Depends on which version of Cummins it is. Mine is a "common rail" version and does not have glow plugs.

Starts right up in the morning but then the coldest we usually see is 25f or so. Key is to have the right oil and good strong batteries.

Diesel Fuel has been an interest of mine as of late. Some fun facts about diesel...

No. 2 diesel fuel - Most common during warm and moderate seasons. Regulated in U.S by ASTM D975

No. 1 diesel fuel - Kerosene, Aviation turbine fuel (Jet A, Jet A-1), Military jet fuel (JP-5, JP-8) , Winter-grade diesel fuel, either neat or blended into No. 2 diesel fuel.


Off-Road Diesel #2 and Over-the-Road Diesel # 2 differ only in the tax applied at the time of sale. Off road is dyed red.

Kerosene #1 and #2 are lighter than #1 and #2 diesel fuel. Most kerosene is dyed red.
The old method of winter treatment using 1 gal of kerosene to 10 gal of diesel can get a driver into trouble unless it is dispensed as clear kerosene from a pump which charges road tax.

Any red dye in a tank of fuel is detectable by the sampler the DOT uses, even when diluted by a large quantity of undyed fuel. As little as 1/2 qt of ATF in a tank of fuel will be detected as untaxed fuel and can cause a major headache for the driver.

Number 2 Diesel Fuel Has A
- Higher initial boiling point
- Higher flash point
- Higher viscosity
- Less natural lubricity
- MUCH more wax (No. 1 diesel has virtually no wax)
Than Number 1 Diesel Fuel

It is the wax content of No. 2 diesel fuel that is the source of its potential cold flow problems in winter conditions.

Cold weather properties are important, remember that normal alkanes are desirable, but the desirable diesel fraction alkanes have melting points above 0C temperature, so special flow-enhancing additives and changes to the hydrocarbon profiles occur seasonally. That's why it's never a good idea to store diesel from summer for winter use.

Actual low temperature operability of specific equipment applications are approximated by using various established test procedures:

- Cloud Point: The temperature at which wax first begins to drop out of fuel as the temperature is lowered. A good indication of actual operability limits when using diesel fuel containing no cold flow additive

- Freeze Point: The temperature at which the last portion of wax, after it has begun to drop out, will re-melt and dissolve as the fuel is warmed - required to be no higher than -40 C for Jet A and no higher than -47 C for Jet A-1 (also JP-8)

- Pour Point: The temperature at which the entire fuel becomes immobile due to wax solidifying throughout the entire liquid phase. For fuels without cold flow additive, pour point will be about 2 – 3 C lower than cloud point. For fuels with cold flow additive, pour point can be 10 to 25 C lower than cloud point, depending on the fuel and the additive used. It is not a good indicator or real low temp operability since it usually over estimates real world performance limits.

- Cold Flow Plugging Point (CFPP): CFPP is the temperature at which diesel fuel may clog filters. For fuels without cold flow additive, CFPP is essentially equal to cloud point. For fuels with cold flow additive, CFPP will be between cloud and pour points. The wider the gap between cloud and pour points, and the closer the CFPP is to the pour point, the better the performance of the cold flow additive will likely be.


Cold Flow Additives: They co-crystallize out either with or just before and then with the wax as the fuel is cooled, disrupt the wax crystal formation, causing only very small wax crystals to form, prevent large plate-shaped wax crystals that plug fuel lines from forming.
Their performance can be fuel-dependent, that is, certain additives may work better in some fuels than in others.

It is best to have less wax in fuels so not as much wax can drop out as the fuel is cooled.
A wider distribution of wax molecular weight is important so that not all the wax drops out at once when the fuel temperature reaches the cloud point A gradual, skewed tail at the heaviest wax portion, so that only a small amount of wax drops out at first when the cloud point is reached.

Mike I hate to tell you but the over the road diesel is not red... They put the red dye in the no tax stuff so it is easily recognized....

Dipstick heater helps a bit. De-icer additives in fuel.

It isn't red, you are correct. Did I write that it was? Finger slip maybe...

Oil pan heaters are another option. There are several types available - heating pads or elements that go inside the oil pan, and heating pads that are stuck to the underside of the oil pan.

Mike -
I checked with our mechanic in Tahoe - here's what he had to say.

Newer Cummins engine - no glow plugs. Older ones - yes glow plugs and they are the more common engine for swapouts. If yours is a glow plug truck, cycle repeatedly, then start. Both need to be plugged in overnight.

