hwp
Platinum Member
The impression I get from reading a number of posts on various topics is that it is harmful to a diesel engine to use it before the engine is full warmed up. Is this really the case? This is my first diesel tractor but I have owned several diesel cars and never had a problem with driving them as soon as they were started. Most of those cars had well over 500k miles on them before I sold them and they were still running strong. There is no question that there is a better fuel burn, and therefore more power, at higher temperatures but these engines have to run to warm up so why not use them in the process? I notice that some jurisdictions now prohibit vehicles, particularly diesel powered busses and trucks, from being left idling for more than a few minutes. I have never seen any notation in an owner's manual that a diesel engine should be full warmed up before being used. So what is the basis of the widely held belief that diesel enignes must be fully armed up before they can be used?