Do diesel engines need to warm up before driving?
In order to start a diesel engine and keep it running in cold weather, you must make sure you allow plenty of time for your engine to warm up. If you do not let your engine warm up before driving, you will make it work harder than necessary, which will lead to problems later on.
The question on the minds of many this time of year is, “Should I let my diesel engine warm up?” Simply put, yes. In the colder months it's a good idea to let your engine warm up before you hit the road.
Modern diesel vehicles have better cooling systems than those of old and are designed to warm-up the vehicle quickly. Letting the vehicle start and idle for a minute or two will not hurt it and will only help but much more than that is really unnecessary in my opinion.
If you want to warm up your diesel vehicle before hitting the road, knock yourself out—but idling for more than a minute or two is unnecessary, even for a diesel engine.
The diesel fuel in your fuel tank will become like gel at a temperature of 15ºF or -9.5ºC and you will have trouble starting your engine. Anything below 15ºF / -9.5ºC can and will cause problems for your diesel vehicle.
Myth: Diesel engines need to warm up at idle for 5 to 10 minutes or more especially on cold days before driving them. Fact: This is one of the most common myths about diesel engines. Most engine manufacturers recommend that newer diesel engines idle for no more than 3 minutes before driving.
The more cold-starts your diesel is subjected to, the shorter its lifespan will be.
Idling a diesel for long periods of time can result in blowby, idling results in lower cylinder pressures which allow combustion gasses and unburned fuel to get past the rings into the crankcase.
High RPMs should be avoided during the break-in process as it can cause unwanted engine damage. After that, the truck should be run with the heaviest load allowed by the manufacturer to make sure sufficient load is applied to the engine. This step should continue for roughly 100-150 miles.
Temperatures below 40°F can cause diesel fuel thicken, which is known as “gelling” or “waxing.” Eventually, diesel fuel will thicken to a point that it cannot be pumped so the engine dies- or fails to start at all.
What will damage a diesel engine?
Thousands of diesel engines fail prematurely each year aided by the presences of glycol, fuel, soot and water in the engine oil.
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