well I was treated down to -20. I opened the drain and fuel ran out so it is not a fuel gelling issue." You are correct sir... your fuel is not gelled. Apply some heat to your filters and call me back if it won't stay running. Calls back, "engine dies when I remove the heat, fuel pump must be weak." No sir your fuel heater is inop. "Oh I disconnected it years ago, I never operate anywhere close to -20." I recommend getting it hooked back up because your filter has a wax log jam. "I just doubled my additive dosing, how long does it take to work?" Looking at the weather forecast looks like mid next week. "What if I drain the filters and fill them with the additive?"... it goes on and on and on.
If treated properly -20 is no issue with Howes, any lower you better be throwing in some #1 if you dont want a long hard fight in the cold. I found if I turn off my electric lift pump till the engine gets some heat in it then it helps, the electic pump moves so much fuel it will clog up that water filter instantly. I do have a electric fuel heater and coolant ran through the FASS so even if it is a bit cloudy to start with it won't give me trouble as long as I unplug the system for the warmup.
I'm from Alberta, Canada and when it gets too cold we just don't turn them off until it gets warm again. -45 degrees celcius is horrible
Im a fellow OILBURTAN, A fleet winterization program really helps. I have a shit tons of Cummins ISLs, Volvo D12/13/MP8s, and detroit dd16s. We always ohm out the block heater plugs before a cold snap. Battery cutoffs shut off every night helps a lot too.
@@rhunter3406 Solid plan. Nice to see a fellow OILBERTAN
I live in Alberta Canada and that's terrible practice. Oil breaks downs needlessly, cylinder washing, unneeded engine hours, etc.
And I love how you give the impression that Alberta is at -45 for any length of time...Maybe in High level or Fort Chip, but not for weeks on end.
Best solution is a Webasto or Epsar install. Was cost prohibitive twenty years ago, but once diesel passed the 60 cent a liter mark, the investment paid for itself fast.
@@rhunter3406
"Blue Waffle cone?" LMFAO!
@@fredg8199 I use to feel same way as you. However had to many instances of frozen air valves, etc from the air not flowing in those temps. Have had more luck keeping it running in those extreme temps. I bump the rpm up to 1200 though.
Don't know why I'm watching this in Australia but love the insight!
Winter is coming.
in the voice of John Snow.
Climate change be wild. Be prepared not caught off guard.
I personally would take an oil pan heater over a coolant heater, i have taken apart too many isx’s with spun cam bearings due to poor Lubrication from cold starts
I prefer the coolant heater it is easier to start with a warm block, also when the coolant is warm it heat the oil while passing trough the oilcooler, as soon the engine run.
What about both! How hard is to glue an oil pan heater on the oil pan?
If it’s that cold- use both
@@darrenrich3492 Indeed. Plus ample diesel conditioner well before it gets cold and all winter long, use fresh high quality synthetic oil with a very low pour point and a smart maintenance charger (holds at 13.6v) left overnight on batteries also checked and serviced regularly. If the oil is rated for extreme cold that should be enough for a PROPERLY SERVICED diesel vehicle for the odd very cold start, but where and whenever possible when one expects steady temps below -15C, heat both the oil and the coolant. That also has the added benefit of raising ambient battery temps enough to make a big difference sometimes.
It is often below -40C in these parts in winter and my 7.3idi hates cold, but the truck is packing a 10kw welder/generator. If needs be, 2 hours for the block and pan heaters is just enough at -45C to spin it up with some effort. Lets face it few stock vehicles can handle extreme cold without some damage, so throw the kitchen sink at it.
Oil pan heater is better idea. Without oil moving to critical parts engine life goes down drastically! We’ve had below temperatures and oil pours out like molasses and barley moves so valve train would be rattling..
appreciate the content, as a new diesel tech student this really helps a lot
Thank you.
Yeah try attempting a proper profession like coding or software design, that's what I do and I'm 19 years old and make in 2 days what you make in a month peasant 😝
@ who gives a shit what you make? Dont put down other people and their occupations
Dylan Martin
They can pay u as much as they want doesn’t make you a man.
