Ive wondered the same as well.

 

i do excavating work and we let equipment and trucks idle and run all day hot or cold weather so my opinion is its alright just my 2 cents someone else may know more though

 

I agree. I used to drive a 06 Freightshaker with a Cat and it would idle 30-1hr at a time waiting on customers as long as I tapped the throttle every 5 minutes so it wouldn't auto shut down. Never had a problem. OTR trucks idle all night as long as their company doesn't have a crappy idle policy.

 

Yeah im guessing its ok i mean they let semis run all night somtimes, i guess as long as the oil psi is ok im good witch my runs alittle low at idle

 

it doesn't hurt it but you're pretty much just wasting fuel for that amount of time. the truck won't completely cool down in 15 to 20 minutes.

 

maybe like 2 or 3 gals of fuel at idle, but the company i work for pays for all my fuel so i really dont care lol plus its so damn hot after mowing its so nice to get into a cool cab

 

There is talk of "wet stacking", where the low temperature of the exhaust at idle causes particles and fuel in the exhaust gases to stick to the exhaust valves. That's why some diesels have a butterfly in the exhaust to partially close the exhaust pipe, causing elevated exhaust temperature and turbo spool-up. My F-550 does this, not sure how many other makes/models do this.

 

Ill prolly be ordering ahigh idle kit from one of the other membes here, I have heard its betterto idle it up then regular idle. I know all my buddies big trucks i ran he would idle them up a bit. I usually just let mine idle to and never had any issues.

 

My quad 4K does high idle and very good too. set a time to high idle after u start the truck. 15 seconds or 5 minutes your choice then it engages to 1100-1200 until the water temp is at 140* for me.. if u wanna go u just tap the throtle and it goes back to normal. also after your driving you can put it in high idle by pressing the pulse until its at 0 then it high idles for any amount of time..GOOD IN WINTER

As for idle, IMO its ok just Heard its bad for ring.

 

A high idle kit is a good idea, just gives a higher oil pressure and keeps teh motor better lubed.

However, if it were winter, I would advise against it, sometimes these 24 valves can actually get carbon build up on the valves, the valves can stick and actually bend pushrods, so the only way you should do it in the winter is if it's plugged in or at a high idle. Even when the truck is fully warmed up, the cold air coming through the turbo at idle can cause the valve to stick, I learned that with my truck and letting it idle after I was done plowing.

 

I let my rig idle after I pull into a camping spot with my 5th. I don't shut down until I have dropped the jacks and disconnected the trailer from the truck. This gives the turbo time to cool down.
The owners manual advises not to idle for more than 15 to 20 minutes. I think this is to pacify the EPA.

 

provided it is above 40F out it is OK to idle away, frankly i would get a stick and raise the idle up to about 1,000rpm's

If it is below said 40F i would kick it on 6 cylinder high idle, and that is good all the way down into the teens before your talking more advanced stuff.




I would idle away at truck stops all night long, and i only saw wetstacking when it was humid out and cold as well, sometimes the A/C works better when your off idle, i find about 1,000 hold the compressor happy when it is hot out.

 

I know there are guys way up north in Canada that literally leave their trucks idling for months at a time. They go underground to work/live in the mines and during the winter they leave the trucks idling so they aren't in a deep freeze when they come back topside.

 

the only problem i have here is who refuels their trucks, even idling i can burn fuel in this thing, especially when it is cold out and it kicks over to 3 cylinder i can burn up to 2 gallons per hour.

However running on the ice roads they high idle them yes, but then again they also refuel every 12 hours or so.

 

I have one of Winslow's high idle boxes and its got 3 cyl or 6 cyl. It will run as long as you want it to no matter the outside or iat temp.

 

Thats the one im getting

 

i always let my truck idle. i dont see any adverse effects of it going on with the truck. in the summer i let it warm up for ten minutes and i let it run until i got to go into work and sometimes i am a half hour early even i see it being more of a good thing the oil in the turbo stays nice and cool before it gets shut down.. ohh yeah and i met a truck driver a few years back who had his rig running for 3 months straight because he was extremely busy and his starter was going out.. i thought that was crazy

 

Third Gen Dodge Ram 24 Valve Diesel
98-01 Ram Diesel Operation and DIY Maintenance


Visit Geno's Garage
for Truck accessories.

Routine Maintenance Repairs Troubleshooting Modifications

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Starting after an extended shutdown period (parked for more than 30 days)

Engine oil pressure MUST be indicated on the fuel gauge within 15 seconds after startup. If oil pressure does not appear, consult Chrysler or Cummins before driving the truck.
Idle the engine for 3 to 5 minutes before loading the engine.
Ether

DO NOT USE ETHER as a starting aid in cold weather. The intake manifold heater may ignite the ether in the manifold and cause an explosion.
Idle / Warm-up / Cool-down

Idling for longer than 15 minutes should be avoided.
Do not operate at full speed or load until the coolant reaches normal operating range.
Do not operate above low idle until oil pressure is indicated.
After extended high power operation, idle the engine for 3-5 minutes to cool the turbocharger before shutting down the engine This is written at dodgeram.org, but it doesnt say why no more than 15 min.

 

Anything under 300f on the pyro will cause incomplete combustion which = fuel in oil and causes oil breakdown and bearing/ring wash. If I let my big truck idle I run it at 900-1000 rpms to keep the egt's up.

