Letting truck idle

donn0128 wrote:

GordonThree wrote:
I've oftened wondered about idling. My neighbor has a 90s Duramax, I think it idles more than it drives. He'll come home for an hour lunch, truck sits running in the driveway the entire time. Getting set to take the boat out, he starts in an hour before he leaves, coming home from the lake, it'll sit there running at least an hour when he gets home.

I doubt it has an emissions equipment, as loud as it it, it's probably heavily modified

90s? Definitely NOT a Duramax

That sounds like a Detroit!

Houston Remodeler wrote:
From all the proud residents of TEXAS, we urge you to idle your diesel 24 hours a day, 7 days a week ! It's great for the economy. (well ours anyway)

By burning as much fuel as you can, you're keeping hard working oil men in the fields and refineries so they will bring home paychecks to their starving, barefoot children.

THINK OF THE CHILDREN !

With oil prices at record lows, we're practically giving the stuff away for free !! Use as much of it as you can, while you can !

*this posting not paid for by Chevron, BP, Marathon, Valero, Shell, Exxon Mobil, Conoco, Anadarko, Trans Ocean, Apache, Deepwater, Cabot, or any of the 5,938 other oil companies near my home.

X2 from Alberta oil and gas operators... let em idle...hell start up yer better half's and let it idle, run the mowers, weed whackers, boats, ATV, gensets.... let em all idle!!!

From all the proud residents of TEXAS, we urge you to idle your diesel 24 hours a day, 7 days a week ! It's great for the economy. (well ours anyway)

By burning as much fuel as you can, you're keeping hard working oil men in the fields and refineries so they will bring home paychecks to their starving, barefoot children.

THINK OF THE CHILDREN !

With oil prices at record lows, we're practically giving the stuff away for free !! Use as much of it as you can, while you can !

*this posting not paid for by Chevron, BP, Marathon, Valero, Shell, Exxon Mobil, Conoco, Anadarko, Trans Ocean, Apache, Deepwater, Cabot, or any of the 5,938 other oil companies near my home.

Sounds to me like an old outdated practice that used to be common with semis I guess because they were hard to start or something. I seriously doubt if it's necessary with very recent diesels. It wastes fuel, is noisy and might be illegal. Sort of like my older brother who insisted on "warming up" his car for 10 min. or more. I don't think he ever did accept that this is totally unneeded now.

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
It was never any good to idle an engine for a long time.

For the old ones it was called "wet stacking" and was bad all the way around for the engine.

For a new engine, it's incredibly hard on the emission systems of a diesel.

Is it ok to idle a diesel for 10 minutes or less? Sure, just don't get carried away like some do.

X2X2X2 Great and accurate post! Includes gas engines too. I see this a lot all over but I made a good living as a diesel mechanic and am now enjoying a good retirement. :W

GordonThree wrote:
I've oftened wondered about idling. My neighbor has a 90s Duramax, I think it idles more than it drives. He'll come home for an hour lunch, truck sits running in the driveway the entire time. Getting set to take the boat out, he starts in an hour before he leaves, coming home from the lake, it'll sit there running at least an hour when he gets home.

I doubt it has an emissions equipment, as loud as it it, it's probably heavily modified

Must be awfully annoying for you, as a neighbour.

Only common practice I've heard about this is when you want to make sure all your neighbors are thinking of you, let it idle for a long time. Early mornings especially good to get their attention.

On the serious side. Neighbor has a brand new RAM. He doesn't warm up or cool down before shutting it off. He says he looked it up and its OK. My older 2001 with older design, I don't move it till oil pressure comes up and don't shut it down till pyro in under 4.

Some folks just like to think they are wheeling a big truck, and want you to think so as well.

Lessmore wrote:
I've seen some let their diesel idle while filling up at a gas station. Signs at service stations say to shut off while refueling. I note that the big tanker trucks that fill up the service station tanks, shut off while at the stations.

I don't know why some drivers in diesel pickups let their trucks idle...everywhere.

I've let my truck run while refueling a few times. Not common practice, but I have three young daughters, the middle of which is three years old. If we're on a long trip and she's tired and cranky but generally content watching a DVD, it simply isn't worth unleashing the fires of hell by killing her movie just so I can refuel. That reign of terror can extend for miles and miles after the refueling stop and make all of the occupants of the truck very unhappy. I don't mind bending the rules a bit to avoid that scenario.

Beyond that, I'll generally only idle per the cooling chart in the manual, if I need the AC for the family during a quick stop, or a bit here or there while I'm hitching/un-hitching.

The salesman gave your friend bad advice.