I am not really sure how it works, or is supposed to work: grid heater, fuel heater....no glow plugs.

This is my 2nd diesel vehicle but first cummins. I have a 1997. What happens when it is cold? and what should I look out for in this system in terms of repairs, problems, etc?

Mark, In NJ

 

When you turn the key to on the grid heaters heat the intake air when a sensor in the intake measures below 50F. Length of time they remain on is dependent on how cold it is. They will also cycle on and off after the engine is started but go off if you go over 17 mph. Watching your dash voltmeter will indicate if they are working.
Main problem I've encountered with the grids is the small trigger wires falling off the relays located below and to the rear of the battery. Just follow the heavy wires from under the intake horn to them. Slightly squeeze the connectors with pliers to help them stay on.
Sometimes the relay(s) fail but can be replaced with a $10 Ford starter relay.

Fuel heater has it's own internal thermostat, on at 50°, off at 70°. The heater isn't really necessary unless you live in a cold climate. The wiring to the heater is skimpy and sometimes will melt which can cause an air leak and hard starting. Parts are available to rebuild the heater.
The heater also contains a prefilter screen which should be occasionally cleaned.
Cleaning instructions> http://dodgeram.org/tech/dsl/filter/pre-filt_clean.htm

 

In addition, your windshield visior contains information related to cold starting that include (in addition to what Infidel mentioned, which is more like what your manual states) you should not cycle the heater grids more than 2x, and this only in quite cold conditions (10*F or less).

One helpful "modification" I would consider is an extension cord for the block heater with an inline switch. Due to the cold and age, the cord on my heater was dry and cracking, and unplugging it one day I got a nasty shock as pieces of the insulation failed. A little smoke even! After this, I've used a heavy-duty power outlet strip with a switch in it along with a heavy extension cord. I would encourage you to buy a quality cord and avoid the cheap ones altogether.

 

To the average person, the cummins starts the same as any diesel with glow plugs. In truth, it does not have glow plugs and has grid heaters in the air intake instead. Because of the grid heaters, do not ever use ether unless you have previously disconnected the grid heaters. A properly running engine should reliably start to well below 0F without the block heater so you don't have to worry. Cold starting at these temperatures is hard on the engine so if you have the option of plugging in, use a heavy duty timer and set it to turn on a few hours before you need the truck.

Your sig says NJ but if you are really worried about cold starting, there are some things that you can do. The most important and easiest is to run synthetic oil in the engine. Dino oil is like molasses at really cold temperature and makes the engine slow to crank and slow to build oil pressure. Another important thing is checking the condition of your batteries.

If your truck is running well, just start it like any other diesel and you will be golden.

 

You shouldn't need fuel heater, mine has never worked.
Grid heaters are nice, but not necessary for most of us who never get too much past 0, last winter my grid heaters did not work and I only plugged in my truck when it got under 0.

Make sure you have good, hot batteries, see if you can get the grid heaters going, use a good fuel and additive such as Power Service, and you should have no issues so long as you have properly maintained the thing ( fuel filter, pre-filter, etc. )

 

I got a winter related question and didnt wanna start a new thread...sorry to hijack.

My radiator has a pin hole leak near the top since I did the KDP, pretty sure I hit the radiator with a wrench or somthing, so the coolant level stays like 3" below the top, is there anything wrong with running like this forever? I dont have any cooling problems, but were going into winter just wanted to make sure circulation will be fine.

 

I can't think of cold weather problems in particular...

the system won't hold pressue, though, so you have likely boiled off much of the water... which could affect the freeze point (but unless you live north of me, it probably isn't that big of a deal... glycol/water mixes have the lowest freezing point at an approx 70% glycol/30% water mix). It could bring junk (dust, dirt) into the system, since it will expand/contract, sucking and blowing each time you run your engine. Other than that, the inability to hold pressure means that the system can't run at the proper temperatures effectively (hence why we have radiator caps).

If possible, I would braze/solder it...

 

You shouldn't have a problem with it other than having to add coolant a lot. I drove my truck for 2 years with a radiator that leaked right at the top and the truck has seen temps down to -30F. You just need to watch your coolant level carefully.

If it is an older radiator, you will probably have to replace it at some point anyways and it may make sense to do it sooner rather than later just so you don't keep having to remember to add coolant. When I did mine, it took longer to drain the radiator than it did to replace it.

 

On my truck if I am starting it at 40 degree's I have to hold my foot on the throttle for a couple of seconds after I start it to keep it running. If I just turn the key and start it the engine will try to fire up but then will immediately stall on me. Is there something wrong or is that normal with a 12v? I do change my oil very frequently and run Rotella if that makes a difference

 

try pinching off the "collum" that has the leak in it.... will sometimes seal it up

 

I've had great success with AlumAseal, the ground up aluminum looking stop leak most autoparts sell.

 

It sounds like your idle might be too low. With your truck warmed up, in drive, with the ac on, and your foot on the brake, the idle should be 850rpms. If it is below this, you just need to increase it.

 

Yea, I just did that and its btwn 550 and 600

 

Too low, bring it up and you will enjoy it much more.

Bet it will also stall if you let off the throttle too fast also.