And at 19 you are a child.
Period
Not!
Them damn inlet air heater will get apprentices with ether everytime🧨
Peg knows the best ways to cold start an engine. I learned about swapping spit to heat up the engine watching him lol #slavelake
Hell yeah that minty sob can get anything running in the cold!
Just add Cosby in a can
CONSENT IN A CAN 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Cosby sauce
As a guy thats trying to learn a couple of things here and there about Diesels you sir make it easy to pick up all this information. Thank you!
Super job. Don't think I could ever retain so much knowledge and be so fluent all at the same time. You are well schooled sir. Great job.
Thanks for all you do, I use information I learn on this channel almost daily, thanks again for the continuing education!
HI. Are you familiar with a Webasto coolant heater? It runs on 12 or 24 volts and diesel. Yup, it burns diesel for heat. It also has a circulation pump so that all of the coolant gets heated, not just what is close to the block heater. Different sizes are available depending of how big your engine is. Pretty popular in Canada on farm tractors that need to be used in temperatures well below freezing. A similar system is used on most diesel locomotives now days. Of course these are much, much larger. It allows the rail companies to shut locomotives down for hours at a time and be able to restart them, whereas only a few years ago, they would simply leave them idling, AND wasting lots of fuel.
hear in the north east of the USA you cant really drag around cords most places. i have the Webasto Thermo Pro 50 Coolant Heater on my personal pickup and have had it on there for the last 15 years set the timer or hit the remote and in 20 minuets the hole engine is 140f not only does it start like summer but there is no time sitting for the oil to get warmed up a bit
(on start it takes secant seconds to get the cold out of the oil) let alone the instant heat to clear windows. go team Wabasto.
hear in the north east we have coolant running threw the fuel tanks in the winter to heat the tanks even treated fuel gels with wind chill you know say driving down the road at 65 mph.
The only problem is that they are so expensive!
I think you did a great job explaining this stuff for those who aren't experienced with diesels. 👍
No auxiliary engine heaters mentioned such Espar or Wabasto. Not all truckers have access to a 110 outlet in northern Canada or on the road in general. Better to run one of those than your engine all night.
In Fairbanks, we had oil, battery, coolant and sometimes cabin heaters.
Plugged in at home, plugged in at the supermarket, plugged in at work,
and that was just for the gas cars.
Do most stores have electrical connectors in the parking lot for this? Seems weird to me being in the continental US.
Had a buddy stationed up there years ago. Said you would have to go into winter with 5 or 6 extra serpentine belts in your car that you had used for a week or so during the summer to loosen them up. In winter, i guess they would snap all the time. Sound like fun. Lol
@@AdeptApe Yep, at the head of the stalls, about waist height.
Great presentation! You covered all the bases. My experience with ether was when my two brother-in-law in- laws used massive amounts of ether to try to cold start their car. When they couldn't get it to turn over anymore they pushed it to the side and left it. In an attempt to figure what they screwed up I tried the damper bolt and then the flywheel through the starter hole and could not get it to budge. I pulled the pan looking for carnage but everything was clean. I pulled a rod cap and was able to slide the piston up the bore but the pin was seized and I could not force the rod to move. I put the pan back on!😢 After some interrogation they showed me the multiple empty cans. I'd never seen anything like it. Thanks for all the very thorough videos!
Thank you for all the info. I have been using Oil Pan hearters and Battery Warmers for years. They are Great.
I like the coolant circulation heater the one I had would keep the coolant at about 90 to 120 degrees and because it has its own pump so you can use the heater and it usually would keep the whole engine compartment warm... Also they normally run tank blanket when you run up north
I've got a Perkins that came with ether injection 35 years ago; still going strong. No drama.
I had a webasto on my 3/4 ton. Totally awesome. If you’re in the real cold a block heater is amateur compared to a true diesel fired coolant heater.
Yes, but $1500 will pay for about 4 lifetime supplies of starting fluid.
Had a great laugh there with the picture of the fuel filter. It reminded me of the first time I had to work on a diesel that was running on chip oil.
