Question for the deisel Gu-Roos. - Montana Owners Club

Bluegill · 09-15-2006, 09:21 AM

I have heard that short trips (less than a couple of miles) with a deisel is not good for it.
Because the motor doesnt ever get "The Gunk Out".
My motor is BARLELY getting warmed up by the time I get to work. No freeway driving at all.
What have you heard ?

Blue

RLVoumard · 09-15-2006, 09:30 AM

I think that with any internal combustion engine the BEST CASE would be a drive that allows all TEMPS to come up to normal. Diesels seems be happiest when warmed up. As long as you hit the road from time to time and drive some distance I think you will be fine.

Bluegill · 09-15-2006, 09:40 AM

Roger that..RLVoumard.
I could go around the block a couple of times to get things heated up a bit.

We usually hit the road on the weekends to burn up all the fuel we saved during the week

Just trying to do my part to keep the Refineries Happy!

bsmeaton · 09-15-2006, 10:13 AM

Blue,

I have been under the same impression based on my experience with stationary diesels. Minimum run time on those was 30 minutes regardless of the reason for starting them. I believe that even though you run it long enough to get the water temperature to normal, the more important factor is getting the oil temperature to normal before you shut it down - and there is a bunch of oil in there.

I just spoke with the Ford service rep yesterday when I dropped off my truck. We chatted about the 6.0 versus my old 7.3. He said the phrase used for the 6.0 is "drive it like you stole it", or in other words don't drive it like a wuss on a daily basis. He said it is real important to open it up occasionally and let the turbo wind to clear carbon deposits. They still have some issues and the carbon can collect in the heads as well as in the turbo.

For what it is worth - but this is the second Service manager that has warned me.

Glenn and Lorraine · 09-15-2006, 11:37 AM

"drive it like you stole it" has always been my attitude, even in the big block gassers. This is what they are built for and just what they need.
Have you ever been tied up in an endless stop and go traffic jam and when you finally got that clear shot you hammered it and left a trail of black smog behind you? Diesels were built to work and not tip toe through the tulips.
If you gotta take that short trip and just can't stretch it out than by the weekend get'er out on the open road and open her up. Open that horse up and blow out all that crap. Just don't get too nutz and come home with a ticket to the Policeman's Ball.

tcorbitt · 09-15-2006, 11:58 AM

Blue,

Your PSD is designed and built to work... that is what large displacement diesels do and have been doing for years. In a pickup, even pulling a Monty around, these motors are under worked. I've had 5 diesel trucks and just drive em like a truck should be driven and worked.

Been a firefighter for 23 years. All our trucks are Diesel and are run for 25 years or more. We start these cold and drive them hard immediatly without warmup a few hundred times a year. At least once a day we start them up to check lights, gauges, air pressure, etc. Run for maybe 5 minutes and shut them down before they are warm. No problem. .. sometime idle them for 12 hours at a wack. We have pumped water with these engines at 2K RPMs, Turbo flying for 3-4 days straight. Fuel came to us since we couldn't shut down. No problem...

The only time I hear of major problems is when people decide to muck around with chips, exhaust systems, and add other Hi-preformance add ons. Stay stock, keep the oil and filters clean, and work the truck hard.

Tim

Montana Sky · 09-15-2006, 06:53 PM

I run my truck as others have said, about once a week I open that baby up and leave my trail of black smoke!! Especially when along side those rice burner Honda's that are racing through town. Amazing how my tailpipe is perfectly level with the open drivers window. =)

Bluegill · 09-15-2006, 06:57 PM

Montana, I cant believe you would do something like that to those kids racing around town with their BOOM boxes going

and their bumble bee exhaust systems

thinking that they are hot stuff.

They are a GOOD TARGET though !!

Bluegill · 09-15-2006, 06:59 PM

oh yeah, back on the subject.
Thanks for your replies guys. I will just have to make sure I can give the ole PSD a good run for it's money on the weekend.

Blue

Montana Sky · 09-15-2006, 07:51 PM

Blue,
Sounds like you know exactly who I am talking about. LOL! Nothing I love better than my Duramax pulling farther out in front of them. Those kids cant stand to lose to a big truck like mine. =) =) =) =)

Craig A · 09-16-2006, 12:13 AM

MontanaSky, you're right, it's a load of fun to smoke those rice burners litterally and figuratively. After getting them once, they ususally have a real healthy respect for good ole American trucks. The best part is at the next stop light they have their window up and don't even try to take you on again.

indy roadrunner · 09-16-2006, 01:57 AM

Montana Sky you are something else. Bluegill, I work in the Fleet Maintenance Dept of a trucking company and the Cummins Tech rep was there showing our technicians some different download features from the computer to the engine. And we were talking about this very subject as we have an older tractor that never leaves the yard - it is used to pull trailers through the wash bay. He said that we were not working that engine hard enough - that a diesel was designed to be worked and we should "blow the soot" out of that unit every once in a while. Helps to keep the injectors cleaned etc.

Bluegill · 09-16-2006, 04:36 AM

Good, Thanks for the confirmation on the soot thing Phil.
I just love to blow smoke !

Blue

Fire5er · 09-16-2006, 05:14 AM

I agree with tcorbitt! I have been in the fire service for over 30 years, and am a Battalion Chief with 10 diesel rigs within my Battalion. We don’t have the time, and you wouldn’t want us to take the time, to warm up the engines before we pull out of the station and punch it to the floor to get to the scene. In all those years I have never had a problem with the turbos or any other part of the diesel engine due to not warming it up, or cooling it down. Most problems we have are electrical in nature due to all the lights they have added to emergency apparatus in the past thirty years.

tcorbitt · 09-16-2006, 01:01 PM

Fire5er, great to hear another fire service member on MOC. I suspect there may be a few more out there. Now the real question is, should we scare the Diesel fans with the truth about how often the oil gets changed? I have to agree with you about the lighting and hundreds of electronic gizmos on board these days...

bsmeaton · 09-16-2006, 02:01 PM

A salute to the fellow firefighters!

Of course we didn't warmup the diesels either, but we always kept the apparatus plugged into the shore lines in the bays with trickle chargers, oil heaters and water heaters to reduce the cold start trauma on those diesels. The stationary fire pumps had the same continous setup to ensure they would start and perform on demand.

Brad

Fire5er · 09-16-2006, 04:30 PM

tcorbitt...your right, we don’t want to scare them about the oil changes...or lack of

. But we have never had a diesel not perform when needed. These engines are made to work, and work hard!
bsmeaton...you must work in a cold climate to have your rigs plugged in all the time. Out here in western Washington we just have heated bays to keep the rigs warm in the winter. Good to have brother firefighters around to learn from as we will be purchasing our Montana Jan 07. We are looking at the 3475RL. Can't wait!!

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