Keeping Diesel Engine Warm
My dodge dually Cummins engine is very hard to start when cold. At home or camping with hookups I can plug in the block heater but what can be done when boondocking.
Forum Discussion
Picinisco wrote:zcookiemonstar wrote:
Do you only have this problem when boondocking? Are you disconnecting your camper from the truck? If not this could just be a case of you draining your truck batteries with the campers power usage. Does your truck start fine at home without plugging in the heater?
No
Yes
No
I have thrown away the K&N filter and gone back to a paper filter. I have pullet out the intake heater to clean it but it is spotless.
The person i bought the truck from last february had just replaced both batteries, both marked 11/17 so i did not suspect them however on further examiation i find that they are 650cca batteries so suspect that they are a little weak, when cold, at getting the engine spinning to 200rpm, so when i get the $350 plus to replace them I will.
Before you toss $350 at batteries that you likely don't need. (It's possible, but you can get them load tested for free)
Have your injectors tested. You have the classic symptoms of injectors that return too much fuel at cranking rpms, not allowing high enough pressure to fire.
Iirc, your miles and lack of secondary fuel filtration make the injectors even more suspect.
Don't throw away money because you're in denial it could be a more expensive issue.
On the upside, compared to other diesels, Cummins injectors are the least costly and the easiest to replace. And don't buy reman injectors unless you like to gamble with questionable odds, unless you're planning on selling the truck the next day. Then it will s uck for the new owner...
