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7.3 COLD STARTS?

2K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  ScottyP5947 
#1 ·
is it bad if you leave the truck plugged in all night?
in the morning i dont have enough time to go outside and plug it in... if i do that it will be plugged in for only 20-15 mins...

what if i leave it plugged in all night?
 
#2 ·
I would put it on a heavy duty timer, set to come on about 2-3 hrs before you are gonna leave in the AM. saves energy! I've left mine plugged in all night, no ill effects yet, but i like the timer sdet up much better.

and while yer at it, check out this mod. i'll be doing this next! http://www.powerstroke.org/forum/7-3-mod-help/121488-marinco-mod.html
 
#3 ·
Best to use a timer. The block heaters do not have a thermostat and in extreme cases can have caused cracked blocks. I have not personally had it happen but have seen it on farm equipement. Otherwise put in a aftermarket water heater that pumps the coollant and has a thermostat, they are faster than block heaters also.
 
#4 ·
It depends how cold it is outside...

Leaving it plugged in for days won't hurt a thing except for your power bill.

Also, if your dealing with sub-zero temps like -15F or colder, then plugging it in for a couple hours won't help a bit. You then need to plug it in while the truck is still somewhat warm and un-plug it when you are ready to start it again.
 
#5 ·
i agree with part of that statement.. the first part..the second i disagree heavily.

i live where temps get to -45C which is -49F and if you plug a truck in for a few hours and try and fire it up itll work. it DOES not need to be hot before plugging it in... you will not hurt the truck, if it was going to hurt it my trucks all would have wrecked engines and id be going thru them like mad.. its -15C here right now.. i plug my beast in everynight when i get home..and if i forget i just let her warm up a bit before i take off..

but to answer your questions..no it wont hurt the truck..just the power bill..
 
#6 ·
My truck in the condition it was in last winter would start at about +10F minimum cold.

When it was in the -20Fs (-30-35C) I would have to plug it in for 4 to 5 hours or even longer just to get it to fire up like it was +10 outside. Firing up comfortably would require much longer.

I never ran into a situation where plugging my truck in for 2 hours helped anything, but then again, there may be a temperature range where that is effective. Everyone's truck is different. I don't know if all block heaters are equal either. Mine will vary from 650W to 990W depending on supply voltage (within US code) and quality/length of cord. That's a pretty significant variance just right there.
 
#8 ·
I have always plugged mine in when I get home. Also I plug it in at the jobsite if I am going to be there a long time. I really need to do the glowplugs soon
 
#9 ·
I have 200' :(
100' to wrap around apartment to front corner and then another 100 I keep in my truck to go onto that or plug in wherever. When I ran numbers 100' of crap cord was worst case and that is about where I am with 200' or mid-to-crap cord.

Last winter, the cords varied, but it was usually plugged into receptacles in back of hotel parking lots. Who knows how much loss was involved there...
 
#10 ·
Why not do the proper troubleshooting and find out what's wrong with your truck? A properly working GP system should start the truck un aided in -20F weather. Of course this is switching to a lighter weight oil as well. There is a sticky at the top of this section that will walk you through troubleshooting the GP system.

NCH
 
#11 ·
i agree with 03, although i have needed to start my truck at -20 and it does ,but why if you don't need to, I plug mine in any nite its in the teens or colder, just to be as good to her as possible, then let it idle on its own for 10 minutes (at least) before I go. I have plugged trucks in all nite for years , like my dad, and granddad, power bill was the only change, no damage. The point is ......plugged in when cold= happier truck with NO DAMAGE, my two bits
 
#12 ·
The real difference seems to lie in the oil. It's been 15 degrees F around here and I have been starting up with 15-40 in it unassisted, only using glow plugs. It doesn't sound good, but it will light off after a few tries, depending on how long I leave the key forward before I start it. I have gotten such a deal lately on 15-40, I just couldn't pass it up, and it isn't really this cold very often out where I live.
With 5-40 synthetic, it will light off the first time almost without exception, as low as 12 degrees. My thought is, unless you have a short drive to work there is no need to plug it in, just run synthetic with a proper GP setup.

Scott
 
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