Warm up the Diesel? Or drive it like you stole it?

[Free2roam]

Do I need to warm it up. Never owned a diesel. Thoughts?

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[MrZappo]

Uh, something in between?

 

[red/green hawk]

 

[Free2roam]

LMAO. I know the difference. But does the engine actually need a warm up?

 

[red/green hawk]

LMAO. I know the difference. But does the engine actually need a warm up?

I warm my gasser up every day whether its -20 or 100. Same principles apply IMO. I let it run until it idles down. Cylinders need lubrication on diesels as much as on gassers.

 

[Mr._Bill]

Do I need to warm it up. Never owned a diesel. Thoughts?

The Diesel engine is most efficient when at operating temperature. Many come with a radiator cover for winter driving, to keep the temperature up, since the cooling system is designed for high temperatures.

At a minimum, I would wait for the idle to kick down before driving. If you have the remote start option, I would use that at least five minutes prior to departure.

I always remote start my gas JT, but that is more for cab comfort due to the environment. If it had the option, I would have done the same with the diesel I traded in.

 

[TheSolarWizard]

if it’s below 70 degrees let it run about 3 minutes if it hasn’t been on for more than 5 hours. 6 minutes below 30.

don’t forget the transmission needs to warm up to some degree as well.


my sop is really light throttle the first mile

 

[jeepin48]

YES warm it up! You get more wear from warm up than you do cruising. I heard one study say a cold wide open throttle is equivalent to 15k miles.

 

[Free2roam]

YES warm it up! You get more wear from warm up than you do cruising. I heard one study say a cold wide open throttle is equivalent to 15k miles.

Lost me on that one. Saying warm it up? Or cruising? More wear from warming up is what I've heard too. I've generally never warmed up my vechicle. But this is my first diesel. And to quote @TheSolarWizard how does the transmission warm up in park? I understand there is a pump in the transmission. Guessing you mean that aspect?

 

[FutureOdin]

Honestly, I'm not too worried about it... I'm never going WOT unless my engine is warm, anyways. I get it in, start it up, buckle my seat belt, put down the parking brake, and start driving it. I don't think modern diesels need that much warm up time. The only time I warm it up is when it's < 30F outside.

 

[TheSolarWizard]

Lost me on that one. Saying warm it up? Or cruising? More wear from warming up is what I've heard too. I've generally never warmed up my vechicle. But this is my first diesel. And to quote @TheSolarWizard how does the transmission warm up in park? I understand there is a pump in the transmission. Guessing you mean that aspect?

trans builds heat while driving. I just take it easy as best as possible till the shifts smooth out

 

[jeepin48]

Lost me on that one. Saying warm it up? Or cruising? More wear from warming up is what I've heard too. I've generally never warmed up my vechicle. But this is my first diesel. And to quote @TheSolarWizard how does the transmission warm up in park? I understand there is a pump in the transmission. Guessing you mean that aspect?

Clarification: Yes definitely warm it up. Running it hard when it is cold will add additional wear as the different materials warm up at different rates.
The transmission circulates fluid through itself and the combined engine coolers that will warm up the transmission even when it is in park. IMO the transmission is less critical to warm up but warming the engine will do both.

 

[chsapeak]

I've run Powerstrokes for the past 15+ years and have had diesel VW's since 2011. I never let them warm up and actually if you let it sit and idle for 10 minutes in super cold temps the temp needle will never move. They need a load to create heat. I lived on a mtn top and would take a 5 mile drive out of my way to get the cabin warm before heading down the 4 mile hill. by the time I was at the bottom the gauge was bottomed out and the vents blowing cold air.. So my belief is a diesel engine will not warm up on its own idling in the driveway. Get in it a GO!!

 

[RGNOUTLAW]

I own a heavy haul trucking company and I recommend a warmup and cool down period on diesels. Warm up to properly lubricate everything in the motor amd a cool down after hard driving so your turbo doesn't get heat baked by hot oil. It tends to serve me well. Just my 2 cents.

 

[xerootg]

Modern diesels are designed to be driven, not idled. Idling conditions lead to additional soot in your oil, since you need airflow and heat to efficiently burn diesel. Do not pre-heat, do not cool-down unless you know your oil is hot. It's probably not though. EGRs coke up when you don't have ideal environmental conditions, and idling is the literal worst conditions it ever sees. Do your oil changes religiously, and don't beat on it when its not up to normal operating temperatures. As to cold - you can preheat things, but you'd be better off just keeping the oil warm with the block heater. If the oil is warm when the engine starts, no matter how cold it is outside, you have better lubrication when the engine needs it most all while reducing the hours on your oil and therefore soot load in your oil. I'm drawing from my years of experience building and owning modern diesels. I've had my mk7 VW TDI Golf (CRUA) in -30f and had it start just like it was 70f running regular old #2 diesel from the same pump as everyone else. My TDI powered XJ (BHW) is the same way, and it doesn't have a block heater. I cannot emphasize how much engineering effort has gone into making diesel a simple experience for the average driver compared to the days of even the venerable 7.3l. Consider how fast your JT comes up to operating temperatures in every-day driving conditions. I had mine in -20f this winter and guess what - the heater was warm just as fast as my buddy's TJ on the same trip. Things like the 'three way coolant valve' make this possible, and FCA spent endless dollars making sure this motor got up to operational temperature quickly so as to avoid emissions issues.

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