-8 cold start

[brooks379]

A few days ago it got down to - 8 degrees here in the mountains of NM when I went to start my Ford F-350 6.7 diesel I hit the glow plugs just until the light went out , about 5 seconds and the truck started like a summer day . I can remember back in the day trying to start diesel trucks and if it wasn’t plugged in it was going to be tough to start. You had to run your glow plugs 4 or 5 times and if it did start it would smoke and buck for about 5 minutes before idling smooth. The other day the 6.7 started up, no smoke , no rattling. These new diesels start right up like a little gas motor these days. 🙂

[alexleblanc]

When I compare my current truck and even my previous ‘13 6.7 to my first diesel, an ‘04 VW Golf TDI that I had bought new - that **** thing would smoke and sound like a bucket of rocks going through a blender in anything below 20 degrees. Had a few really cold mornings that I couldn’t even get it started (-25 or so F). Those certainly were not the days!

[Cummins12V98]

Simply run AMZ/OIL Signature Series 15-40 year round and not worry about seasonal oil changes. Good to -40 but hey the 5-40 is good to -43.

[shepstone]

blofgren wrote:
One of the reasons the 7.3L and 6.0L weren't great cold starters was the oil fired injectors. I actually had to cycle the glow plugs on my 6.0L in the summer or else it would start very poorly if at all.

Now my current 6.7L Cummins is another story; I rarely use the grid heater and it fires up quickly and smoothly every time. :B

Thats not much to brag about. I lived in North Delta & Surrey BC for 8 years the coldest it ever got was -8 C one night. So I should think it would start up. I came to Ontario and -8C is a warm winter day, last winter the Super-Duty started no problem at -36 and it never gets plugged in.

[ACZL]

Full synthetic is the only way to go. I'm a bit overkill, but I run a winter front to block the cold air from radiators. IMO, does 2 things. 1. Keeps the air from getting to rads. 2. Keeps whatever stuff (rock salt/stones etc) from getting into rads. Work is only 15-20 minutes away so I want to be able to get it up to full operating temps both ways or perhaps a tad higher. Without stones, rock salt etc from getting to rads helps keep possible holes from occurring, aid in not plugging the holes in rads, and lastly, perhaps help keep things from rusting out. During summer months, I run a full bug screen front to keep bugs out of rads. When I got rid of my '03 F250, the rads were clean as a whistle! And that had full bug screen and winter front inserts.

[ktmrfs]

theoldwizard1 wrote:
I'll bet the OP is using synthetic or semi-synthetic oil ! I makes a big difference below 0F.

I remember almost 50 years ago, My Dad tried Mobil 1 (?) because he would visit our cabin in northern MI several times each winter. That engine spun over like it was a spring day ! It did make a few "odd" noises, but it kept running.

He gave up on the Mobil 1 because he could not stand the 3 to 5 times cost increase. He would just put a battery charger on over night or decide not to go when it was going to be below 0F !

back in the 1960's conoco had an oil call "polar start" I think it was a synthetic or partial synthetic, 10W-30ish that also at very low temps -30 or lower would definitely let the engine spin over quicker. At those temps once you got moving one realized that shock absorbers, didn't really absorb much of anything till they also had got enough up and down to get the oil warmer as well.

[Lynnmor]

Edd505 wrote:
I had to laugh as when I bought my 6.7 I sat looking at the dash and the mechanic asked what the problem was. Wheres the wait to start??? He had to educate me, never an issue starting.

The "mechanic" should have pointed out that squiggly icon on your dash because it is the wait to start message.

While starting is quick on a 6.7, I still wait for the icon to go out because it does insure more complete combustion at startup. Using the remote start, the engine will start when the appropriate delay is complete.

[theoldwizard1]

I'll bet the OP is using synthetic or semi-synthetic oil ! I makes a big difference below 0F.

I remember almost 50 years ago, My Dad tried Mobil 1 (?) because he would visit our cabin in northern MI several times each winter. That engine spun over like it was a spring day ! It did make a few "odd" noises, but it kept running.

He gave up on the Mobil 1 because he could not stand the 3 to 5 times cost increase. He would just put a battery charger on over night or decide not to go when it was going to be below 0F !

[ktmrfs]

I started my 04.5 duramax at -40F no problem. no way to plug in the block heater, it had sat out for 10 days with highs near zero, lows in the -25 to -40 every night. turned the key waited for glow plug light to go out, turned ignition off, then on waited a second or so for glow plug light to go out, started right up. smoked a bit and rattled, but started no problem.

actually started far better than a 1960's vintage gas engine would at those temps!

Now warm up time, another story. the trip was downhill for about 15 miles, even with tow/haul on getting heat was a LONG process! Thank god for heated seats!

A far cry from 30-40 years ago when diesels were tough to start below zero.

[Edd505]

I had to laugh as when I bought my 6.7 I sat looking at the dash and the mechanic asked what the problem was. Wheres the wait to start??? He had to educate me, never an issue starting.

[All_I_could_aff]

Carburetor icing has always fascinated me.

[blofgren]

One of the reasons the 7.3L and 6.0L weren't great cold starters was the oil fired injectors. I actually had to cycle the glow plugs on my 6.0L in the summer or else it would start very poorly if at all.

Now my current 6.7L Cummins is another story; I rarely use the grid heater and it fires up quickly and smoothly every time. :B

[time2roll]

Yes my old gasser has started at -10(F) just fine a few times.
My old car with a carburetor would ice up and stall for the first 15 minutes in similar conditions.

[Lynnmor]

Two years ago, I was in Maine snowmobiling for a week. The club members on each side of me had 7.3 Fords and I had a 6.7. When it was time to leave the temperature was -6 degrees. One 7.3 fired up and complained greatly, the other wouldn't start perhaps because of weak batteries so he called road service. Both were plugged in all night. I hit the remote on mine and it was just like a summer day even though the 7.3 owners hogged all the available outlets for their block heaters.

[Lessmore]

-8 is nothing. New Years night it went down to -31 up here.