How will my new F350 behave in cold temps?

[way2roll]

I have a new F350 with the 6.7l turbo diesel. Here in NC it never gets cold enough for me to be concerned, but we may be travelling north after the holidays. Temps where we are going can get into the teens at night. My truck does not have the optional block heater. From what I read, these trucks behave OK until below zero. Do I need to be concerned? What about fuel gelling? Sorry if these seem like silly questions, the manual isn't as helpful as I like and frankly I find real world experience more helpful. I've owned diesel tractors and treated the fuel in winter but they had glow plugs etc but my experience with this type of engine is limited. Thanks.

[PA12DRVR]

Late to the party... but I routinely drive three (3!) diesel vehicles in and around Los Anchorage, AK. 1 older chevy duramax and 2 fords with the 6.7 .

Fuel gelling is not a concern as the fuel up here is blended to address colder temps.

On all of the diesels, I will routinely just start them (ain't remote starts great) and let them warm up until I'm ready to go....in temps down to -15 or so. Not that that's a hard limit, just the coldest I've seen in Los Anchorage recently.

In colder weather, such as my 10-day sojourn in Squarebanks last winter, when the bank temp sign regularly read "-3x" or, on one PITA day, "-42", I'll plug them in.

As mentioned, good batteries help a lot, but in any case, for temps in the 'teens or even single digits, you won't need to worry about anything.

[Diamond_c]

I work for a fuel distributor and we treat all our fuel this time of year. If they don’t then they will loose a lot of business and go broke when the costumers that do stay make them fix their truck when it does tell up.

[pitch]

Why is it a problem? Go to Wal Mart or any auto parts store and pull out six bucks for some anti gell.
Ain't gonna hurt a dang thing, but may save you several hundred if you do catch a very cold spell and freeze your fuel.
Fuel distributers are in business to make a buck, so they put the bare minimum they feel effective in the fuel.
Better safe than sorry, treat your fuel!!!

[Grit_dog]

4x4ord wrote:
We buy fuel in fairly large quantities (about 15,000 gallons at a time) The last time we filled our tanks was with 100% summer fuel and so far, this winter we've been using this summer fuel and I haven't had to use an anti gel additive. I have had my truck gel on me and it can be a bit of a nuisance. I've always been able to get it into a heated shop or get an additive into it before it quits entirely.

What’s your point? Waiting until Alberta has a cold snap to treat the fuel or??

Has nothing to do with the OPs question or even this off track discussion other than to say Alberta has not gotten good and cold yet this year.

[Grit_dog]

ksss wrote:
I found it is worth throwing some Power Service Red bottle in the pickups during the Winter. Stations are pretty good about Winter blending, but not all stations are the same and sometimes mistakes are made. The red bottle can save you from getting stranded if you catch it soon enough.

911 is for after you’re stranded. Wonder why so many injection pump issues?
Not for treating fuel on a regular basis.

[ktmrfs]

not sure how easy the fords are to start at low temps, but several times I've started my duramax at -30F after sitting out overnight with no block heater. just turned the key waited for the glow plug light to go out, turned the key to off, repeated and when the glow plug light went off, turned key to start. started right up, noisy as all getout, some smoke, after about 45 seconds went into the high idle max backpressure mode to warm up quicker.

Even at these low temps didn't have any fuel additive, just made sure I had filled up nearby at a local station so I knew I had blended fuel for the expected low temps.

[4x4ord]

We buy fuel in fairly large quantities (about 15,000 gallons at a time) The last time we filled our tanks was with 100% summer fuel and so far, this winter we've been using this summer fuel and I haven't had to use an anti gel additive. I have had my truck gel on me and it can be a bit of a nuisance. I've always been able to get it into a heated shop or get an additive into it before it quits entirely.

[ksss]

I found it is worth throwing some Power Service Red bottle in the pickups during the Winter. Stations are pretty good about Winter blending, but not all stations are the same and sometimes mistakes are made. The red bottle can save you from getting stranded if you catch it soon enough.

[riah]

Winter of Jan 2018? New Year’s Eve - drove to Canton Ny to pick up kid from college, and the temps dipped to below zero and we experienced the gelling issue-> not a fun experience in the middle of nowhere, in frigid temps! We had filled up at a open fueling middle of nowhere (presume in hindsight it was not winter blended) - Thankfully somebody stopped and we limped the vehicle to his driveway a couple miles away and he called a tow truck. Our truck spent a week at closest dealership miles away and thankfully tow truck driver had room for all 3 adults and dropped us off at hotel near the dealership. Also thankfully, my sis and BIL drove 3 hrs to get us and brought us back home! Long story short, It was an expensive mistake and left us without the vehicle for almost 2 weeks! We will never make such mistake again! Definitely will be using addictive for anti-gelling gong forward when temps will be dropping below 0 F!

Grit dog wrote:
^What Wadcutter, Scooby and IdaD said.
In 30+ years of driving, operating, maintaining or being responsible for 100s or 1000s of Diesel engines from Phoenix AZ to Alaska’s North Slope (in the winter), I’ve only seen one pronounced issue with fuel gelling and it was in Colorado during a record breaking cold snap.
Adding anti gel as a matter of course is not necessary at all and only remotely needed or applicable if you have the ability or chance of getting un treated fuel. Example, fuel suppliers in the desert southwest dont winter treat fuel (presumably based on past experience), so your greatest risk would be traveling from somewhere “warm” and getting to somewhere “cold” like the mountains, on the same tank of fuel. Outside Vegas, there are stations in the low land that actually advertise treated fuel for those heading N to Utah mountains. Presumably because the fuel down in Vegas is not winter blended?
I dunno for sure but that’s the only time I use anti gel as a matter of course, if I’m heading from known warm area to known cold area on the same tank
Of fuel.
And your truck is new enough that it doesn’t need to be plugged in to start until very low temps.

[artie2908]

I have been in very cold weather with my duramax pickup truck where I was unable to plug in the block heater. Even though it sure would have been preferable, it wasnt a problem. Started right up I do use low viscosity oil 5W-40
Cold weather---- -20 to -30 below

[FishOnOne]

OP,
The new diesels cold start really easy without the aid of a block heater as long as you have good batteries and running 5W40 oil. 10W30 is good down to 0F so you should be good there as well. Like many have said your truck will start up with no problem and be sure to fill up with the local diesel for the anti gel additive. I think temps below -20F is when your looking for a block heater.

Here's a cold start video showing how easy these Power Strokes start up in cold temps.

Link

[deltabravo]

NRALIFR wrote:
Yes it does. What it’s missing is the plug harness that connects to the heater, and has a 120 volt AC plug on the end that gets run to the front bumper.

Sounds like the Ford system is similar to what GM now uses on the 2020+ trucks shown here

[NRALIFR]

JRscooby wrote:

NRALIFR wrote:


OK, Mr. Nitpicker :W how about “All Diesels have some type of pre-heat system”?

:):)

I would still take issue with that statement. But I bought starting fluid by the case for decades. Of course, I used it for a lot of things besides starting the engines......

I already backpedaled on that, not doing it again :W

After posting that I did get to thinking about all the means of starting old diesels I’d seen. Pony engines, ether, and dual-fuel I had seen a few times. Never operated any that needed that.

Speaking of air start, I had actually wondered if diesels ever used compressed air or cartridge (sort of like a shotgun shell) start systems. Having spent a few years on a flight line, I’d seen both of those systems used on certain aircraft.

:):)

[lenr]

According to threads read on Ford sites, Ford discontinued putting a block heater in every engine starting with the 6.7 in 2011. Folks got caught trying to save money and ended up with no block heater to connect a wire to.