After the coil light goes off and it is "OK" to crank it on the first start, is it still good to leave it running at idle before driving? Also, during the day when stopping and starting, is it still a good idea to wait for the coil light to go off or just crank it up? Thanks!

I always wait. I also wait until the ammeter has jumped all the way up before driving off, too. Mostly just to give the oil time to reach all the remote nooks and crannies.
TC

first thing in the morning, i come out w/our dog and chain him up, start up then go back inside and ge my coveralls,rubber boots, and my phone then come back out...usually gives it like 1-2 mins to kinda warm up....i also take and put it in N or R first thing to get it moving...im sure it doesnt really matter on our trucks, but its a big time thing for us on the farm/truckers w/a load to move in R first as its easier on the tranny to get rolling...just an FYI

I normally wait for the voltmeter to get to it's normal running point in summer and winter. When it's real cold I give it a few extra minutes which is especially easy now since I have a remote start.

Not sure if it's good, bad or indifferent but I have seen the oil pressure on a cold day reach in the low 100's so I try not to push it hard until it's a little warm.

Is it possible to burn out the glow plugs if they don't get properly cycled?

I think I heard that, before my diesel days.

I always wait for the light - if it doesn't need 'em it won't use 'em. I wait for the gridheater to finish before I move the truck. If its near freezing I usually give it 5 minutes before I go too far.

Even after the light for the glow plugs goes out they still cycle. At least that is true on the Power strokes.
I don't see how it would burn them out by starting your truck before the light goes out anyway. I have never heard of prematurely burning out the glow plugs. You may get one that just is not up to par and burn out sooner. You shouldn't even need all of them on cold days to get it started.

Well, HMMWV's at work get trashed glow plugs all the time because they are diesel, and not everyone understands the whole glow plug thing.

I wait. My remote start detects the light going out.

I let the plug light go off, start the engine and let it idle for about 1 min. Drive it easy, keeping the rpm's as low as possible until normal operating temps are reached. During the days operations the plug light very seldom comes on so you may just start it up. Most of our days are 60's and 70's so it takes some time for the engine to cool to a point where the plug light comes on. Generally only first start of the day do I see the coil light.

I never start the truck with the glow plug light on, excessive wear on plugs if you do. I let mine warm up 5 mins in the summer, 15 mins. if its 35-15, and I plug it in below 15 and let it run 10 mins. so when I leave its not running 100psi oil pressure.

Even after the light for the glow plugs goes out they still cycle. At least that is true on the Power strokes.
I think ours shift to a reduced power level when they are ready to start to maintain temp. . .

I always wait. I also wait until the ammeter has jumped all the way up before driving off, too. Mostly just to give the oil time to reach all the remote nooks and crannies.
TC

Another vote for this method for any engine, not just diesels. I also drive easy until the engine is warm.

Once warm, I have no qualms about getting on the throttle - that's what it is there for! ):h

The Duramax is not your grandfather's diesel. It will protect itself from abuse. I have 57K and three winters on mine. I drive it like a gasser. It will warm up twice as fast in three or four miles of easy driving than letting it idle for ten minutes. Later! Frank

No matter how new they are they still have forged pistons that expand faster than the cast iron block. I'll let my warm up in the driveway at 700rpm.

I never start the truck with the glow plug light on, excessive wear on plugs if you do


How exactly does this occur?? If the the glow plugs are hot or not, they should not care. They are only there to aid in combustion. If it starts before they are preheated, how is that different than when the engine is warm and they are no longer on??:confused:


No matter how new they are they still have forged pistons that expand faster than the cast iron block. I'll let my warm up in the driveway at 700rpm.

As far as thermal expansion of forged versus cast I agree, however, like stated previously the engine protects itself. If you have an EGT gauge you will see that when the engine is cold no matter what you do, it will barely even reach 600F. Usually it is around 400F on my truck. This is to control the rate of expansion. I always let my truck warm up, usually with high idle engaged, and even then EGT is barely 250F on a cool morning. I have a short ride to work have to warm it up or else it never reaches operating temperature which is very bad over the long haul. :(

BTW, do our pistons have steel crowns on them?? I know they are oil cooled but many diesels use steel crown, just wondering.

It takes a good 2 or 3 minutes to completly move cold oil at 32f throughout the motor, wait till then. Let it come up to temp before doing ang hard driving.

Spoolin Turbo Where did ya get the remote start that detects the light for the plugs. How much are they if ya dont mind. I didn't think anyone made one for a diesel.

I never start the truck with the glow plug light on, excessive wear on plugs if you do.
Huh?????:confused: :confused:

I think any GOOD product will make a diesel friendly remote starter that will account for the glow plug light. Max Power installed and Astro start in mine, it does everything including cold start automatically when the temp drops too low (if you want), and slice bagels.

I saved a bundle too, thanks M.P.

The heavy equipment mechanic at work told us operators if you start an engine with glow plugs, wait until the plug light goes off so the plugs aren't on and the engine is running at the same time. The combined heat of the glow plugs and combustion is hard on them.

