Operating a Diesel Truck in the Winter

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

I love the 10 speed in this thing. But it's got so much power that once it gets up to speed it takes a BIG grade to get it to downshift. I don't put any strain on it with the little weight I haul.

 

[Hay Dude]

So in an earlier post, you stated that your DEF fluid level gauge didn’t move until after you drove for a while.
The best explanation for this is that DEF fluid begins to freeze at about 15 degrees. When this happens the DEF tank sensor/float also freezes. When the truck is started, your DEF tank heater kicks on to thaw the DEF fluid. This in turn allows the sensor or float in the tank to read the DEF level correctly.
That is why the DEF gauge readout is inaccurate when first started.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

So in an earlier post, you stated that your DEF fluid level gauge didn’t move until after you drove for a while.
The best explanation for this is that DEF fluid begins to freeze at about 15 degrees. When this happens the DEF tank sensor/float also freezes. When the truck is started, your DEF tank heater kicks on to thaw the DEF fluid. This in turn allows the sensor or float in the tank to read the DEF level correctly.
That is why the DEF gauge readout is inaccurate.

This is about what I thought. The tank was just about empty so the sensor/ float would not have been submerged in the heated DEF so it probably took a bit for the new fluid to thaw it out enough to register. That is why I was wondering if there was anything special I needed to do. I was not thinking about the tank having a heater. I assume at this point everything is about idiot proof and just works, to a degree...

Did I say it was cold? I had just been in Houston at 80 degrees a couple days before. When I was unloading the wind chill was 15 and blowy.

 

[dodge man]

I owned a 2004 Dodge with a Cummins for several years. I’m west and north of Decatur so it lived in the cold. I’ve had the fuel in my tractor gel but never in that truck. I did add Howes when it started getting down near zero.

They set these trucks up for it. Going by memory but my Cummins had a fuel heater and a heat exchanger to help warm the transmission up quicker. A winter front can help too.

 

[Topzide]

Your DEF pump and guage may be one unit, where the level gauge is around the pump. DEF is pretty caustic, don't let it sit on any metal without cleanup. Pull out your manuals and read up. Put flags on the pages that you may need to find, like fuse locations and fluid spec's. Get yourself a marble notebook to make into a maintainance book. Helps with keeping track of what needs or has been done.

 

[M59]

Well... I'm new to modern diesel truck ownership. This will be my first winter where I feel like I'm going to end up in the cold with one. I live in Arkansas so I'm not sure if we have winter blend fuel or not. I also don't have any idea about the exhaust fluid in the winter. I haul on the side several times a month and could end up anywhere in about a 500-700 mile radius or more from home. I was in Decatur IL last weekend, and it was COLD!

Hay Dude is spot on. READ THE OPERATOR's MANUAL. Mine comes in two parts. The truck and specific one for the Duramax diesel

I own a 2016 GMC Sierra 3500 dually with now 150K miles and its currently 6 degrees when wind chill is added. It runs as well now as it did 8 years ago and its does not get babied. Frequently pulls GCVW just under 26,000 pounds.

 

[Williy]

Never had any problems with cold weather with our
2003 Dodge 2500 5.9L diesel running 15W40 syn year
round. When ever I add fuel I also add PS white all
year round so all ways ready for that cold wind

willy

 

[Hay Dude]

Never had any problems with cold weather with our
2003 Dodge 2500 5.9L diesel running 15W40 syn year
round. When ever I add fuel I also add PS white all
year round so all ways ready for that cold wind

willy

I go back & forth with cold weather additives in truck for cold weather. Diesel is already winterized up HERE. Typical lows here at night are only in the 20’s and highs during the day are in the 30’s. Not exactly Antartica…..

I DO use biocide additives, lubricity, and cold weather additives in my tractor fuel tanks, but they are much older and worn engines that endure longer periods of sitting.

My Ram is run just about every day, so I’m not quite as concerned. I’m running through fresh fuel much more often in the Ram than the rest of the tractors and dump trucks.

It IS cheap insurance, but I have seen some diesel engine manufacturers actually discourage use of additives. Well, actually what they say is “do not use anything other than #2 low sulfur diesel”. I guess thats to keep a dolt from fueling up with 87 unleaded???? lol

 

[Williy]

My friend had a Mercedes 220D? Diesel pulls into a gas
station and the young kid filled it up with reg gas and he
the kid had to drain the tank and flush all the fuel lines.

willy