Eberspacher has a pretty fullproof system, a lot of our local northeast (PA) fleets use it. Its an external block heater that runs on diesel from the tank. Fully automated so it can be set to come on at the same time every day, not run all night, and you don't need a cord. Local heavy-duty plows and tankers have used them for years with no issues. Pretty surprised you didn't metion it actually.
It's a heater with a pump that warms the coolant as it passes through the unit.
Circulating through the block and heater core. The advantage is it will actually keep the windshield slightly warm and when you do start the unit you have next to instant warm heat out of the vents.
My experience here in Alberta and running the ice has shown over 100 degree engine temperature seconds after startup at -30.
As for keeping the interior warm, both Webasto and others offer a separate cab heater that keeps you toasty warm all night.
But in remote areas I still would not shut off my truck past -20. That would be the time the coolant heater or truck would refuse to start.
I have used Webasto combo heaters (717 tandem) with great success, love it so much I have one in my 6.0! Its nice to go shopping or to the movie at -20 and come out to a toasty warm vehicle.
@@fredg8199 My Webasto didn't start one am in SD was minus 20F 1996 Pete with a 5EK started ok but it did sputter a bit.
Don't forget about Webasto's heaters
Those are neat, but they are way expensive! I was going to get one after I noticed your post, but then I saw the price. $1500 is a lot!
@@davidscott5903 thanks for saying the price, it's cool to know these things exist but hehe sometimes I can't afford some of the cooler tech.
Great video, on my Detroit I run both a coolant heater and oil pan heater.
4:48 That is absolutely true, most of us will said that the oil in contact with a steel oil pan will cool the oil down... I can see that you know exactly what are you talking about. Saludos.
I had an old tractor. Bought two freeze plug heaters. Plug those in, throw a blanket over the hood, it was hot in an hour. Then, I found another that went in the lower radiator hose. Old diesel from the 70's would crank right up. I also had a magnet oil pan heater but never really used it.
Seeing that NF Southern engine spewing fire in the beginning of the video gave me a good laugh. My father-in-law used to work for CSX and told me stories about some poorly maintained NF Southern trains. Funny story about cold weather and diesel engines. My grandfather owned a sawmill and logging business when I was growing up in western KY. The weather in the winter would not get brutally cold like up north, but would have mornings where the temp was in the low teens from time to time. My dad was driving into the woods early one morning and the log crew had a fire built under their old Timberjack skidder. Apparently that was their way of heating the oil and engine up to get it started lol. Very informative video and very well done sir!
I never touched a diesel but from watching many videos, poneys that crank the engine while providing oil pressure and that the exhaust go through a air intake heat exchanger is the most awesome idea I've seen!
Lived and trucked in the Northwest Territories Canada for 8 years. Block heaters, oil pan heaters, battery blankets, 0-40 synthetic, fully closed rad cover, fully closed in belly tarp, wrapped exhaust and insulated burner box. Insulated def tank and lines, insulated fuel tank,lines and filter, anti gelling additives, methal hydrate in the air system, wrapped and heated air dryer……..and your truck would still freeze up.
Very informative but I am going to mention what worked for us in Northern Wisconsin. Both our diesel trucks and the diesel tractor loaders used to clear snow from our docks we did the following. Once it gets to October, oil is replaced with 3 W 30 synthetic oil, we put Number One fuel in everything and all have intake manifold heaters in them. We always put larger capacity batteries in everything but all have a trickle charger installed to plug in when it gets towards 10 below. Even with -50 F they started up. With the trucks warmed up running at the docks, the drivers are told to put a quart of ATF in the fuel tanks as it will have low fuel on their return. We felt this will help lubricate the injectors and it adds some detergent. On the trucks return they are fueled up with number one fuel and parked. We had very little injector failures and the engines lasted MANY hundreds of thousand miles. I retired in 2005 but these procedures are still being done.
Other alternative methods: heat gun or propane torch near the air intake, or torpedo heater over the aftercooler if you have one. We have a 7.3 PSD Superduty with a bunch of glow plugs out, and the grid heater could barely be called that. You can't feed it warm air pre-turbo or the aftercooler cools it back down too much. I put a torpedo heater pointed down on the cooler with the hood popped, give it a minute to heat the air charge, and fire it right up. Works pretty well for the really cold days we've been without electricity for the block heater.
