1997 Western Star air brake warm up

20-30 minutes is excessive idling period.

The truck should build air pressure in less than a minute and engine temps should be ok to move the truck within 5-10 minutes max.

Excessive idle time on a cold engine is actually counterproductive as it contributes to cylinder wash-down and deposit formation.

After 5-10 minutes, the vehicle should be operated at light loads until engine coolant temps are above 160F, after that, full loading is perfectly fine.


Guys, Although the neighbor is nosy, it is still disrespectful to idle for 30 minutes in a neighborhood, especially during normal sleeping hours.
The respectful thing would be to either:

1) Reduce idle time only as appropriate to ensure enough warm up to move the truck and still ensure component life(no more than 10 minutes)

-OR-

2) Get a Espar or similar diesel fired coolant heater and idle the engine for 2-3 minutes to get oil warm enough to move the truck.



Personally, option #2 is the most respectful and also offers the best solution for engine life as well. It's really the best of both worlds IMO.



.

 

It is nice to be nice to the neighbors but if my truck is not up to temp to move it’s not moving. Also if trucks are not allowed where he is idling then he has to be even more nice but if truck are allowed then stop ########. Like people who buy houses by air ports then ##### about the noise!

As has been said without a block heater you may not get the motor to start. The OA Temp should not have anything to do about how fast air PSI builds other than you are not doing it @ 1200 RPM, the RPM you check build rate. Also as pointed out you can/will have in cab air leaks when cold so this will add to the build rate, my seat & heater controls leak like crazy till warm.

Also it’s not just the motor but the whole truck that needs warming. Someone said warm for 5-10 then drive real easy as the diff. oil, trany oil, shocks & springs need to warm up before going full balls out.

The truck I use for work, 95 Ford L8000/Cummings/Auto, has to be plugged in to start. I do my under hood inspection before starting, start it up, unplug and do the rest of my inspection. I then move it across the lot wile I park my PV and do my map routing. I then take it easy for first few miles depending on OAT. It has been as low as 5* and high of 40* in the last 3 weeks working and that is without wind chill or snow!

That’s my story and I am sticking to it.
Dave ----

 

A coolant heater would provide a quicker start with less strain on the cold batteries and no use of starting fluid. However, when the engine starts cold water from the radiator cools everything down again. Forty-five quarts of oil is still cold. As for those manufacturer recommendations, a high idle of 1,000 rpm is a common practice. The air compressor provides pounds per square inch, not heat. I had a gas fired Southwind pre-heater, and it did not affect the rate of air pressure build up.

 

So on a freezing morning, a truck is ready to drive down the road in 10 minutes? Bollox, not if it's your own truck and you have a mechanical brain it isn't. Get used to replacing seals as that oil is still thicker than snot in 10 minutes.
All the engine manufacturers now are preching low idle time etc, to keep the tree huggers happy. Funny how they change their tune though over the years... This is also not applicable to an older truck. Hell, half the "experts" that preach that crap were still in school when a lot of trucks were on the dealers lot. I dont care if it takes 20-30 minutes for my oil temp to come up and pressure to reach a safe level. The bit of fuel is a LOT cheaper than a rear main seal.
OP, leave the guy alone and sit back and actually think of where ALL your stuff comes from.....A truck!

Martin