He's having zero issues with any of the fuel in the tahoe area, seems to be contaminate free, not clouding or jelling, etc. He is not using additives on the highway vehicles but there are quite a few available and they work fine (truck stops are good choices). He does use an additive on the snow-grooming equipment with diesel engines. They sit way up on the mountain and it's VERY cold up there.

He's not impressed with the Tahoe area mechanics and suggests that if you have an issue with your Cummins that you take it to the Dodge dealer in Carson City.

Also - Lubey - the red- dye thing. Just FYI, it's not the DOT that enforces red-dye, it's the IRS. It is considered tax evasion. Just a little bit of red-dye makes the whole tank turn red. IRS usually works with DOT to do sampling of vehicles in highway operation because the DOT officers have traffic authority to stop the vehicle. Once stopped, the IRS agent will test each tank, not DOT. The fines are issued based on the existing tank and the "mother" tank if known. If the vehicle operator has a storage tank with red dye on their property, and red-dye is found in their on-road vehicle, the fine is based on the large tank... Fines start at about a grand for the tank on the vehicle and if they prove red-dye tanks on your property linked to highway use, you are in mucho $$$$ trouble. Think 5 figures and up with many fines in the six figure region for gross offenders.

When I was a DOT officer, I worked a case with the IRS guys where the vehicle operator stopped at McDonalds for 99 cent breakfast sandwich. Parked the truck behind the business in public area (fair game for me to initiate action). When the IRS guys pulled the sample from the guys tank, I about croaked... Most of the red-dye samples were somewhat red indicating a dilute mixture. This guy was running straight red-dye - two one hundred gallon tanks plus a 2,000 gallon mother tank with no off-road equipment at all. I think they spent about 2 years on the case and fined the guy $80,000... Very expensive breakfast sandwich.

angela

Ang, thanks for the info! I will use this someplace.

All I know is growing up in Upstate NY, everyone with a diesel had a block heater. My dad had one on his diesel rabbit.

I'd add a block heater, but I don't know much.

The newer Cummins uses an intake grid heater, not glow plugs. My '01 has the factory block heater. But even without it, ive never had a problem starting it even in the coldest weather.

DO NOT use starting fluid on a engine with a grid heater!!

Good advice Vinny
the Izuzu diesel V-8 in the newer GM trucks is out freakin' standing, the equal of the Cummins I-6 it appears
My folks have a condo at IV, I go up there all the time. One of the best views on the planet up the Mt Rose Hwy a short stretch from there. Killer Margaritas at the Mexican restaurant in the Raley's parking lot.

There are some truly stellar driving roads around there.

Tobra.... That duramax... Doesn't hold a candle to the Cummins... Known several people that had them... Issues early on with them... Oh ya and they were getting crap mileage... All of the trucks are kinda crappy.... But of big 3 The dodge wins out just b/c of the motor... Killer power and reliability and economy... We get 18+ consistently out of 2 of ours...

i test drove a badarse cummins...it had a factory block heater.

i have seen those glued on oil pan heaters.

Joe, you have a few bolt-on mods, right? My father in law just bought a 2008 3500 6-speed crew cab 4x4 as his work truck, he'd happily invest a little money to get that kind of MPG.

Matt,

Have done several mods but none of them are for performance. Also I have a 6 speed two wheel drive, so his mileage should be a bit lower, but not by much. He should be able to get in the low 20's.

First put a Edge w/Attitude monitor and chip on the puppy. Did not hook up the wiring to the injector pump nor the EGT probe (yet) as I do not care about more power, I wanted to be able to monitor the lift pump pressure. You only get a lot more power when hooking the wire to the injector pump to modify its curve.

On the mid models of the Cummins it has a Bosch VP-44 injector pump. If the lift pump (its a boost pump to get fuel to the injector pump) goes below 10 psi the injector pump eats itself and you are stranded. Oh yea, its $1500 sitting on the bench for a new pump.

The edge put a digital gauge in front of me to keep an eye on this.

Next I put a Raptor 100 gph lift pump and "drawstraw" pickup in the tank, with full 1/2" lines from the tank to the injector pump. All this does is to insure that you get good fuel flow & pressure to the injector pump. It used to be sitting at 10 psi with the stock pump, and thats the bare bones minimum. Now its 17-18 psi most of the time and when I am WOT with 20 psi boost on the turbo never less than 14 psi, so the injector pump is covered.

With the new lift pump and running a bit of two cycle motor oil in the fuel, I have seen as high as 29 mpg on the highway. Usual in town work 24-25 mpg. Remember, stock engine and on the level 1 of the Edge, so no "ya ha" increase in power. I want mileage and reliability here.