In highschool (1993/4) I worked for a OTR trucking company that put disposable baby diapers ie pampers on their fuel filters in the winter. They ran a mix of 855 Cummins and 3406A and 3406B engines.
Good video and educational. I wish I would have seen it a week ago. I forgot to add the anti gel additive and our temperatures are 40 degrees below normal
I have a Pete with a C-12, and I have switched my oil over to Chevron Delo 5W-40. I run it year round and I absolutely love it. Oil consumption is now drastically reduced, and it starts like a dream and builds very nice quick oil pressure in the cold (And I always run my block heater below 35°-40°). I've had this oil in the 100+ degrees climbing the mountains in California, and I've had it in northern Michigan where I live, below zero temps and it performs amazingly overall. That's my $0.02, for what it's worth!
my greatest friend when working in the Yukon was a parachute and a propane tank and torch
5w-40 is a beautiful thing for my old 24 valve Cummins makes a world of difference in cold weather starting
the proper APU takes care of everything. worth every penny
Very nice video, extremely informative. Probably the best video I've seen on these topics, certainly the most thorough.
So up in the Alaska arctic oil field we install oil pan pad heaters and also block/coolant heaters. When it's -50 degrees fahrenheit or less we use heat trailers to warm up the engine. Those suckers run at 1500 rpm from fall and then shut down in spring. One driver let one idle at 900rpm all night and the coolant cooled down to 40 degrees and pushed all the oil past the rings and into the exhaust and made a good inspection window in the block. But then a piece of block grounded the positive on the starter and caught the engine bay on fire
I dump plenty of anti-gel in my trucks in winter. I also added regulated fuel return systems to heat my diesel. When it gets bitter cold I add some 100% isopropyl alcohol to keep from gelling. Do it very often and it can dry out your injectors...
Told a guy at work about the block heater in December, he then plugged the work truck in at the end of the day and solved his problem cold starting . Next time I was in the shop early in the morning was in May. He was still using the block heater even when the temperature outside was well above freezing! $$$
1st time diesel owner, '15 Super Duty owner and I want to know EVERYTHING about it. Thank you for letting us know all about it.
Well there is definitely hours worth of information that could be spent discussing this, but this is a good start.
Webasto coolant heater is a very good option for cold weather, you can program it the day before to turn on 2 hours before you wanna start your truck, and then once your at the truck early in the morning freezing cold, the truck starts up like it's summer time 👌
I had one of these b4! They are bad a$$
We use a no name inline water heater. It worked great plus it blew hot air soon as the engine was running.
I had a Jetta TDI, I installed a coolant heater. I swear by them. Did not matter the temp, my TDI would fire right up with heat from the heater nice and toasty warm. After so much luck with that, I installed one in my Suzuki Samurai. It was much easier to install and did a terrific job as well.
I live in interior Alaska and it is very common practice to install a block heater, oil pan heater, battery blankets and tenders, and sometimes even transmission pan heaters when "winterizing" our vehicles up here. They will start at -50f if plugged in for long enough, sometimes 4-6 hours.
Yup, Southwest Alaska here.
I would like to live there. But a heated garage sounds like the best choice If I have the option.
As always, thank you very much for sharing your expertise.
I always wondered why the coolant heaters such as webasto are sold as all-in-one solution for cold weather engine health solution. warm engine block, engine oil and battery are far more important. Thanks for the video, very nice summary of this topic.
Really enjoyed the information from this video.
I have an oil heater in the shop that I have waited for this video to confirm that I should install it! Thank you sir for your time and effort.
Same here Lol
@@glovierstreeservice3271
I didn't know how hot these things get and I didn't want to degrade the life of my oil. Mine looks like a short water heater element. I'm going to put mine in a available port on the bottom side of my oil pan. It's a C15 Cat. The blank port is the same level as my oil drain. do you know if there is any clearance issues once installed?