The heavy equipment mechanic at work told us operators if you start an engine with glow plugs, wait until the plug light goes off so the plugs aren't on and the engine is running at the same time. The combined heat of the glow plugs and combustion is hard on them.Not true. In fact, when the wait to start light goes off, the glow plugs are still on. On the LLY the injector squirts right onto the glow plug to improve cold weather starting.

I did not know that. Is the same true for the LB7? The old 6.9 fords would cycle the glow plugs when the engine was running, but I'd replace them once a year because they went bad. I know these plugs on the duramax are a more advanced than the 6.9's, but it makes me think if cycling them with the engine running shorted their life.

Me, I just start and mash it......:)

I usually wait for 10 min. Before I shut down, I let it idle for a minute or so...

add me to the group of folks who, summer and winter, lets my truck idle after first cranking it in the morning for as long as it takes the volt meter to read normal ... I usually take it pretty easy for the first couple of miles, then drive her pretty much as is normal for me

Jim

In the summer if it is warm out above 50 I sometimes start the truck without waiting for the wait light to go out. In the winter I wait till the wait light goes out before starting. I have a diesel compact tractor and only used the glow plugs in the winter to start.

Glow plugs off, start engine, reverse. When it's really cold I'll wait until the alternator kicks in. I have 1/3 mile to the main road so it doesn't see over 1500 until then.

has anyone ever blown an oil filter off on a cold start? Hasn't happend to me but that oil gague all the way to the end makes me a little nervous. I usually fast idle about 10 min. and then take it easy for about 5mi. By then the truck is making some heat and the oil pressure comes down alittle.

MaxOD, no one has ever reported problems as a result of high oil pressure when cold. I would recommend a good quality 5w40 synthetic such as Delvac Mobil 1 5w40. It sure helps on these cold Manitoba mornings :)

I applaud everyone for taking responsibiltiy and care for their vehicle.
I have a question though. After buying this truck did your concern for vehicles change or have you always been this indepth on every vehicle you have owned, including gassers.
I bet some of you (including my self) have gotten into your gasser and just taken off with out any concerns of damage or other problems from not letting it warm up.

As far as letting the amps get up to normal before you take off is not really needed. It is nice to see that the amps come back to normal before taking off and finding out there is an electrical problem later on down the road, but do you also get out and inspect all of the tires for proper inflation, check all hoses for leaks, all marker and driving lights, and all liquid levels before driving. Even if it is only to the grocery store?
These items need to be checked just as much as often as the amp gauge before taking off.

I don't mean to insult anyone but I am just trying to get people to think about it.

They are using the amp gauge as a timer more or less. Their concern is not with the electronics its giving it time to get the oil circulated.

In my oil filter, last winter..... There is a dimple in the bottom of it. One time the dimple was pushed out. Suggested that I had to start cold truck and take off. I am guessing that oil pressure was on the high side, when cold.

For whatever the above is worth.......

I idle it for 1-3 minutes in the summer and in the winter when temps are cold here in CA, 6-10 minutes. Even then the gauge barely reads 165 degrees. They are cold blooded.

Interestingly, I ordered my truck from the factory, and it had 4 miles on it. Yet the HOUR METER showed it had been run for 2.1 hours. That scared me. I wonder if they put them through some sort of idle and other engine testing to run up that kind of time when new.

Bad or not, there is nothing I can do about it I guess.

Anyone know?

not "juice with attitude" but our own attitude. i just got my first diesel and there is sooo much to be aware of and learn about a diesel compared to a gas. it would be fair to assume that every little aspect that we can take into starting our trucks will go a long way to keeping us off the hoist. thanks for the info guys, keep it coming.

I posted this topic because this is my first Diesel. And I have been just as conscientious about taking good care of it as my previous gasoline SUV. I am very particular on first starts/cold starts on any vehicle I own or drive. But since it is a diesel and runs cooler and has a lot more oil common sense told me it would require a little longer before it was totally safe(in my opinion) to drive. I still get upset when I see people start up any vehicle in the morning and drive it like its been running all day. It is a lot harder on all of the components. But from the responses I see in this post, I think most everyone does about the same or similar routines. I suppose this is one of those things I guess where there are different opinions and everyone does there own 'thang. ):h Anyhow, thanks for the replies, I love this site!

antD-Max,

I'm not sure there's more to learn about a diesel than a gasser, we just choose to learn more because it's interesting, fun, neat, whatever, plus for many like me, this is their first diesel, so things aren't as familiar as on a gasser if that's what you've dealt with your whole life.

Dennis

Nicely put.
Working with a carburated engine can be more time consuming than a diesel.

My 454 had a high pressure pump. Pressure was always at 90 to 110 psi. I never had an issue with filers even cheap ones. I did wonder on a couple -20F mornings if the mains would hold. Our filters have much thicker cases.

