Cold weather diesel starting

Yaj wrote:
Last fall we fueled up in Las Vegas, headed East and overnighted in a truck stop by the time we woke up it was in the mid twenties when I started the engine. She ran for 15-20 seconds, sputtered and died! It had gotten down to the teens over night, and with the summer blend fuel we got in Vegas it had gelled and not warmed up enough to thaw out before I started it. I had to crack all my injector lines in order to get it to prime again.
That's my story and I'm sticking with it!

Mid 20's, and it gelled? I run summer #2 til it gets around zero with no problems.

OP it was just cold. It seems like the larger engines have a harder time in the cold weather than the light duty engines.

My dad's 01 Cummins and my 05 Cummins do pretty good to about 10*F before they seem to have a 'no-fire' on #6 cylinder (assuming #6 since it is the farthest from the intake grid heater).

On my dad's '06 International DT570, it raises all sorts of hell near freezing and almost demands the block heater at 20*F.

On mornings you are having a hard time getting it started, cycle the heater twice. After the Wait to Start light goes out, shut the key off then turn it back to the ON position to cycle the intake heater a second time. It will suck in warmer air this way.

As for fuel additives, I run Howe's. Kept my '05 alive in Colorado at 11k elevation with -25*F temps, starting without the use of the block heater.

Last fall we fueled up in Las Vegas, headed East and overnighted in a truck stop by the time we woke up it was in the mid twenties when I started the engine. She ran for 15-20 seconds, sputtered and died! It had gotten down to the teens over night, and with the summer blend fuel we got in Vegas it had gelled and not warmed up enough to thaw out before I started it. I had to crack all my injector lines in order to get it to prime again.
That's my story and I'm sticking with it!

Since you have probably never started it when cold, dont worry about it. Go somewhere where its really cold and you would think its destroying itself when and if you got it to light off.

Did you start it right up OR wait for grid heater?

jus2shy wrote:
Are you running a high Bio blend (something like 20% or greater)?

I don't know.. I'd have to check with the last station I fueled at in Eden ID. Big truck stop.

2oldman wrote:
Tried to start the Cummins 8.3L in 28° weather, and it started, but shook horribly. I let it run for about a minute then turned it off. Restarted it and it ran fine. That was scary.

Talked to some truckers and called a Freightliner place.. they it was gelled fuel, and to use an additive. Got some. Hope tomorrow morning is better.

I didn't know the shook, did't it smoke to.

The 8.3 is a Cummins ISC, this motor has a heater grid plate just like the ISB. Cummins motors will try to go straight into a higher idle right off the bat if they're really cold. But if they're just a bit warm (over 38 or 40 degrees), they'll go into a low idle right off of start. At least that's what I've observed with the motors I'v seen. 28* is quite a bit too warm for fuel gelling. Are you running a high Bio blend (something like 20% or greater)? Depending on the feedstock, that could start gelling/having paraffin fallout at 28 degrees.

Cloud of white smoke?

dgreen1069 wrote:
I'm guessing the engine either had weak plugs

Glow plugs?