@@victormcox I dont know about the clearance
I made a lot of money towing semis from the USA that came to Canada running #2. Another thing that fuel will do is plug the vents and all the fuel run to one tank and then draw from the empty tank. Plenty of fun solving those problems Even though we have additives in our fuel , I always put in fuel conditioner. The other mistake that operators do is not cover up the front. It's a lot more difficult keeping that engine warm when it starts dropping below -15c. A belly bag/blanket is also a good idea if your operating in -20c or colder.
On my personal vehicle (gasoline) , it's a block heater and a battery maintainer. I've also used battery blankets.
If you have none of those things, I suggest using one or two high wattage bulbs/work lights under the hood, covered by a blanket to keep the heat in. It will bring the block temperature up.
When you live in an inhospitable environment, you learn to improvise. It's been -30c to -38c all week.
It's been cold here this week, but not -30. I've started using just a cab heater to help get the ice off the windows and helps from turning the heater on immediately, which in turn helps the engine warm up a little faster.
@@AdeptApe yes, it's been brutal.cold here. -38c last night. Calgary was -42c. Every little bit helps when getting a engine running in these temperatures. They were not designed to run in these extreme so getting them to operating temperature takes a lot more effort and resources.
We pretty much can’t buy any incandescent 100W bulbs here in the US anymore, and the others available don’t make enough heat to matter.
I just picked up a 5.9 cummins that I'm going to fully go through, as well as build the truck (dodge frame, 83 Ford body). As I go through the planning process, I have in my mind the idea of a 3 plug connector hanging out to be plugged in, and on this plug, I'll have a block heater, battery tender, and Fass filter heater. Glad I'm on the right track with my plan, and thanks for reaffirming a pan heater as a decent option.
I put a maintainer on each battery in my old 24 Valve and fed all three plugs into one so I only had to deal with 1 cord to mess with everyday.
Those little Kim hotstart thermosiphoning heaters are nice.
Most of the gens I see under 250kw or so have a plenty warm block ,and the oil pan (by feel) isn't far behind it.
On a vehicle it's gonna have to circulate for quite a long time to be able to soak into the oil too though.
My dad has a 6.7 Cummins diesel and since we live in California we always run 15W40
Well said. I tell my guys to run a diesel fuel anti gell with every fill up. We are a local trucking company (Detroit area). I tell them it is cheaper and easier to just add the stuff than it is for me to get them started if it gelled up overnight
Have them keep a bottle of diesel 911 in their trucks to in case of gel ups it degels the instant it touches diesel and makes it so flammable you can light it with a lighter like gasoline. Its emergency use only but adding half the recommended amount helps with diesel startups in cold weather as well
Don't you guys have arctic diesel in the winter months? Up here in Canada we have summer diesel, winter diesel and arctic diesel. Arctic diesel never, ever gels. We don't use anti-gel additives unless we are planning to start a piece of equipment that was parked with summer diesel in the tank.
Our fuel company delivers winter diesel. I will gel up around 10° F. My company pays for the anti-gel, so why not add it.
As far as the 911 (red bottle) my guys are not that bright and will use it for everyday anti-gel, I know I've seen them do it. So now I keep the 911 inside my shop and they can't get to it.
Do not use 911 as antigel, it will screw up your fuel system. It’s only for emergencies. Use any normal antigel product to prevent gelling.
Going with an oil pan heater for my parts cleaning bath and a couple of 120f. Thermo switches. Thanks Much Man.
I've got a 100w kat heating pad on my oil pan and another on my tranny pan plus a coolant block heater.
Only use the (2) kat heaters if sustained single digits. Otherwise block heater if 10+F degrees.
It makes a difference for sure if looking for easier startups or quicker warmups.
We install a lot of Webasto coolant heaters in Northern b.c. they work great
I have actually used the battery blankets , frost plug heaters and 1.0Amp on board trickle chargers on my 5.3 L gas GM truck engine. It sits outside. I pkug them all into a splitter under the hood and then into a timer on the wall so it doesn't run all night long.
I only use it below zero.
