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12-13-2017, 12:21 PM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 34
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Diesel engine heater
Sitting here in 26 degree weather. Rig is winterized. Leaving for Florida in 5 days,is there any reason I shouldn't leave the engine heater on 24 -7 until I leave or is it not necessary waste of electricity. Or should I turn it on the day before.
Thanks for any imput.
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12-13-2017, 12:24 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 4,283
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Heats engine in 2-4 hours, not necessary to leave on for that long.
__________________
Full Timers.
2015 Fleetwood Discovery 40E on a Freightliner XCS chassis with a Cummins ISL9 pulling 1 and/or 2 motorcycles, '07 Honda Accord OR a 17' Runabout Boat.
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12-13-2017, 12:28 PM
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#3
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Senior Member/RVM #90
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Columbus, MS
Posts: 54,578
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I would just turn it on the day before.
Have a great trip and keep her between the ditches!
__________________
Joe & Annette
Sometimes I sits and thinks, sometimes I just sits.....
2002 Monaco Windsor 40PBT, 2013 Honda CRV AWD
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12-13-2017, 12:31 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Country Coach Owners Club Solo Rvers Club iRV2 No Limits Club
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Vancouver, WA
Posts: 37,725
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Just a couple hours makes a difference. I very seldom use mine.
__________________
2009 45' Magna 630 w/Cummins ISX 650 HP/1950 Lbs Ft, HWH Active Air
Charter Good Sam Lifetime Member, FMCA,
RV'ing since 1957, NRA Benefactor Life, towing '21 Jeep JLU Rubicon Ecodiesel
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12-13-2017, 12:46 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Lenexa KS
Posts: 2,037
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I think 5 days is a bit of a waste of electricity but that is the only negative. I would probably opt for the day/night before departure.
__________________
Bill & Kelli 2015 Dutch Star 4366
2002 Safari Zanzibar 3906
1995 Fleetwood Bounder 36JD
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12-13-2017, 03:06 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 245
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I wondered how mine (97' 8.3 cummins) would start in the cold. I have only had it a few weeks. I went out there it had been in the 20's for a couple days and it is broadside to west winds from open fields. I turned it on, waited about 30 seconds, had the pedal about 1/2 way down, and cranked it over. it fired right up, I let it smooth out(probably 15 seconds), and it purred like a kitten. I was impressed
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12-13-2017, 03:21 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 2,091
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Overnight is plenty long enough to have the coach engine heater plugged in. Any longer than 4 to 6 hrs is just a waste of power. With good batteries , the coach should easily start down to 0 deg F without the need for an engine heater. For faster engine warmup plug in the heater a couple of hrs before starting the engine.
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1993 Tiffin Allegro Bay 32'
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12-13-2017, 04:12 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: The Bluegrass State
Posts: 8,882
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A couple of hours works for us.
__________________
Good Luck, Be Safe and Above All, Don't Forget To Have Fun
Pete
Central Kentucky
2006 Fleetwood Discovery 35H, 2014 Honda CR-V, M&G Engineering Braking System
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12-13-2017, 05:32 PM
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#9
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 29
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We have started ours down to -20 F with the block heater running overnight. Only problem was the fuel was gelling and the engine would only run about 15 seconds and then quit. This was with anti-gell added. Had to wait until it warmed up to about 15 F, along with a hair dryer on the fuel filter/separator and some extra anti-gel. If your engine started and ran OK at the temp in your area, you are probably fine. If it is going to get really cold, adding an anti-jell may keep things running. We use Power Service. Last fill in the fall I add a little more than the recommended concentration, just to be on the safe side. We leave for Florida late January and our local weather can be brutally cold....kind of like today with a wind chill of 2 F this AM. Had to shovel about 8" of snow off the roof yesterday. Time to get out of here!
Regards,
David
__________________
Dnmais
98 Dutchstar 3865, Spartan Chassis, towing a dolly with a SAAB 9-3 Aero
Western Massachusetts
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12-13-2017, 05:43 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Country Coach Owners Club Solo Rvers Club iRV2 No Limits Club
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Vancouver, WA
Posts: 37,725
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shawn6596
I wondered how mine (97' 8.3 cummins) would start in the cold. I have only had it a few weeks. I went out there it had been in the 20's for a couple days and it is broadside to west winds from open fields. I turned it on, waited about 30 seconds, had the pedal about 1/2 way down, and cranked it over. it fired right up, I let it smooth out(probably 15 seconds), and it purred like a kitten. I was impressed
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Wind makes no difference to an inanimate object or cold blooded animal. It won't get any colder than the air temperature. Look up how wind chill is determined.
__________________
2009 45' Magna 630 w/Cummins ISX 650 HP/1950 Lbs Ft, HWH Active Air
Charter Good Sam Lifetime Member, FMCA,
RV'ing since 1957, NRA Benefactor Life, towing '21 Jeep JLU Rubicon Ecodiesel
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12-14-2017, 08:17 AM
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#11
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 29
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Mr. D.
I am quite aware of how wind chill works. I was just stating it was 2 F here yesterday factoring in the wind chill. That is what I was feeling, not the engine. The engine will be at the ambient temp.
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Dnmais
98 Dutchstar 3865, Spartan Chassis, towing a dolly with a SAAB 9-3 Aero
Western Massachusetts
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12-14-2017, 06:25 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club American Coach Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 6,754
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The Cummins manual says to use the preheat if the temp at start time will be 40 or colder. Much easier on the engine when using the preheat.
__________________
2014 American Eagle 45T
DD 13, 500 HP
Pulling a Honda CRV
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12-15-2017, 07:37 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 313
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I was sitting in 8 degree temperature this morning . Ran the pre-heater for about 1.5 hours, turned on ignition and the heat ready light went out normally and the beast came alive right away. Running the pre-heater won't hurt anything if you want to run it longer but it isn't going to keep getting it to tropical warm.
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2016 Pace Arrow LXE 38K
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12-15-2017, 09:13 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: North America somewhere
Posts: 30,593
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fiesta48
Heats engine in 2-4 hours, not necessary to leave on for that long.
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Anything longer is a waste of money/electricity. This is in-line with the Cummins owners manual.
__________________
2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD , ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG 11B5MX,Infantry retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA. " My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. John F. Kennedy
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