Oil & Fuel Need to Warm Up a Diesel Engine?

[GaryK]

I have an HSt and live in the warm south so cold starts are not a problem but I do run the newer lighter HD hydro oil and do let it run a minute or so before backing it out of the shed and several more before doing anything with the FEL or heavy work.

 

[em14]

I agree with your friend .. I feel that all engines regardless, of Diesel or not, need to be warm before they are placed under a heavy load ... the metal engine components need to be heated to work at the designed tolerances and the proper lubrication is occuring. I would say that if you were to start an engine then drive at a moderate speed without hard acceleration until it has that a chance to come up to operating temp. it would last a long time .. It's not only the engine lubrication that you should be concerned about but also the transmission, final drive etc. Long periods of idling also can be bad as not only are you wasting fuel, you are adding to carbon build up in the engine...there was a nice article on the Dodge / Cummins site about this ... Now if you live and work in Alaska (harsh cold climate) there is a need to idle more unless you have some way of heating the engine oil ... I guess my take on all of this is to be gentle with equipment untill it is warm and ready to go hard ... it's sorta like being an athlete, you just got to warm and stretch those muscles ...

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Fire it up, warm it up a minute or 2 for lubrication purposes, work it lightly for a few more minutes, and put it to work.
Far more damage comes from immediately shutting down a hot engine.
The above relys on the presumption you are using decent fuel and the proper lubricating oil.
Much of the newer large diesel engines are now equipped with prelube pumps to prevent starting on dry bearings. The smaller engines should be regularly started & run for a few minutes to preclude dry bearings. It's always a good idea to spin the engine a few revolutions with compression released for lube purposes.

 

[frank_f15]

i think the most important part of letting it warm up is that it not only brings the engine oil up in temp but just as importantly it warms up the hydraulic oil, before you work it hard. even in summer i let it warm up for a few min. and in winter depending on the temp. at least 10 min. this is only mho. but can't hurt.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Hwp, the Kioti manual for the LK3054 specifically states that the diesel engine be warmed in winter and "wait until the engine is warm enough. Do not operate tractor before Temp. meter indicates the proper temperature." Later in the manual it says to always allow the engine to warm up before applying a load. I've only owned the tractor for a short time so I haven't operated it in winter. It warms up quickly during this warmer weather in Texas. Regards

 

[ScottAR]

When its really cold, I let mine warm up while I grease and check out everything. That takes 5-10 minutes so I'm usually ready to go. If it's really really cold, I stay inside. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I always plug mine in if I think I'll need to use it in the near future (snow in forecast). If you don't have a heater and you have an electrical supply nearby, see if you can add a heater. Mine heats good enough that it also keeps the tranny oil warm too. I also let it idle for about 5 minutes before working it hard.

 

[northcreek2624]

<font color=red>"So what is the basis of the widely held belief that diesel enignes must be fully armed up before they can be used?"</font color=red>

From my observation I would say the basis has two parts:
1. If it's YOUR tractor a short warm-up can't hurt just to get the oil flowing and things heated-up to reduce thermal shock.

2. If it's the COMPANY'S tractor just fire it up and go,that's what they've been doing with the JD cut where I used to work and it's still going strong after 10+ years with horrible maintenance to add insult to injury.

In summary,once running the tractor doesn't know if it's just sitting there or moving,like the other members have said,just keep the load down for a bit........Mike

 

[JohnMiller3]

A few winters back, we had a cold spell down to -17 below zero… I had purchased a Satoh w/ loader earlier that summer… The Satoh being a gas engine actually started quite well considering… but the rest was terrible…

I had to let the tractor “warm-up” for about 45 minutes before the power steering worked properly and before the rest of the hydraulics would even move… /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

 

[deepsnow]

My NH dealer & service techs all recommend warming up to operating temp before subjecting the tractor to any significant load. Even using the block heater during the winter months the loader & 3pt hydro will "squeal" without a warm up. Not a problem during the summer. A simple tip to get the hydro fluid up to temp a little quicker is while idling & in neutral rock the hydro pedal. No objective data. Seems to work.