To Idle or Not to idle???

[mikes08powerstroke]

Is it OK to start my 6.4 10 minutes before I drive it to let it warm up?? Also my drive to work is only 3 miles and takes about 5 minutes is this too short a drive for a diesel truck??

[pops250]

Good question my drive and time are about the same.

[Clayton1985]

Mine is the same, Ive been doing it for a year...no issues. (My dpf is also deleted)

[iknfixit]

If I don't let mine run 10 min I use block heater. Prev owner ran short trips and I'm still getting carbon chunks in EGR every other month. Bought w/51k and now has 81K mi-7 months

[iknfixit]

Do they call it wet stacking??

[smotrs]

If the truck doesn't have time to get to normal operating temps you stand a bigger chance of having oil dilution. You also won't get proper regens die to the short commutes.

Unlike the earlier trucks, these newer ones don't do as good on short trips.

Sent from my EVO using AutoGuide app.

[Alberta Advantage]

I let mine idle when it gets really cold. Start the truck up and then get the snow brush out and clear the snow off and scrape the ice off and by the time I'm done doing that, it's been close to 10 minutes. Sure is a lot of real estate on these trucks to clean in the winter months! I also shorten my regular maintenance schedule in the winter due to increased idle time as per the owner's manual suggestion. Helps to plug in the truck and run a winter front on the truck too. One of these days, I'll invest in an Espar or Webasto. I see the 6.7 trucks have them as an option.

[iknfixit]

I work maintenance for nursing home with diesel emergency generators. All have a block heater going 24/7 and I believe in them....they have to crank and be at full throttle in 8 seconds.... The generator is to be run weekly and show exhaust temps checked to ensure bringing up to full operating temp to eliminate wet stacking. These trucks shouldn't be as risky and I never have real cold weather, but regardless of need.....it's nice to have warm heat by the end of the driveway and feel better about startup. I don't use in summer, but I'm just now getting in 40's at night to start using.

[hodge1995]

Wet stacking as i understand is when you let you truck idle for extended periods of time at low rpm has nothing to do with operating temp,The engine at low rpm is not burning all the diesel injected, you cure this by doing a high idle mod which can be turned on and off if you are going to let it idle. It is a simple mod on 08-10 there are many DIY threads on here on how to do it.

[smotrs]

Yeah, as hodge mentioned, if your doing long idles you'll benefit from doing the high-idle-mod.