Cold Weather Comfort - EcoD v Pentastar

[869 KPH]

Never owned a Jeep of any kind, but have about 3 months time in various rented JKs and one JT over the past few years. One of my "wow" things I noticed in the JKs was an extremely powerful heater that kicked in pretty quickly. The JT I rented was in south GA in the summer, so no real data there. Only outcome of that was "yep, I'm getting this one."

My question is - what's the real-world performance of the heater in the new EcoDiesel JTs? I live in the kind of place where the time between ignition and a warm heater core can be pure misery. Is the time it takes an EcoD to get to temp more noticeable than with the pentastar? Is the heat output comparable? One of my favorite things to do in the winter is have all the windows down and the heater cranked - is that still enjoyable in an EcoD JT? I will also be getting a heated steering wheel which I absolutely cannot wait for.

Any feedback is appreciated, including references to other spots- but I've found a lack of information or youtubes that specifically discuss this.

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[JTBurns]

I don't know about the Diesel, but mine heats up pretty quickly with the pentastar. Plus, get the remote start wo you can get the truck warm before you even get in! If the temp is under 40 outside, then your seat warmers and heated steering wheel will turn on too I believe.

 

[riggsdr]

Central Illinois here. Had some mornings in the 20's but not super cold yet. Have noticed the EcoDiesel maintains a high idle when you remote start. This continues until you put it in run. Time to temp seems similar or quicker then my 4.0L LJ. It's a bit of an unfair comparison, as the heated seats/wheel make a cold cabin a lot more bearable. Also, I have just kept the heat set on 71 instead of full blast heat. But overall, more comfortable than my old wrangler, but no comparison directly to the pentastar.

 

[869 KPH]

Thanks for the thoughts.

Have noticed the EcoDiesel maintains a high idle when you remote start. This continues until you put it in run.

Wonder if this is something the Tazer could modify - or does it not concern you? I'm guessing it's fine(?).

As far as context, I'm coming from a 20 year old truck that didn't have a properly functioning heater core when I moved north.... Anything is an improvement, I guess I just want to get the best bang for my 50K.

 

[riggsdr]

Thanks for the thoughts.



Wonder if this is something the Tazer could modify - or does it not concern you? I'm guessing it's fine(?).

As far as context, I'm coming from a 20 year old truck that didn't have a properly functioning heater core when I moved north.... Anything is an improvement, I guess I just want to get the best bang for my 50K.

I do have a Tazer, but it doesn't say anything about this. I assumed it was designed to reach operating temp faster on cold mornings.

 

[MrZappo]

Thanks for the thoughts.



Wonder if this is something the Tazer could modify - or does it not concern you? I'm guessing it's fine(?).

As far as context, I'm coming from a 20 year old truck that didn't have a properly functioning heater core when I moved north.... Anything is an improvement, I guess I just want to get the best bang for my 50K.

If the engine idles high than it is doing so because the computer is telling it to ... Which means that the engineering team has it set to do that ... Likely to warm it up ...

Why would you want to modify that ?

It wil heat up quickly with either engine ... If you want it to be faster, install a coolant circulating block heater ...

Honestly, it seems that your splitting hairs here ... What does 50k have to do with heater warm up times ? It is what it is ...

And jeeps are generally fast and hot ...

 

[869 KPH]

I do have a Tazer, but it doesn't say anything about this. I assumed it was designed to reach operating temp faster on cold mornings.

Yeah I agree. It just sounded like it wouldn't kick out of higher RPMs until you intervened is all. I guess if it ran for long enough remotely maybe it would kick the revs down on it's own after a while? My brother had a 3rd Gen Cummins for a while that would allow you to customize idle warm-up times and the like from the factory with the cruise controls.

Honestly, it seems that your splitting hairs here ... What does 50k have to do with heater warm up times ? It is what it is ...

I just want to make sure it's 50K on a jeep I still enjoy driving in the winter.

