Roehl Driver Check In Continued

Makes me feel so much warmer now. It's 5 here in eastern PA.

 

Indiana I-94 crash.

 

I dont see any Roehl trucks in the pic yay.

 

Yep, I got the exact same message you did. I sent a msg back to my FM explaining that on both of the Prostars I've had, the bunk heater would get load-shed during the night if auto-start weren't turned on in order to charge the batteries after the bunk heater runs them down. I see that other folks' trucks act the same way.

I think their intentions are good (reduce unnecessary idling), but to make it work is going to require that the auto-start programming be altered so it no longer runs the engine more often when the bunk heater is on; rather it runs it only when the batteries need to be charged, the same as when the A/C is on overnight. Merely leaving the auto-start shut off completely is going to have bad side-effects (frozen driver, frozen truck, etc.)

I'd noticed last fall, when temps were colder at night and I started using the heater, that the engine auto-starts more often when I have the heat on than when I run the A/C during the summer, which is the exact opposite of what I would have expected. (Running an A/C unit requires much more power than running a bunk heater and its coolant pump.) I asked one of the Roehl mechanics about that, and he said it's running the engine more often to keep it warm, NOT to recharge the batteries. (In other words, it assumes that if you have the heat turned on, it must be cold outside so therefore the engine needs to be started up more often.) Well, if the bunk heater and its coolant pump are keeping the engine warm, it might not be necessary for the engine to start up more often -- also to keep it warm. (Unless it's maybe to keep the fuel warm? Perhaps the heated coolant from the bunk heater doesn't do anything to keep the fuel warm?)

In summary, I think there are more variables at play here than can be fixed simply by leaving the auto-start shut off.

 

Oh, I'm at the I-35 Petro by Albert Lea, MN tonight. And it's -12 F, so I get to use my auto-start!

 

It's 5 here and I'm using auto start.

 

Yeah Techno, if you'd notice, when it's cold, not freezing, it only runs for about 15-20 min, just enough to warm up a bit. At least my old prostar did that. But when really cold it runs a lot, mine would run a couple hours sometimes, more than just recharge time.

 

You are an evil, evil man.

 

Wow! That looks terrible. Really makes one think about following distance more seriously when you see stuff like this.

 

Good thing I have a savior.