Cold weather starts

[dennisS]

We spent the weekend checking out our elk hunt units in northern Arizona. Our campsite was at 9000 feet and it froze during the night. Our M1010 started up after it warmed up in the morning but my question is our hunt starts Dec.. 7th and it will be considerably colder, probably in the teens or single digits. I know that you are not supposed to use starting aids but I wonder if any of you from the colder climes have any advice to keep from becoming stranded in a relatively remote area. We will be camping in the same area so it will be at high altitude. Any ideas

 

[Sharecropper]

Are your glow plugs operating properly? If so, you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[dennisS]

Glow plugs are new, just was a little rough getting started.

 

[dmilkman589]

i am a low elevation of about 1200 ft and i can start 1009 at -5 during the winter with bad ip. just end up trying about 2 times. but always fires at no more than 3 trys.

 

[m1010plowboy]

Diesel Cold Start

The coldest temp up here was around -56 f and we get weeks at -4 f continuous. My favorite is -40 f where diesel begins to gel and gear oil can lock differentials.

It may be overkill but a battery charger, generator, booster box(s) and/or back-up gas vehicle come with us when hitting the bush. A dead diesel up here could be a death sentence. Lots of diesels get pulled into heated shops to thaw out before they run again.

When heat is available, we've gone as far as pulling the oil plug and leaving it drain over-night (into travel container) and adding room temperature oil when we're ready to fire.

It's not that engines were hard to start, rather getting oil to the top end when it's thick as tar causes a great deal of wear. I drove my first 1972 Chev for 17 years with 12 years on the original motor.

Rotella or other brand name oil synthetics move a little quicker to lube the engine. 40% of engine wear is caused by cold starts.
Cold Weather and Oil Changes: What You Need to Know

Fuel is critical. Water in our suppliers tanks get pumped unknowingly into equipment and if we're not draining filters at night then the frozen water in the fuel plugs lines. We must use fuel additives or risk freezing and gelling.
Diesel additives...
Diesel Cold Weather Fuel And Additive FAQ

On the rare occasion the 1010 gets left outside, she wants the glow-plugs cycled twice. Doing this with less then perfect batteries can reduce available cranking power so be sure your batteries......are perfect. The second the GP light comes off I hit the starter. We crank for less then 10 seconds, to avoid heating up things and if she doesn't fire, I repeat.

Block heater / circulating heater / oil pan heater

One bonus engine saver is throwing the generator on the block heater for two hours before firing, if you have a block heater.
http://www.focusonenergy.com/files/...ess_programs/engineblockheaters_factsheet.pdf

Tank Style Engine Preheaters - Diesel Engine Block Heater | Hotstart

Oil pan heater won't help you start if your batteries are frozen but your oil will be warm enough to melt snow.

Titan Engine oil pan heaters, filter heaters and battery warmers. Designed for cars, diesel engines, more effective than block heaters, magnetic heaters. Suitable for Volkswagen vw beetle, Audi, Land Rover, Ford, Chrysler, GM,

We gear up to be broke down. Emergency preparedness for medical evacs, communications, cold weather survival clothing/ food/ fire, 3rd party contact with check in times, limited access rescue contacts, a credit card, towing company and helicopter rescue phone numbers all give me confidence that my M1010 will start.

Get lots of pictures and Happy Hunting!

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

Okay. Edmonton. Yeah.


I'm going to listen to him on cold weather issues.


My infantry company was sent from Ft. Carson Colorado to some place north of Edmonton for winter training one fine January.

We thought we knew about cold before we went there. Turns out we didn't!

 

[BKubu]

Not sure the answer to your question, but I have much of the arctic heater kit for a CUCV...new. It is NOT complete, but there is enough there to put heat and defrost in the cab with many other parts. I know the parts for the tranny heater, battery heater, etc. are not there (at least it is not complete). If this is something that would help you, PM me. I am looking to part with it since I no longer have a CUCV.

 

[m1010plowboy]

6.2 cold starts TM questioned

We need to mention 2-53 and 'depressing the throttle pedal'.......prior to starting. Previous owner suggested "Pushing and Releasing" pedal which sets 'high idle' on this M1010 for cold starts.

After several minutes of running at high idle this M1010 kicks down to a lower RPM crackle.

The TM's are questionable sometimes.
Am I reading something wrong, not comprehending again or do the TM's really
say the following:

This is out of TM 9-2320-289-10 2-53

(1) If temperature is more then 32 f press accelerator pedal halfway to floor and hold

(2) If temperature is less then 32 f press accelerator pedal to floor and hold

CUCV Operators Manual

If someone follows this and holds the pedal to the floor and turns the key.........I want a video!

The recent story of a private told to go top the truck up with oil before they leave and without supervision, filled the engine with oil until it ran out the top.

