My first Cummins.....winter tips??

From : radshooter

Q: bought my first deisel a few weeks ago. an 03 3500 dually 6-speed to pull a big fifth-wheel with. we live in southeastern idaho and it can get to -30 here in the winters. lots of deisels around here so i know it can be done. it is my daily driver also so need to keep it going. it has a block heater from the factory. at what point do i need to start plugging it in what about fuel additives to prevent gelling i buy fuel from flying j and assume they blend fuel as needed for the winter. i take a lot of call at the hospital and have to be able to get to work 24 hrs/day regardless of weather or temps. any tips for a first-timer would be greatly appreciated. love the truck so far!! .

Replies:

From : jerry

radshooter wrote bought my first deisel a few weeks ago. an 03 3500 dually 6-speed to pull a big fifth-wheel with. we live in southeastern idaho and it can get to -30 here in the winters. lots of deisels around here so i know it can be done. it is my daily driver also so need to keep it going. it has a block heater from the factory. at what point do i need to start plugging it in what about fuel additives to prevent gelling i buy fuel from flying j and assume they blend fuel as needed for the winter. i take a lot of call at the hospital and have to be able to get to work 24 hrs/day regardless of weather or temps. any tips for a first-timer would be greatly appreciated. love the truck so far!! well you certainly bought the right truck for the fifth wheel. ive only plugged my block heater in once or twice and that was when the temps hit 15-20 plus degrees. at the temperatures you have i would think a timer setup to kick on 2-3 hours before you intend to drive would work. the block heater on my truck does pull the current and your electric bill will remind you at the end of the month. anti gel is a must even though flying-j does drop to diesel 1 in certain areas during the winter but im not sure they add a anti gel to their fuel. talk to the local drivers and find out what they use but i suspect all are about the same. the ones that guarantee their product not to gel or you get free tows and repairs have some special rules in fine print so read carefully. some people go to synthetic oil in the winter but i use dino oil but i do change my oil every 4000 miles and fuel filter every second oil change. there are those that block off the radiator with a piece of cardboard except for a 10 inch diameter hole in the center to allow the engine to reach operating temps during the winter in areas like you live but ive never done this. roy lives in one of those eskimo places up north so he can probable fill you in on a lot of dos and donts. a good place to pick peoples brains and get ideas is the tdr http//www.turbodieselregister.com/ where you can find out tons of information. they also have a rv/towing section that would be helpful. one last thing if your truck came with michelin a/s tires such as mine did then get a good set of snow tires for the rear. the michelin a/s in my experience were great on wet pavement not to bad on ice and down right crap in soft snow. jerry .

From : xgrizzfan

bought my first deisel a few weeks ago. an 03 3500 dually 6-speed to pull a big fifth-wheel with. we live in southeastern idaho and it can get to -30 here in the winters. lots of deisels around here so i know it can be done. it is my daily driver also so need to keep it going. it has a block heater from the factory. at what point do i need to start plugging it in what about fuel additives to prevent gelling i buy fuel from flying j and assume they blend fuel as needed for the winter. i take a lot of call at the hospital and have to be able to get to work 24 hrs/day regardless of weather or temps. any tips for a first-timer would be greatly appreciated. love the truck so far!! when it gets very cold under 0 youll want that block heater plugged in all night--but resist the urge to keep it plugged in all the time. they burn out easily--and you dont want to be without it in february. check your manual--it will give you some idea of what temperature it should be used at. if you can rig up a timer that would be the best idea. you could set it to go on about an hour or two before you get out to your truck in the morning it would be plenty warm to keep your oil flowing and save your battery. its also kind of sweet to be able to turn on the heater and have your cab warm within minutes of getting in. if you dont use the block heater it can take a while to warm up. some of the canadians who lurk on this board might be able to tell you a little more. with regard to the fuel they have to blend no. 2 with no. 1 to keep the fuel from gelling in the tanks. ive never lived anywhere that it got cold enough that it was a problem. i dont know anything about the additives either. i do know this youll love that truck. im on my second 3/4 ton. where in se id are you i went to highland high in pocatello. fantastic place to live. i learned how to ski at caribou and skyline now pebble creek. .

From : redneck tookover hellnosey

lol sure im in wyoming right now but should be home in a couple days. ill let you know when redneck aaaahhhhhh!!!!!!! i live in seattle - can i call you a dyslexic man walks into a bra. .

From : nosey

radshooter wrote bought my first deisel a few weeks ago. an 03 3500 dually 6-speed to pull a big fifth-wheel with. we live in southeastern idaho and it can get to -30 here in the winters. lots of deisels around here so i know it can be done. it is my daily driver also so need to keep it going. it has a block heater from the factory. at what point do i need to start plugging it in what about fuel additives to prevent gelling i buy fuel from flying j and assume they blend fuel as needed for the winter. i take a lot of call at the hospital and have to be able to get to work 24 hrs/day regardless of weather or temps. any tips for a first-timer would be greatly appreciated. love the truck so far!! im not sure if this applies to the 03 model but it is worth calling your dealer to find out. this tsb re-programs the engine computer to modify the idle in sub-zero temps to allow quick warm-ups.http//dodgeram.info/tsb/2001/18-019-01.htm .

From : tim miser

i just got back from vacation in blackfoot id. had my 03 3500 dually pull my fifth wheel from seattle to blackfoot then down to zion np on to las vegas and back home via mt. shasta all in a week and 2 days! sure was hot there last week but im quite aware how cold it gets in the winter in that part of idaho. -tim bought my first deisel a few weeks ago. an 03 3500 dually 6-speed to pull a big fifth-wheel with. we live in southeastern idaho and it can get to -30 here in the winters. lots of deisels around here so i know it can be done. it is my daily driver also so need to keep it going. it has a block heater from the factory. at what point do i need to start plugging it in what about fuel additives to prevent gelling i buy fuel from flying j and assume they blend fuel as needed for the winter. i take a lot of call at the hospital and have to be able to get to work 24 hrs/day regardless of weather or temps. any tips for a first-timer would be greatly appreciated. love the truck so far!! .

From : mike simmonsmike simmons

they dont call em ram tough for nothing! ^ mike and there isnt anyone that knows hummers better. budd mac davis wrote .

From : mike simmons

rad congrats on the cummins. youll love it! i would plug it in if the forecast indicates temps below zero. most diesel fuel providers switch to a winter blend so gelling shouldnt be a problem but to be safe use a fuel additive such as rotella dfa powers diesel kleene or stanadyne. finally you will find that for short trips it takes a loooong time for the cummins to reach operating temps and thus provide meaningful heat to the cabin. i would plan on adding a winter front to restrict airflow across the radiator which will allow the engine to warm up quicker. even though you have a quiet version of the cummins dont be alarmed when it rattles when starting in cold weather. the engine will quiet down as it warms up. hope this helps! mike bought my first deisel a few weeks ago. an 03 3500 dually 6-speed to pull a big fifth-wheel with. we live in southeastern idaho and it can get to -30 here in the winters. lots of deisels around here so i know it can be done. it is my daily driver also so need to keep it going. it has a block heater from the factory. at what point do i need to start plugging it in what about fuel additives to prevent gelling i buy fuel from flying j and assume they blend fuel as needed for the winter. i take a lot of call at the hospital and have to be able to get to work 24 hrs/day regardless of weather or temps. any tips for a first-timer would be greatly appreciated. love the truck so far!! .