Should I idle up while parked for better oil pressure?

It's not really for better oil pressure. At low idle there's a less complete burn in the cylinder and you end up with fuel dilution which will cause premature wear. There's some debate over whether or not the little bit of added life you'll get from idling the truck up is worth the added fuel consumption over the life of the engine. Since your boss is paying for the fuel, if he says to do it, I'd just do it

 

@NorthernMechanic ??? interesting.... what's your input / out-take?

 

For every hr you idle you use a gallon of fuel I think.

 

Low idle kills dpf's if it is a emission truck I'd raise it up and not worry about the extra fuel.

 

I don't idle at all I installed heaters to take care of that already paid for itself

 

I bump my non-DPF engine up a notch. But that's just to keep the shelving from vibrating as loud.

 

I idle up, keeps oil pressure up. Plus the turbo gets better oil flow

 

Kind of a catch 22. Sure you have better oil flow and pressure, but everything else inside the engine is spinning faster, hence needing more oil flow to lubricate adequately. Biggest thing is the lack of heat being produced in the cylinders when at idle.

 

Diesel engines operate colder than gasoline powered engines by nature. Idling the engine has ill effects in many ways. Fuel will not burn completely thus washing out cylinder walls of oil which promotes accelerated wear. Unburned fuel collects at the turbo. If the engine is a 2010 EPA the idling is even more detrimental, It shortens the life of DOC / DPF components. Generally speaking low or high RPM idling has never been a good thing for diesel engines period. To answer your question high idling is often a ploy to keep engine temperature up (winter or summer) not necessarily for oil pressure reasons. Obviously high idling during the summer also helps with the a/c. APU's, of some sort, are here to stay and are becoming a standard spec for many fleets for many reasons like a/c, heating and electrical power for accessories.