Cool thanks brother hopefully my truck works now in the cold. My cord was FUBAR, but element was still good. Cords like 23 years old, so definitely ok with changing that out.
My w9 3406e comes home with me daily. This is my setup when the cold months roll in. I make a 50/50 blend of T6 5w40 with T4 15w40, oil pan heater and the block heater. Inside the cab I run a space heater. She’s never let me down once and I know there’s good oil flow and lubrication on startup. Also before every winter I run a draw test and clean and lubricate every battery/wire terminal
Why not just run Rotella T6 0w40 oil?
I’m a fan of both. If you’re in an environment where the freezing temperatures get to the negative extremes, both will be great. If you live in a place where temperatures are rarely freezing for significant amounts of time, either will get you going sooner.
I have a gas 5.7 hemi. I run a block heater, battery blanket and oil pan heater, they call that the arctic package and yes I used it in the arctic. My truck started every time in -60 so they all work, but as a package. The block heater and oil pan heater especially although my battery is 8 years old... Synthetic oil helps too.
I used to live in Fairbanks, AK, and I found most guys there, no matter what car, pickup or semi or industrial equipment they run, they put all of the above on. Plus a stick on fuel tank heater and heat trace on the fuel line. Then a tarp that goes from the top of the radiator down under the engine and ends somewhere near the transmission. That last one is more ice road truckers in Canada but still, when you're hundreds of miles from civilization in -50f cold, you're going to do everything to make sure your truck isn't going to fail
Coolant heats the block, block heats the oil pan, pan heats the oil. My 7.3 will heat the oil pan enough that it’s warm to the touch on the outside after being plugged in overnight. Proper oil weight for the operating environment is just as critical as starting aids. Switching to 5W-40 synthetic has done wonders for cold start performance.
Great info as always.
i got a webasto, and the timer for it, set it for half hr or hr befor fire n good to go, powered off truck batts no 120v, i also plumped it into my artic fox inframe barrel fuel heater, so pre heats fuel also
My last truck had a APU that kept the engine warm it was a nice setup ,pluss if you were off a few days if you set it it would start and keep your batteries charged.
Some fantastic diesel information here, appreciate the video
I used to have a 17 A Cat D7 dozer. Came with a pony motor. I can cold start anything now.
1 thing Josh didn’t mention was a fuel additive I liked BG it helped & a time or 2 I just let the engine idle all night didn’t like that.
Thank you Josh for your help with this video
I have owned a 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 4X4 with the 488 cubic inch V-10 since 2004. I have 700W block heater, 150W heaters on the transmission pan, engine oil pan, 50W heater on the power steering oil reservoir, 80W battery blanket, and a small, waterproof trickle charger. I plug it in and I'm good to go. For when the temps fall past -15* I have a 1500W circulating heater. I have never had a problem with my truck except for normal maintenance.
This is an interesting, informative and well done video. Thanks for the useful information, without any extraneous BS.
I used BOTH!
As a farmer I fitted my 01 7.3 with most of the suggested ideas minus the lighter oil. I added a pony motor with a home made heating apparatus to preheat the coolant when things got below -30 F by circulating coolant through the pony motor exhaust. ( I have yet to find an old Briggs and Stratton than does not cold start well.) Two extra batteries under the rear seat for assistance or trickle charging overnight, fuel preheating and to pre-warm the heat tape wrapped B&S motor tucked into the tool box. I never ever let ether near my trucks intake. Like you said a bad idea. Might have been over kill for New England but I might add, I never ever had any difficulty starting my truck no matter the temperature.
Interesting. Did you have a heat exchanger with the coolant flowing through it and the small engine exhaust blowing through the fins of the exchanger, or something similar
@@wmden1 I made a tank with holes cut into it and ran the exhaust through the pipes which heated the contents of the tank. Imagine a box, cut holes in the sides and run cast iron pipes through. (Sideways radiator minus the thin fins) The pipes being smaller made the B&S force the exhaust through them. The engine was rigged like old Canadian tucks where coolant can be swapped between trucks to assist with starting. Had a valve to divert the exhaust so as to not cook the coolant. The B&S was set to pump coolant. Coolant was sent through cast iron pipes to the oil pan and the same with the coolant system. All pipes were insulated that went out off the tool box or the engine bay. Rubber lines only where flexibility was needed. Always heated the coolant to preheat the engine then did the oil. Oil pan was a custom job I had made. Like the tank had cast iron pipes running through it. Valves at the pump labeled Coolant/Oil/Tank Circulate. Cast iron pipes because every fitting was NPT and can be found anywhere(cheap), and the heat transfer rate.