This place is hot compared to areas North of us. The claim to fame is a one day record of being the coldest place on Earth, with a weather station.
Alberta Foothills Weather » Blog Archive » December 13, 5am, Edmonton Intl. – Coldest place on Earth

 

[eme411]

cold start

the best advice I can give to diesel owners is INSTALL A BLOCK HEATER , starts every time and saves all the problems such as ruined batteries ,starter, glow plug systems and wear on your motor, the other side of this is if you have a bad glow system you can plug the truck in and fool it so you will always start, next point make sure you have WINTER GRADE ENGINE OIL, I spent 36 years working for Mercedes Benz , we did not give the customer a choice about a block heater , all our diesels were sold with one , but you can't help people that will not use them or prep their vehicle for winter,

 

[dennisS]

I appreciate all the good advice! Since this is just a camping out issue I don't think that a block heater would be applicable. I do carry a generator and charger in the ambulance. Just another quick question, could elevation be any factor in this? I know the older carburetor gas vehicles had problems with extreme elevation changes. Note of interest: When I get over 8,000 feet the 4 wheel drive light comes on and stays on. No problem, just interesting!

 

[eme411]

block heater

so my question is how do think you will get the block warm enough to start if it should get very cold? remember what I said when you need to leave the truck up there as a target for bubba hunters
regards Frank

 

[Sharecropper]

Back in the '80's I hunted in N.W. Colorado on a sheep farmer's 4,000 acres. He drove a diesel Chevy all over his farm, and kept with him at all times a 20 pound propane tank and a small propane-fired salamander heater. The heater did not require electricity, and was lighted by a push-button manual starter. He used that darn thing for everything, from heating his oil pan and engine when it was too cold to crank, to making coffee and drying clothes, to starting a regular fire. I have always thought about that fellow and his propane heater, and how wise he was to haul that thing around with him.

So for your hunting trip, you might want to consider getting one of those manual heaters and a couple propane tanks. Works without electricity and will warm your engine to cranking temperature in just a few minutes.

Hope this helps.

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

Plowboy, I've been reading the links you posted, and I have a question for you:

Do you recommend the oil pan heater or the block heater?

 

[m1010plowboy]

CUCV Oil heater vs block heater

Oil Pan heater for the truck as a priority, circulating block heater for the cab/ motor as secondary. Frozen solid seats are overcome with soft cushion butts and 3 layers but cold oil is lazy.

Not sure why I can't find English tests but the cold temp oil test shows why oil temp matters.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmkoQz4J8jU&feature=watch-vrec[/media]

I've read that the block heater can add 20 degrees C to the water temp...... around the 'block heater'. If you use a circulating heater everything around the water jackets stay 'warm' and gives you faster cab heat.

Butttt, warm water does little if your oil takes 20 seconds to get to the top.

My 85 year old Dad and I were chatting about it and he said they'd put coal or 'brickets' in a pan at night or early in the morning. We only had a gas tractor so they were taking a chance but they'd throw a horse blanket over the hood and set the coal under the oil pan. It would heat the oil up and things would flow a little quicker. We still drive that tractor.

 

[Keith_J]

At high altitudes and cold temperatures, if you need a starting aid, have an assistant play a hand held LIT propane torch over the intake, once the air filter is removed. The hot air from the torch will greatly assist ignition. Once the engine starts, you might need to use more accelerator pedal until it stabilizes, usually just a few seconds.

Since a propane torch is very handy, it should be in every survival kit.

 

[trukhead]

Absolutely fascinating thread. The Propane tank and the heater are a perfect solution to a cold problem. I don't know where one can get a propane salamander heater without an electric plug in for a fan. I thought the heater could run on the pulse jet principle.

 

[trucknut]

I have some cold weather experience as well, running diesel pumps and doing underwater demolition at -30. At the high end (cost wise) an Espar hydronic coolant heater is the way to go. It even has a timer to have your truck ready to go when you return to it. A cheaper solution is two four foot sections of 6 inch stove pipe, a 90 degree elbow and a tiger torch. Lay out the pipe with the elbow pointing up under the motor and stick the head of the tiger torch in the other end. Two sections of pipe helps prevent melting wires etc. (another story) A blanket or tarp speeds up the process as well.

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

My 85 year old Dad and I were chatting about it and he said they'd put coal or 'brickets' in a pan at night or early in the morning. We only had a gas tractor so they were taking a chance but they'd throw a horse blanket over the hood and set the coal under the oil pan. It would heat the oil up and things would flow a little quicker. We still drive that tractor.

Your dad is probably a tough old bird - he's the same generation as my dad. He was born in B.C. and worked a cattle ranch in Alberta, also worked a road crew driving a 'dozer building the Hope-Princeton highway. During the war he was an Army mechanic working on cold-weather issues for military equipment. Some place in the far north - don't remember where for sure.

I think that coals under the engine was standard procedure in those days for just about everybody.

 

[Sharecropper]

Here's a link to the non-electric propane heater. 25,000 BTU with a push button piezo lighter. Sounds like a jet engine. 12" high. The heat goes straight up. Placed on frozen ground under the oil pan, this thing will warm your engine enough to crank in case of GP failure. Will boil water for coffee in 2 minutes. This, along with a couple full propane tanks, is standard equipment in my camping gear.

Hope this helps.

DAYTON Gas Fired Heater, LP - Portable Gas Heaters - 6BY71|6BY71 - Grainger Industrial Supply

 

[Abbylind]

I live in NM at 7200' It routinely gets in the teens and 20s in the AM. My M1008 has some old GPs and it starts with a little more cranking. If I let the glow plugs cycle a few times it helps. Some mornings I throw a halogen shop light under the hood to heat up the block and batteries. Helps a lot. YMMV