1st winter with diesel

[dieselpower8]

i live in central illinois where temps in the winter are anywhere from 40 to 0 and not out of the question to get below 0. now when should i plug it in and for how long? should it be plugged in all night or what? also how long should i let it idle before driving it in those temps? would leaving my sct program on the truck in the winter hurt it? any other tips or advice would be appreciated thanks

[e99f2506sp]

I plug mine in pretty much any night it gets below freezing if I know I need it the next morning for sure. It doesn't really need it all the way up to freezing, but it sure makes it warm up faster. I've heard that if its below 10, you should plan on plugging it in.

AS far as how long to plug it in, longer the better. I plug mine in all night just cause I don't want to have to worry about it in the morning, but if you've got over an hour before you leave and think to plug it in, I would.

Oh, And I let it idle for quite a while if its not plugged in and its really cold. Generally try to wait to drive it until the needle moves a bit, and don't really get on it until it gets on the low end of the normal range...Plugged in, 10-15 min high idle. Not plugged in and really cold, 20+min high idle.

I've got a 6 pos chip and won't switch it out of stock programming until the temp needle gets to normal range. I don't know if it will hurt anything to run tunes when its cold, but I would just rather not push it...

[FrozenInTime]

I plan on pluging mine in pretty soon. Winters around here gets to below zero for a couple months minimum. Minus 30-40 at night is not uncommon. I'm also getting an Astro Start that will start the truck at predetermined intervals and run for 15 minutes or so each time.

[majek5]

Leaving it plugged in longer than 3 hours is just a waste of electricity. I have mine on a timer to go on 3 hours before I leave for work.

[mustangman02232]

Originally Posted by majek5

Leaving it plugged in longer than 3 hours is just a waste of electricity. I have mine on a timer to go on 3 hours before I leave for work.

+1 mines about 2.5 to 3 hours before on a timer, I let the needle move bofore i drive off. mine is tuned all the time

[FrozenInTime]

What about the starting every 3-4 hours for 15 min, good or bad? It will only do it below zero.

[Galaxie]

Originally Posted by FrozenInTime

What about the starting every 3-4 hours for 15 min, good or bad? It will only do it below zero.

Not sure. I know I hate shutting mine down cold. Im not sure why I hate it though. lol!

[Galaxie]

My trucks sweet spot is 4 hours. It is warmer than if I have it set for 3 hours. My Edge will tell me for sure though!

[dannanw]

waist of gas/diesel. x2 on the timer and the needle thing

[CloverLeafFarm]

Originally Posted by dieselpower8

i live in central illinois where temps in the winter are anywhere from 40 to 0 and not out of the question to get below 0. now when should i plug it in and for how long? should it be plugged in all night or what? also how long should i let it idle before driving it in those temps? would leaving my sct program on the truck in the winter hurt it? any other tips or advice would be appreciated thanks

What part of Central illinois are you from? I'm from Ridge farm about 45 minutes E of champaign