The Pentastar is more of a known quantity (RE: jeeps are generally fast and hot). I just haven't seen any reviews that specifically mention whether or not the EcoD's longer warmup times and (presumably?) lower operating temperatures affect cabin comfort. This is a real problem on larger trucks - For instance, I know Ford will sell you (or automatically include?) a supplemental cabin heater if you buy a Powerstroke.

 

[CrazyCooter]

When I road tested the JLD last weekend it was down to freezing that night and I felt she warmed up quick overall with the heated seats and steering wheel to really kick it off!

If you are park in a place where you can plug in the bock heater, that would certainly create heat immediately like it does with my 3rd gen Cummins? There are thermotatic plugs for the block heater too to help with energy efficiency. If you have any smart devices in your home, you could also set up that plug on a timer.

 

[Gladman]

Can’t say what exactly the Gladiator will have for a system, however my 2016 Ram EcoD had a 3 way valve that allows coolant coming out from the block to be diverted straight to the cabin heater core at a specified low temp 0 don’t remember what that’s number is.
Unless it was -30 C warm up times were quite quick for a diesel.

 

[869 KPH]

If you have any smart devices in your home, you could also set up that plug on a timer.

Yeah I'm liking this idea if I have to go with a block heater.

my 2016 Ram EcoD had a 3 way valve that allows coolant coming out from the block to be diverted straight to the cabin heater core at a specified low temp

Well that's awesome. Anything helps.

Unless it was -30 C warm up times were quite quick for a diesel.

That's what I needed to hear!

 

[ssteve]

So in theory a diesel will be slower to warm up to a the pasture that creates warmth from the heater core. not sure exacty with the eco diesel cause I haven’t taken delivery of mine yet but on my 4th gen ram it was preprogrammed in the computer to kick high idle on under 40*F as well as turn the heated wheel and seats on. I cant remember if it was a temperature or just on/off in the connect but you could select something in regards to the high idle. Additionally when at idle you could turn cruise on and just hit up on the speed increase and it would increase the idle by 100rpm with each press of the plus button. I would regularly use that when it was over 40*. With the Cummins it would make a difference if the exhaust brake was on as it added some back pressure. Not really an option on the ecodiesel but since the turbo is a variable vane they could still induce some back pressure through tuning and that would help warm up times. Basically don’t disable the high idle, it will kick down when up to temp.

 

[869 KPH]

Just an update - test drove a JTRD today. It was about 15 degrees out and a cold start. I was really impressed with how quickly the idle came down and things warmed up.

Still interested to hear any other experiences/thoughts, but the cold-weather performance of this thing is no longer a concern for me.

 

[WXman]

I went from a Pentastar JT to an EcoDiesel DT (which has a huge engine bay and tons of engine coolers to help with towing) and I have absolutely no complaints about the time it takes to warm up the cabin. I keep my HVAC set to Auto and 70-72 degrees, and my heated seats and wheel on level 1. I'm nice and toasty within a mile of my house in the mornings.

 

[WXman]

Since cool weather is coming soon again, I thought I'd bring this back to the top to let people who are shopping the diesel know that heat in the cabin is not an issue. The EcoDiesel comes standard with a supplemental heating element in the HVAC system. As I understand it, this is literally an electric heat grid inside the dash near the blower fan that sends warm air into the ductwork even before the engine is up to operating temp.

So, no fears of getting warm inside the truck on a cold winter day.

 

[maligator]

Since cool weather is coming soon again, I thought I'd bring this back to the top to let people who are shopping the diesel know that heat in the cabin is not an issue. The EcoDiesel comes standard with a supplemental heating element in the HVAC system. As I understand it, this is literally an electric heat grid inside the dash near the blower fan that sends warm air into the ductwork even before the engine is up to operating temp.

So, no fears of getting warm inside the truck on a cold winter day.

Dang,

Literally right after I buy this ugly nostril cover I find this post!

I'm going to assume the extra cold in WI over Kentucky justified this purchase lol.

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