Outstanding information for the trucker. For the logger I have set up a canadian system where I run 2 hoses from my pickup to the equipment circulating hot coolant from running pickup to cold skidder/dozer/excavator etc . Must be the same coolant. 30 min and head temp which is critical for combustion is up high enough to flash off upon cranking as long as fuel is moving. Used at -20F and away we go. Also run into intake flame heater's where you inject raw fuel onto glow plug in intake and intentionally start fire in intake just prior to cranking to increase combustion chamber temp. Found on komaysu and perkins so far.
That's a pretty good idea. Did you make some quick connects similar to a PTO to a trailer or something?
@@AdeptApe 3/4" heater hose with quick connect both ends. coil them up in a bag when not in use to keep them safe. About 15' long . If you have a specific piece you are starting cut to length that works. If you're starting everything the one that takes the most hose is what you have to go with for length. Probably holds an additional gallon of coolant tho.
You explain so well
Great advice as always stay safe 🇦🇺👍
The John Deere tractors I grew up around were from the 60s and 70s. They all used block heaters with ether as a back up. We later got a 90s Ford and the glow plug it used was a bit confusing at first.
I do commercial vehicle alignments, and light duty chassis repair. This is very interesting information though
I just put a block heater and an oil pan heater on my tractor I bought early last spring. I'll see how it works soon. I will also use a fuel additive. It was harder to start than I liked in early spring. I live in the Midwest so it's never -20 I just want to prolong the life of the engine.
Good video ty.
An ancedote; I had a 800a 12v battery freeze on me in 2015. It was on a project truck and I put a charger on it in the fall and come February the temps got past -30 celsius for a few weeks. I eventually thought to check on the batteries and 1 of them had popped the lid, the case was bulged and had oozed out a bunch of slush.
Very well done video.
So wise , Thank You.
Diesel tractors in the past often used pony motor starting, which proved to be quite effective in cold weather.
I live in Fairbanks Alaska and your advice is correct.
Any advice for a guy wanting to move from Texas to southern alaska?
Wait till summer time.
At -40 you have to block heater and oil Pan heater.
Cold is a relative term as you point out. I have not had issues starting two stroke Detroits, Big Cam Cummins, 3406 DI Cats, Mack V8s, or my Dodge Cummins above 0 to 10 above Fahrenheit. And that's with no starting "aids". If you have good batteries and are vigilant with fuel filters, generally they will start has been my experience. If it got below zero, we'd leave them run at "high idle" about 1000 RPM or a little more. We used weather fronts and paid attention to water/oil temps while at high idle. We used Arctic Fox in tank heater with shut off valves for the water.
Here in Minnesota I like to run blended fuel. 50/50 no1 to no2. Also keep some straight no1 for when it gets really cold. At -50 f 50/50 wouldn’t come out of the fuel barrel
In Scandinavia we often use a divice that burn diesel and heat the water.
Working on 12 ore 24V.
Ebersprėr ore Webasto.
-32 here in Montana, I think I need all of these
I wish i could have you for coffee and a good evening of problem solving! You’re an awesome mechanic, I’ve learned much from your videos and experience. But id like to have the opportunity to teach you about temperatures, below 32 degrees and around and below-40….. I deal with that every winter. I love the effort you put into your videos Josh!
A coworker had glow plug issue on his 7.3ps and he couldnt get his trk to start. With my gas 57 JD 520 tractor when real cold i have used a propane torch to heat the intake and all i had at work was my butane torch i used to soldier wires so i used that to warm his turbo spyder after the inter cooler part and we finally got his trk started