glow plug warmer

[strokn'it]

so i was just wondering, at what temp do i need to start hooking my truck up to my powercord? i dont want it to get below outside temp and end up messing something up

[jesilvas]

it's not gonna hurt anything i don't think
unless you're on the north slope . . . in winter . . . with your hood open . . . all night
being in NC i don't think it'll get cold enough to mess anything up. not even cold enough to gel the fuel.
mainly just a convenience thing

[Big Bird]

ok, how about those of us that are in places that can see -45F in the winter. At what point should we be plugging in? I have free power to the post at my parking spot, so I'm not worried about how much power the block heater uses.

[jesilvas]

i'm not an expert but i don't think it's gonna hurt anything if you don't
i do when it gets to the thirties or so cause i don't wanna wait on it haha
to my knowledge, it heats the oil pan, the fuel bowl . . . heck idk. just the block lol.
my truck is kinda wimpy. got down to 8 degrees one time. had a heck of a time starting it.
i would say around 0 and under i would plug it in. that's just me

[Big Bird]

I am thinking it would be less wear and tear on the motor to have the oil able to flow better...

Oh, how do you like the Cobra BT radio?

[ridiculously_necessary]

i have a really hard time starting under 15*F, if its been sitting all night. but i agree with Big Bird, it will be easier on the motor if the oil is ready to flow. so if its free power and you want instant heat, i would say 25 and under. jmo.

[jesilvas]

yea that's probably about right. somewhere in there. i also cycle the glow plugs twice if it's pretty cool. maybe 20 or under.
the high pressure oil crossover hose actually did really amazing things for my cold starts. usually it would lope REALLY BAD if it was cold since the #8 injector didn't have enough oil to fire since the #6 was right before it in the oil rail and firing order. oil wasn't thin enough and didn't get there fast enough. i put on that HPOX and i had no lope what so ever. it was really nice.

i like the radio but i'm gonna get rid of it for a couple reasons
1) the blue lights for the channel and RX meter are WAY WAY WAY WAY to effhin bright. the dim setting is bright. the bright setting is spotlight. i haven't found a way to cover it up.
2) the bluetooth part is real cool, but not great since it's so loud in the truck. i usually can't understand anyone on it unless it's loud then they get a lot of feedback.
it's cool, just would rather have the 29 NW LTD

[cndrm]

Ok guys. I've lived in warm climates, and cold. And I've dealt with PSD that started fine in the cold, and ones that absolutely HATED the cold. The ones that started fine, wouldn't need to be plugged in until it got down to the 20's-30's. The others wanted to be plugged in when it was 45+ outside.

As for the block heater, it heats the coolant IIRC. (which in turn helps to warm the block, aiding in cold weather starting and fater "heater" times)

If the power is free for you. Then what I would do is this. If it's chilly enough, that you're wanting to run the heater in the morning, then I'd plug it in. (heck, it's free)

And as for us that live in cold climates, well, it becomes a part of life.

mike

[APEowner]

I have started my truck after it's sat unplugged all night at -30f but neither the truck nor I were happy about it. I generally plug it in if it's going to be down around the low 40s but that's mostly because I like having the heater work right away. Benefits for the truck probably start in the mid 30s.

[strokn'it]

ok ty for the info guys gave me some idea as to when i need to plug in