Slow Idling a Diesel Engine.

Thanks,

Tom

Check the stack smoke. If white, you are too cool. Sometimes I just rev the engine to get it to stay at temp and sometimes put cardboard in front of the radiator to bring the overall engine temp up. Works. Check out the OTR trucks in the winter. Notice their grill cover?
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Hey George, How are things going down there? We had 3 families over here in Texas from there for awhile. Helped out best we could. Then Rita hit the TX coast and we had more; this time kin folks.

Mark

Thanks for askin,

George

You wouldn't believe the horror stories the folks that came here told. One had an apt on the beach, other lived off the pass road near the VA, last lived between Biloxi and GP near a creek. The surge filled BBay and came around the back, via the creek, and completely flooded them outta their trailer. Had to swim to the trees to get out of the flood.

Saw auction pictures of some of the boats moored at Pass Christian. Really terrible all those beautiful boats just ruined.

Later,

Mark

Low temperatures then promote incomplete combustion with smokey exhaust and "wet stacking" (incomplete combustion of fuel which then wets the inside of exhaust system with a nasty, black goo). Prolonged cold idling also promotes condensation/dilution in the lube oil which is kinda hard on an engine's internals.

Running the idle up makes the engine run hotter and thus reduce these problems. However it also uses more fuel. Generally speaking, increasing idle RPM by 80 - 100% above low idle (ie. setting the idle about 1,000 and 1,200 RPM for your 'hoe) should be adequate.

However at current diesel prices, the cost-effective approach is to simply shut the engine down if it's gonna be idling for more than a couple minutes. The only exception would be for a turbocharged engine - if a turbo's been working hard, let it idle for 5 minutes or so to let the turbo cool before shutting down.

Incidentally my F250 diesel automatically kicks the idle up to 1,100 RPM if it's allowed to idle in nuetral more than a couple minutes and the computer senses the lube oil is a below a certain temperature.

George