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This will always be a debated topic. Idling a diesel isn't a bad thing but yes, it does simply waste fuel as long as its not to cold out and the engine temperature doesn't drop to low. But its also not anyones fuel other than the guys who's letting his truck idle, so who cares????? Well it still sure seems to get some panties all bunched up for passer byers.....especially with so many people believing Al Gores "go green" movement is the truth. I idle my truck when I know I will be re-starting again in 10-20 minutes because I've found that my fuel mileage drops when I'm constantly stopping and re-starting the engine. So apparently my engine likes to idle.:confused013:

As for engine damage..... It has to get REALLY cold outside with engine temps dangerously low for anything to happen. Sure you're not getting the most optimal combustion but if this was such an issue then you'd see many many diesels broke down from idling. And most OEM factory items geared toward keeping idle combustion temps up are not for safety but for emission reasons. If it really bothers anyone then you can have the 3 cylinder high idle flash done or get a stick. Many of us have tried to figure out how to utilize the PTO high idle function but cant seem to get it working. And I have no idea what the Winslow high idle box is.:thumbsup:

 

well i know i wont have a problem with it being to cold out cuz if it was too cold i wouldnt let it idle i just do it for the a/c and its like mid 90s most the time, ive heard starting and restarting messes up the starter after time and i just had a buddy that had to do it starter he dose the same type of work as i do and he got his truck started and let it run all day somtimes for 2 hours cuz he couldn shut it off cuz it wouldnt start back up lol

 

Its not going to cause instant damage, its just going to take life off the engine. It can cause rings to unseat but piston wash has to be real bad. Mine seems to idle at about 275-300f and the ac pump is going to load the motor and probably bring that number up some. It wouldn't take but a couple minutes to cut a stick to put on the pedal and bring the idle up a couple hundred rpms, your ac will work better too.

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The Cummins will start with outside temps as cold as -20*.....without the block heater plugged in. Just look at the required specifications for the 3 cylinder high idle to even engage. So when I say cold, I mean COLD.....:thumbsup:

 

DO NOT USE ETHER as a starting aid in cold weather. The intake manifold heater may ignite the ether in the manifold and cause an explosion.

All kinds of trucks come from the factory with a cold weather starting kit, which is a super easy way for them to use ether to help get the truck started. As a mechanic for a local International dealer I used it all the time to get trucks started in the winter. Never seen or heard of it exploding.

 

The engine in our trucks has an intake heater thats why its not advised to spray ether I to have worked for a Mack/Volvo dealer as well as a John Deere dealer, some engines you could use it and others had a big NO NO sticker on it. The company i work, our fleet is 95% cummins From 6 cyl. all the way to V16 engines and the rest of our fleet is john deere, caterpillar, detroit, volvo, and iveco. Some of the engines you can spray but some cant.:thumbsup:

 

we have several rollers and water trucks with the 5.9 b series cummins , idle all day long wide open all day long it dont hurt em :thumbsup:

 

Not only is ether a huge risk used in a diesel using a intake manifold grid heater but ether has ZERO lubricating properties. Matter of fact, its worse than using nothing because it washes oil away causing the cylinder to run dry. I'll use the stuff to get an old lawn mower running but thats about it. Besides.....if you "need" ether to get an engine running then there's a problem and that problem should be addressed. By the way.....whats this have to do with extended idling?:confused013:

 

IDK:confused013:Thats what i was wondering too LOL

 

you nancy boys are funny :rof. just keep a cooler full of beer in the bed, ill bet that will cool ya off :thumbsup:

but seriously: will it hurt anything, no. most companys use idle shut down to help control fuel cost, emissions/epa, and idling isnt good for the the aftertreatment systems (which you dont have).

 

you nancy boys are funny :rof. just keep a cooler full of beer in the bed, ill bet that will cool ya off

:rof Thats good.:thumbsup:

 

one problem we have up in canada in the winter is that when you say idle it in the morning the motor is not generating any heat, when you don't get that heat especially in the upper part of the cylinders it really starts to wash the cylinders, it can in most extreme cases oval the cylinders. i read that someone knew somebody out in a mining camp up here and they do idle them all the time but if you talk to any of these guys they will also tell you they buy new trucks every couple of years. it does damage. look at a gas pot, the thermostat is there to bring the temp. up to a certain temp. and hold it. when you don't have a thermostat the cylinders stay very cold and get very scored up.

 

These trucks are also equipped with a high idle mode and 3cyl high idle from factory, if they are at a certain temp they will automatically highidle then return to normal idle after it reaches a certain coolant temp(as long as its enabled). They also have a few guys on here that have a high idle box from winslow or moparman which will fool the sensor in thinking its colder and idle up as well. That way it just doesnt idle at the low rpm range.

 

I usually do, when running in gas stations and what not. I sometimes in the winter let it idle for 45 min - 1 hr, if Im going in some where. I was told, (I dont know how true it is), but starting a cummins once, is equal to 15 - 20 minutes of idling, fuel consumption wise.

 

The dealership in my town had no clue about it prolly because this is Texas but it did get their diesel tech wondering so they asked me to go ahead and bring it in because of his curiosity and I was standing there when he figured it out , did it for free I take alot of trips up to new York in the winter and yes I do idle my truck all the time, it idled today for about an hour or so because my wife and 6 month old was in the truck with the ac on lol egts stayed above 300 the whole time according to her

 

Yeah out here in louisiana i figure ill prolly get the same confused look, if there open tomorrow i might go ask, hopefully i get lucky like you and get it done for free but i dought it.