As stated above, the glow plugs will come on if needed. When the engine's warm, the light is only on for a fraction of a second, but if cold, up to 4 or 5 seconds. I always wait. Finally got some cold temperatures here (-15 F). Have been using the Webasto Diesel Heater lately. I noticed when the truck is cold, it holds each gear a lot longer. I'm going down the road at 40 mph at 2100 rpm with no acceleration at all. Is that mean't to help the engine warm up faster? It bothers me to see the oil pressure so high at that engine speed.

i hop in, start it up, listen to 2 full songs on the radio, and take off.

Trans won't shift into overdrive until the trans temp needle hits on the first mark (right on top of mark) Presume it is to help things warm up, quicker.

That is what it is I bet. I was just surprised to see it hold every gear longer. In the 95' diesel it too locks out overdrive when cold but shifts like normal for the other gears. Caswell, I just couldn't help asking what the heck is burning in your avatar (page 2 post)??

That is what it is I bet. I was just surprised to see it hold every gear longer. In the 95' diesel it too locks out overdrive when cold but shifts like normal for the other gears. Caswell, I just couldn't help asking what the heck is burning in your avatar (page 2 post)??

Silvy, that was my 97 F-150. I was on the way home from a Hunting trip and noticed flames coming up from under the seat while doing 115 kph. He got out in a hurry, and the dogs, and guns, birds.....

Now I'm learning about diesels, sometimes the hard way :(

I finally got around to installing the high idle retrofit from Eric....what a difference! We've had a few mornings in the 20's already and it helps warm the engine up a lot faster. The only gripe I had with my truck was the exceptionally slow warmup time last winter, and the high idle solved it. ):h

If you have an 01-02, you should look into this mod if you haven't already. :cool:


I just drive it easy for the first mile or so to get the trans fluid flowing, and then drive like normal. I figure with all the sensors and computers on this truck, it won't let me do anything bad to it before it warms up properly.

Tom :eek:


After warmup, its a different story! :ro)

That is a sad sight Caswell, even if it was a F**d. I doubt your GMC will do the same thing:cool:

I always wait for glow plug lite to go out....few seconds in summer time, up to 45 second on cold day.. 0 degrees F. Sometimes in winter it takes glow, then crank & no start, repeat until it fires good enough for engine to overrun the starter. Prefer to plug in the block heater when below freezing, and also oil pan heater when below zero F.
In the winter I usually flip onto fast idle until heat shows on windshield, then drive gentlely until temperature gauge shows a quarter or so.
I think fuel is cheater than drawing down a liner.

up to 45 second on cold day..

typo right?

Forced Induction, here's a view of the engine in a cutaway. Shows the piston in the 4th photo.
http://www.duramax.bizhosting.com/sema_2000/dmax_cutaway.htm

I applaud everyone for taking responsibiltiy and care for their vehicle.
I have a question though. After buying this truck did your concern for vehicles change or have you always been this indepth on every vehicle you have owned, including gassers.
I bet some of you (including my self) have gotten into your gasser and just taken off with out any concerns of damage or other problems from not letting it warm up.

As far as letting the amps get up to normal before you take off is not really needed. It is nice to see that the amps come back to normal before taking off and finding out there is an electrical problem later on down the road, but do you also get out and inspect all of the tires for proper inflation, check all hoses for leaks, all marker and driving lights, and all liquid levels before driving. Even if it is only to the grocery store?
These items need to be checked just as much as often as the amp gauge before taking off.

I don't mean to insult anyone but I am just trying to get people to think about it.
This is the 2nd vehicle I have been making payments on, and my 3rd vehicle alltogether. I am in depth as much as possible with what I know, simply because I love both the trucks I have. They have their purposes, the RSOV is for family, offroad fun, and general driving.. the GMC my dad built is for going fast and embarassing generally anything that thinks it can go fast, and making me wary of cops so I don't get a speeding/racing/noise ticket.

That being said, I don't have time when I take off in the morning to do a whole PMCS (PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE CHECKS AND SERVICES ) every time I go out to the vehicle. I check the oil, tranny, tires, lights, and general once-over on the truck whenever I fuel up and every stop on any long distance drive. Every time I stopped on the way down to michigan from anchorage I checked everything just because I don't need my truck to break down... even with all that, it did set me an hour back because of my little "issue" that is in the 911 forum. I plan on installing a oil pan heating pad on the truck while I am down here just for simplicity, and when I stopped for the night in canada I didn't even shut down because idling fuel consumption didn't warrant the extra wear from shutting down for 6-8 hours then firing it back up to be back on the highway, plus I didn't feel like freezing.. not cool to camp out in a truck when it's ranging from 32F to -38F outside...

Glad to here it. Like I said I do not want to insult anyone if this is the case.
The more we know, the better off we are I always say.

typo right?
That's no typo.

At zero Fernh... -17 degrees C, I have many times waited 45 seconds or so before the glow plug light goes out. Usually cranks good, but may take two or three start cycles to get it going if it hasn't run for a few days.

Otherwise it runs fine, pulls good, descent fuel mileage, & etc.

At least with this one, it will start at zero F. rather than only down to zero C.

Turnpike.

I had a minus 22 C one night. Don't remember having to wait for long for glow plugs. Truck sounded rough for about three to five minutes.