Tell your FIL to get ahold of me if he wants to but key is to keep good clean fuel coming to the Cummins, along with fresh oil and air filters. The two stroke oil also give you .5 to 1.0 mpg increase in a Cummins. With the new strain of low sulfur diesel fuel the 2 stroke oil is just a bit of insurance for everything and cost is minimal.

Sidney,
The Duramax does hold a candle to the Cummins. The Cummins does get better mileage but we are comparing a 5.9 to a 6.6 liter. The Cummins is definitely no slouch and it's simplicity makes it the perfect candidate for engine swaps. The LB7 (early) Duramax does have a tendency to go through injectors (when they still ran 48 volts to them) but they are also the reason why the Duramax was so much quieter than the Cummins...especially the 12 valve Cummins, because without those injectors the Duramax wouldn't have pilot injection (a small early shot of fuel that helps avoid the loud noise people tend to associate with diesels). I'm not bashing the Cummins by any means but the Duramax isn't junk.
-Shawn

He should have bought an automatic.... Some idiot at dodge put a taller rear end in the new automatics... Straight from my dads friend the dodge service manager....

I know nothing about trucks but would like to relate an interesting bit of info I heard. Was talking with a guy who's father has a '05 F250. He told me that after much research for his Dad, he found out that Ford installs block heaters on all it's Powerstroke diesels (just easier/cheaper on the assembly line). Ford will charge $600+ for the option but they only wire it up.

I found this hard to believe but the guy swears it's true and he's a solid, trustworthy guy who also happens to be my lieutenant. Take it under consideration. A block heater could be a few bucks in wiring/insulation/grommets away.

Not trying to hijack this thread but I'm trying to get informed as I'll be in the market for a 02-06 diesel dually in the spring and you guys all love to talk about your trucks. I'd appreciate any advice/insight you'd care to give. Researching this on the internet is pretty aggravating since I dig up horror stories for all trucks, but especially Fords. Apparently, any kind of mods to the 6.0 liter Powerstrokes is a recipe for disaster. The chips, etc. push the already high strung motor over the edge. Even a stock motor has it's fair share of issues.

GMC/Chevy had some class action suits with the injectors, etc. but nowhere near as bad as the Powerstroke's problems. Allison tranny- bulletproof.

Dodge has the mighty Cummins, and it would be a slam dunk for me, but wouldn't you know it, the auto tranny's got issues (according to the internet). I've read that if the Dodge trannys have the fluids changed, maintenance done regularly and aren't overheated, they aren't any less reliable than Ford trannys.

I'll probably go with a Dodge 3500 & hope for the best with the tranny, it's just that my budget will only allow for a higher mileage truck (around 130k+) so alot of potential problems could be just a few miles away. That's why I'm looking for the most reputable truck to start with since I know I'll have some inevitable issues to deal with in a higher mileage truck. I would go for a manual tranny but my limited prior towing experience tells me my life would be much easier backing into tight spots with an automatic. I watched a guy maneuver a 36 ft trailer backwards down Auto Associates steep, curved driveway. He stood outside the truck and just kept his foot on the brake. He had great visibility & made it look easy. Anybody who knows the AA driveway, knows it's no cakewalk. Took me 20 minutes to back down with a single car open trailex...but then again, I'm a newbie & suck bigtime.

Anyway, hope the block heater info may be of some use to you.

Guys, don't use starting fluid on any chevy diesel with pre cups. It cracks the pre cups and engine starts pumping water out the exhaust. At that point you are looking at new heads most of the time.

mpeastend,

If you are going to tow anything that has any size to it, get a manual gearbox. Otherwise you need to get something that monitors auto tranny temps. The Edge w/Attitude does this. Its not hooked up on mine as I could care less how warm the 6 speed is.

Regarding the "Cummins vs Power stroke vs Duramax" issue, the Cummins was made from scratch to be a diesel engine. The others were in many areas a gas engine that was adapted.

I just bought my Dodge about a year ago for $12k. It had 111k miles on it and is frankly still breaking in. These engines are warranteed for 100k and routinely go 500,000 miles with no issue, as long as clean air, oil and fuel are used.

Am not a fan of Dodge, Ford or Chevy. I bought the truck based on one thing, the Cummins engine. A year later still feel the same, only a bit stronger. Love the engine, like the truck. My best friend who is a Ford Power Stroke nut is slowly coming over to the Cummins side. Everytime he drives it and realizes that it has as much power as the PS yet gets DOUBLE the fuel mileage, its another nail in the coffin for his PS.