Commute too short for diesel?

[Ogeechee]

I drive 10 miles (+/- 1/10th) to work each day. 6 miles is interstate. No stop and go, commute normally takes about 15 minutes. Is this too short/quick for a 2012 f250 with 6.7? I've heard the old wives tales about not getting a diesel to operating temp being harmful. What do y'all think?

[Greene728]

If you dont need it like you stated , then don't risk it. The short commute may not hurt it, but it sure ain't gonna help anything. Sounds to me like a gasser would be much more suitable.

[Softballdad]

I think it's how you drive it in theses 6 miles. Drive it hard don't baby it.

[campigloo]

I have a 2012 Cummins. 12 miles to job and mostly freeway. Every 3 months I could count on a trip to dealer for an O2 cleaning. After a while I started driving it for a 50 or so mile round trip every couple of weeks and it helped. Since semi-retirement I tow much more frequently and have not had a check engine light for close to a year. Run em hard and get em hot.

[DavinD]

15 mile commute for me, no issues.

[GoPackGo]

Exactly.

[Old-Biscuit]

AT 90HP/155 lb.ft and 2900#

It has to work hard......and that is why it is a reliable engine.

[gmcsmoke]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Gasser.....good all round commuter/grocery getter/some limited towing

Diesel......intended for WORK---hard wark

Longevity is best when used for task as designed.

really?......


so how much hard work does a this get put through?

[Old-Biscuit]

Gasser.....good all round commuter/grocery getter/some limited towing

Diesel......intended for WORK---hard wark

Longevity is best when used for task as designed.

[N-Trouble]

I have a 2012 Duramax with 45k mi that I use as my daily driver and only have a 2.5mi commute to work each day. Truck barely gets up to temp by the time I get there and if its cold out doesn't even reach temp. Regardless it has not resulted in any issues that I can point to the short commute. You WILL have to take the thing out and let it run during the regen process because 2.5mi drives just wont cut it. I have an Edge CTS monitor in my truck so I can see when its about to go into regen. Also worth noting mileage takes a big hit with short commutes and again goes back to the engine not getting up to temp. Diesels are pretty thirsty until they get up to normal operating temp.

[Ogeechee]

Thanks for the quick responses everyone!

naturist wrote:
The OP sounded like he was fishing for pros and cons,

Yes I'm just doing research before pulling the trigger on a new-to-me tow vehicle. I don't "need" a diesel but wasn't sure if I should rule them out.

[IdaD]

I don't know about the EGR, I just know my CTD heats up surprisingly fast. A lot of diesels run a lot of short trips and do it for years with no issues. The concern I had with this one was the emission stuff although from the sounds of it the newer CTD systems have performed pretty well since they finally added DEF a couple of years ago. Again, time will tell, but I'm not overly worried about it.

[naturist]

IdaD wrote:
I've read that all the newer diesels get up to temp much quicker than the old ones, I assume due to EGR.

I don't really expect issues in the long run but we'll see. I do plan on running full synthetic starting this fall.

I kinda doubt that the EGR helps at all with warmup time. I've 3 diesels, one of which has 3 extra glow plugs stuck in the cooling system to help warm things up, one has a viscous fluid pump attached to the block which churns idly to help warm up time. Not sure what the third one has, but I'm certain it has something non-EGR to speed the process.

All three of them, BTW, specify synthetic oil specifically for the benefit of the turbocharger bearings, which get especially hot. Evidently synthetic oil is more heat resistant.

And yes, we'll all find out eventually what kind of issues our driving style produces, whatever that style is. The OP sounded like he was fishing for pros and cons, and while one might indeed be able to drive for 5 years, one mile at a time, there will be consequences. There are ALWAYS consequences, whatever you do (or don't do).

[parkersdad]

I drive my ram Cummins to work every day 6 miles each way stop and go. I have yet to have a problem.

[IdaD]

My truck is only a month old, but I drive about 6 miles to work. There's no freeway and most speeds are 40-45 mph other than stoplights. It isn't ideal but I try to mix in longer drives here and there (which pretty much happen by default). Time will tell how it does in the winter although I park in a garage and plan to use the block heater and experiment with the grill cover as well. But in summer temps, my truck actually gets the oil and coolant pretty well up to temp over the course of that commute. I've read that all the newer diesels get up to temp much quicker than the old ones, I assume due to EGR.

I don't really expect issues in the long run but we'll see. I do plan on running full synthetic starting this fall.

[gbopp]

FWIW I know a guy who bought a new Ram/Cummins about 5 years ago.
He drove it to work, not quite One (1) Mile, every day.
As far as I know he didn't have any problems.