Better to idle the tractor or turn it off?

[Soundguy]

ouch.. I'd let it idle.. what's that.. a few pennies of fuel? vs wear on the starter and ring gear and bendix.

if you didn't have to split a tractor to repalce a ring gear.. i guess it wouldn't be so bad... i don't have to split a tractor to add a few pennies of fuel to it..

 

[PapaPerk]

ouch.. I'd let it idle.. what's that.. a few pennies of fuel? vs wear on the starter and ring gear and bendix.

if you didn't have to split a tractor to repalce a ring gear.. i guess it wouldn't be so bad... i don't have to split a tractor to add a few pennies of fuel to it..

Extended idling (more than a few minutes) on newer diesels is not good. Even Cummins advises against it. They run so efficently and cool it can cause issues with cylinder washdown, etc.

 

[Soundguy]

Extended idling (more than a few minutes) on newer diesels is not good. Even Cummins advises against it. They run so efficently and cool it can cause issues with cylinder washdown, etc.

I guess you missed this part.. or decided to miss it on purpose:

It's an older tractor. Maybe the later 80s

this was in post #1, last sentence.

besides.. in city traffic.. what you are calling extended idling.. IE.. a few minnutes, can be seen at each and every stoplight. I'm not stoppoing and re-starting my (any of mine )diesel at each stop.... and they aren't a cummins either.. or new..

soundguy

 

[Johnp33]

I have been a mechanic doing class engines for 40 years and have seen very few ring gears damaged from a starter mostly it was when the starter was loose or the Bendix jammed.
I worked for a logging company in the late 60s and they had a contractor that hauled rock he had every one of his trucks shut off as they came into the pit, and coast into position. I did their engine work 4 units did one starter, in 5.5 years. 8V71 NA.
I have replaced less than a dozen ring gears on class eights, never for one that was pulled for that reason for wear yes, mostly Cats, with loose starters.

 

[PapaPerk]

I guess you missed this part.. or decided to miss it on purpose:



this was in post #1, last sentence.

besides.. in city traffic.. what you are calling extended idling.. IE.. a few minnutes, can be seen at each and every stoplight. I'm not stoppoing and re-starting my (any of mine )diesel at each stop.... and they aren't a cummins either.. or new..

soundguy

I'm talking about newer diesels. And said so.

more than a few = over 5 minutes. This is more important in very cold weather. Some diesels have a high idle program in their computer to increase idle in colder weather.

The old wise tale that it's better to idle engines than to shut them down and restart is bull when applied to modern diesels... and modern includes the late 80's.

 

[Soundguy]

I'm talking about newer diesels. And said so.
.

the creator of this thread don't have a new one.. that's my point.!!!

 

[CJONE]

I work for the oilfields and have for over 25 years, I started as a mechanic and fabricator and now I do hydraulics for class 8 trucks and just about everything else. Well guess what the trucks run the hydraulics and most everything else at idle or just above. The trucks are started in the morning and not shut off all day, most idling for hours at a time with no problems. NOW comes the problem. The new emissions BS is the problem. You name it from overheating regen sessions to full shutdowns and tow ins. That IMHO is the reason the MFG say do not idle. I have only had 1 issue with engines and it was a 4 valve Mack in the wintertime. If the winter front was not used it would never get any temp in the combustion chamber and coke the valves up. The truck has a service bed on it with no weight and never has a trailer hooked to it, so it never works and idles all the time. No problems in the summer. My self with my Diesels they get shut off if it is over 15 minutes or so but in the winter they stay running until I am done with what I am doing. CJ

 

[PapaPerk]

the creator of this thread don't have a new one.. that's my point.!!!

Understood. :thumbsup:

 

[Don87]

i've seen rigs with a small gasser or propane(whisper / honda) genny on back to power a low wattage unit as well.

The truck that I drive has the Thermo King APU climate control system on it. It has a 2 cylinder diesel engine hooked to the frame that operates a seperate air conditioner. It's design to heat the engine coolant if the engine temperature drops below 50 degrees. The engine will come on automatically if my battery voltage drops also.

Under my bunk is a small diesel fired 'furnace' also for heat when it's cold.

The problem with these systems is the price tag....12,000 to 20,000 dollars is my understanding. It's hard to recoup the cost of the unit, over the life of the truck( most companies upgrade every 5 years or so).

 

[Bladehauler]

I'll do a low idle for 2 to 3 minutes, any longer than that......i'll do a fast idle. If I'm going to be sitting for any more than 10 to 15 minutes.....I generally shut down.

I'm a firm believer in 'diesels were meant to run'..........but only to a certain degree.

To those complaining about trucks running at the trucks stops:

Any night you are ready to take the plunge........go to a truck stop, park between 2 trucks, shut your car/pickup off and roll the windows up.........at 30 degrees farenheit........then go to sleep. Call me after your required 10 hour break and let me know how it went.
On the reverse side, park between 2 trucks when the temp is 75 degrees farenheit, on that blistering pavement, in the blazing sun...........again, call me after your required 10 hour break and tell me how it went.

As an over the road driver, I spend 240 days and nights per year in my truck, away from home.

It's easy to sit there in your heated/air conitioned house and complain about us guys that delivered everything you own, but, until you been a driver............you ain't got a clue!

and now Cali has imposed 10 min idling laws ! THATS WHY I WONT TAKE ANY LOADS TO CALI !!