Keeping Diesel Engine Warm

rhagfo wrote:

donn0128 wrote:
Thats crazy! Throwing parts at a problem without doing any troubleshooting. Check batteries first. Check air filter remove and carefully clean grid heater.
BTW your not using one of those cruddy oiled filters are you?

Agree, even at 40 should not need the grid heater. Check batteries first as slow crank will not create enough compression heat to fire. If only one is bad replace BOTH!

Also, ECM needs to see a minimum of soemthing like 200 cranking RPM's or it wont even fire injectors.

donn0128 wrote:
Thats crazy! Throwing parts at a problem without doing any troubleshooting. Check batteries first. Check air filter remove and carefully clean grid heater.
BTW your not using one of those cruddy oiled filters are you?

Agree, even at 40 should not need the grid heater. Check batteries first as slow crank will not create enough compression heat to fire. If only one is bad replace BOTH!

It's not your grid heaters - guaranteed.

The K&N issue is not even debateable. It's a documented problem that Dodge and Cummins have written TSB's for. And yes, many have indeed had a "problem" with excessive blow-by and warranty's were cancelled when the intakes were found to be dirty form K&N or other washable filters. (The TSB specifically mentions K&N).

In my own case, I used one for a short time until I read about "dusting". Sure enough, when I wiped the intake tube with a white paper towel there was dirt.
If you want a better breathing filter for that era of truck, use the 3" Fleetguard replacement for the 6.7 (AF27684). It breaths BETTER than the K&N and stops more dirt.

BTW, it was in the 20's here this AM when I started my truck. I intentionally hit the starter before the grids and it fired after the third cylinder came up.
Until you get well into the negative temps, the grids are mostly for emmissions.

donn0128 wrote:

Picinisco wrote:

donn0128 wrote:
Thats crazy! Throwing parts at a problem without doing any troubleshooting. Check batteries first. Check air filter remove and carefully clean grid heater.
BTW your not using one of those cruddy oiled filters are you?

Its got a K&N filter on it.

Thanks on the grid heater clean

And there is your problem. K&N is the absolute worst air filter there is. Even lightly over oiling it will kill your grid heater in a hurry. Not to mention loss of fuel economy and allowing more dirt into the motor. Your just asking for problems. Take it out, go buy a quality paper filter, clean the grid heater and see what happens.

I've had a crummy K&N in mine since new 2005. Never a problem. Started no problem a couple years ago at -20 after sitting outside for a week not plugged up. He's got fuel problems.

Its 39 degrees at my house right now. I had to move my truck so that I could stack some firewood in the carport for later in the week. Hopped in, turned the key and it started right up. 40 degrees does not require anything extra for a Cummins. I don't think anything is required until 0 if I remember correctly.

OP, I think its either your batteries or possibly the oiled air filter causing issues downstream. You should fire up immediately at those temps.

I seriously doubt that a dead grill heater is going to stop the truck from starting in 40-50 degree weather. I never let mine warm up and the truck starts fine in much colder temps than 40 degrees. There are other issues at work.

My guess is what was mentioned earlier about the MAP sensor. Although I bought my 2001 Cummins with a K&N air filter, which has since been replaced, and had no starting issues. Since your Cummins is a common rail engine, you might check fuel pressure specs.

Picinisco wrote:

donn0128 wrote:
Thats crazy! Throwing parts at a problem without doing any troubleshooting. Check batteries first. Check air filter remove and carefully clean grid heater.
BTW your not using one of those cruddy oiled filters are you?

Its got a K&N filter on it.

Thanks on the grid heater clean

And there is your problem. K&N is the absolute worst air filter there is. Even lightly over oiling it will kill your grid heater in a hurry. Not to mention loss of fuel economy and allowing more dirt into the motor. Your just asking for problems. Take it out, go buy a quality paper filter, clean the grid heater and see what happens.

Picinisco wrote:

memtb wrote:
How cold is cold? As others have mentioned.....is your intake grid heater working at all or properly? We can and have “many” times started ours at -20 F. Until you get it checked-out....you may try “cycling” the grid-heater twice and then attempt a start.

rhagfo wrote:
Describe cold, 40, 30, 0 or colder.

You may be right. Im in southern AZ so cold is 40s and 50s.

Will replace the heater grid first.

Slow down there. Grid heater has nothing to do with it in those temps.
If it’s hard starting when “cold” or basically room temp in your case, 99% chance it’s injectors. Especially if it lights off fine warm or plugged in.

Grid heater failures are extremely rare. You can do a simple resistance measurement across it without removing it to check. Expect a low reading - a bad heater will measure open. Grid heaters DO NOT require cleaning.
Az heat is hard on batts. They may be all that's wrong.

BTW, I would dump the K&N. They are notoriously bad on turbo diesels and may actually be the problem. The oil in them fouls the MAP sensor so I would get some sensor cleaner and spray said sensor down.

donn0128 wrote:
Thats crazy! Throwing parts at a problem without doing any troubleshooting. Check batteries first. Check air filter remove and carefully clean grid heater.
BTW your not using one of those cruddy oiled filters are you?

Its got a K&N filter on it.

Thanks on the grid heater clean