Diesel block heaters ?

[RJSakowski]

Our 35XT Nortrak diesel doesn't like to start below 40ºF. When it gets below freezing, it definitely needs the in line coolant heater. Usually, 2 hours is sufficient time. The required time will depend upon the wattage of the heater though. If left on for more than two hours, I can often start it without the use of the glow plugs.

In the winter, the primary usage of the tractor is moving snow. I have a wireless switch that the tractor heater is plugged into. I modified it by adding an external long wire antenna so I can turn it on from the front porch, 100 yds. away and on snow days, it is the first thing I do when I get up. To make sure the switch has been activated, it also turns on an LED light mounted on the outside barn wall for a visual indication of state.

Our ancient Ford 8N has always been a beast to start in cold weather. It has an updraft carburetor and floods easily so getting the choke just right is difficult. I have an in line coolant heater on it as well with the same setup as the Nortrak. To differentiate between the indicator lights between the two, I have a green filter on the Nortak light.

For conditions where you might need to start the vehicle first thing in the morning, a timer could be used instead. That way, you don't have to run the heater all night prior to starting the vehicle.

 

[projectnut]

I'm up in the U.P. of MI. I had 3 or 4 VW diesels over the years, and there were winter months when the engines never got cold. Plugged in at home in the garage or alongside the yard diesels at the factory. They started the same summer or winter. I used 15-40 Rotella, and it gets thick in the cold. There are stations in town that cater to the Canadian truck traffic that avoids the North shore of Lake Superior, and they have #1 diesel in season. That also makes a big difference below zero.

Back in the 1980's the company I worked for was building a production facility in Kirksville MO. In reality we were expanding and repurposing a building formerly owned by Donaldson to produce HD truck and construction machinery air filters. The construction project started in the summer of 1986 and finished up in the late spring of 1987.

I and several other company employees spent the better part of 10 months onsite supervising construction crews and installing processing and packaging equipment. One of the contract welders had just bought a GMC pickup truck with the infamous 5.7-liter diesel. The first cool fall day the thing refused to start. At that time Kirksville was somewhat depressed with a population of around 15,000. There were almost no service stations or repair facilities in the area and those that were there were extremely busy. It took the better part of the day before he could get someone out to start his truck.

To avoid further problems he left it running day and night until early May of the following year. It sat running in the parking lot at the plant, at the hotel, at the restaurants and anyplace else he took it. One snowy day he slid in the ditch. It sat there running for the better part of the day when a tow truck finally came along and pulled it out. I have no idea how many hours the truck ran, but I'm sure it spent far more hours idling in a parking lot that it did driving down the road.

A couple years later when we decided to expand the size of the plant, we called in the same construction crews. He appeared with all his welding equipment in the same, now slightly worn, truck.

 

[mmcmdl]

There was a day when the Kubota diesel and the zero turn lived in the garage ( long ago ) . That's my goal for next year . Clear out the unwanted crap and get at least these two tractors out of the elements . The bota used to look as new but the sun has faded the paint now which pizzes me off . I'll pick up a lot of room in 3 weeks and will maybe get one of these into the garage once again . These and the 4 wheelers were always hooked up to tenders over the winter months . 3 more batteries needed for the 4 wheelers once again .

 

[Jake M]

The F-250 didn't want to start today so I read up on the FTE site about the heaters . 3-4 hours max to heat the coolant ? It got down to 10 F last night but I have never needed the heater plugged in . I know many here have the diesels , what's your experiences ?

We ran a fleet of these. Those should early 6.0's oughtta start up just fine, to well below that. We never plugged one in unless something was broken. The biggest thing was watching the oil spec for them. We ran Ford spec 10w-30 and there was no looking back. Just a happier engine. Given where oil has gone since then, I'd bet it would be preferred well into the triple digits if Ford was still keeping up with those.....

That said... Low use and "lesser" winters.... It "might" be a valid band aid to plug it in. Keep an eye on stuff though. It never needed it, now it does? That "probably" means you've got some injectors showing wear, and/or the high pressure system isn't "failed", but might not be as tight as it was. Or you've started with a different oil? Those are REAL touchy about the oil being on spec. Not "on brand" (or even the right viscosity for the climate, people have an emotionial attachment to the idea that "diesels take 15-40 no matter what), but it needs to be "on spec". Part of it has to do with the injector solenoids being sticky when they're cold. Picture two flat plates, coverd in oil, placed together. You're gonna have to pull a little to get them apart, because the air can't get in. Ford's spec addresses that.

What about the software level? Stock? If so is it up to date? There were some that were desirable for starting up cold. If it's tuned, all bets are off in that department.