hey im about to move to Wyoming to go to Wyotech and i was wandering if you guys that live in or around that area are having good general performance out of your trucks or should i take a gaser?
thanks
cody

 

Take a power cord and plug it in.

 

As long as your grid heater works take your 12v, I havent plugged mine in and it has started at below 0 temps. Its not as cold here in indiana as it is in wyoming but I know a guy in minnesota who has one with no problems

 

no big issues, Make sure your heater is working{ if it is on cold mornings you head lights will dime off and on} and 2 good batterys 5 years old and i give them away and buy new. I have started mine in northern Minnesota when -20 is the high and -34 low and all i do is cycle the heater twice with the key hold the gas pedal down a bit and fires right up NOT PLUGGED IN. If you have a choise always plug it in.

 

Plug it in and you'll be fine...I've started mine at -40* without it, but your engine won't like you...it takes a long time to build oil pressure at those temps. If your that concerned, get an oil pan heater and use it in conjunction with the block heater, I did it with my 95 and since it was an auto I put a warmer on the trans pan as well...as soon as I got in everything was warm. It shifted much better, built oil pressure faster, and got up to temp faster, all for a couple hundred bucks.

 

Like the posters above have said, they do just fine in the cold provided that you are smart. Check to make sure that your grids are working and that your batteries are good. The other thing that I would add to what they have said is make sure you are running the appropriate fluids, especially engine oil. I would strongly suggest switching to synthetic oil since your engine will start a lot better and get oil pressure a lot faster. Also, since you are coming from a much warmer state, make sure that things like coolant and wiper fluid are properly mixed for whatever temperatures you expect to see.

There is a lot of debate about additives. The fact is that they can help you prevent gelling but won't completely eliminate the issue. The pump diesel should be good for whatever temps you will see but myself and many others have gelled up on this in extreme temps and therefore always run additive in the winter. Also, make sure to carry a bottle of the red diesel 911 in case.

 

When I was there, none of the WTI dorms had plug ins. However, It only got cold enough to worry about it 1 or 2 times and even then, it was more a habit of wanting to plug in because of the temps not because I the truck needed it.

A properly running 12v won't have any problems in Laramie plugged in or not.

 

Just run a good cold weather oil such as Delvac 1 or shell rotella synthetic 5w40 and make sure your grid heater system is working right. You should have no problems. Have a good time at the school you lucky dog. If I were younger I would go there myself. I have even contemplated going in 2 years when I retire from my current job. I will be 55 then. I don't really want to retire but my job has me in a motel all the time and that sucks. Are you going for their diesel program? They have a light duty diesel progrm now. That is the one I am interested in.

 

no im going for the auto tech and hot rod fab with the buisness management course. but im hoping to talk to the diesel guys wile i am there!

 

Obviously, you own a gasoline powered vehicle also - take it. There is no sense in subjecting a diesel engine to cold weather operation if it is not imparative to do so. While going to classes you will be using your unit as a people mover rather than as a heavy load hauler; therefore, a gasoline engine will provide enough torque. If you leave your diesel truck home you do not have to put lighter oil into the crankcase and you do not have to worry about the fuel waxing up in cold weather. You will save some money and premature wear on your truck's diesel engine.

Diesel engines start and run best if pre heated. If started warm and then when the unit is soon driven fast it is not as detrimental to the engine. Diesel engines if started cold should be warmed up some before high rpms are engaged, because the internal part clearances are greater than tolerances in a gasoline engine. Scoring of the cylinder walls by the piston rings can result from high rpms in a cold diesel engine. Also, in the 24 valve engines the valve rocker arm push rods can become bent if thicker engine oil is not warmed up and lubricating properly before high engine revolutions are demanded. A gasoline engine can be started cold and immediately operated at speed provided the oil is light enough and the oil pressure is lubricating moving engine parts.

I know that the B-series 5.9 Cummins is an engine that can handle a lot of abuse, but I think, why shorten the engine's life by not protecting it from and caring for it under all conditions. Where we live it is not uncommon to use 0W-30 and 0W-40 Polar Pus synthetic engine oil in a gasoline or diesel engines in the winter. I use Amsoil 5W-30 synthetic severe diesel oil in my Cummins and other diesel engines on the farm all year long. In my gasoline engines I use 0W-30 Polar Plus all year long because they do not work as hard as a diesel engine. I would run OW-40 Polar Plus in my Cummins if I was not using Amsoil.

Short distance runs in cold weather temperatures are detrimental for any engine, because engines do not warm up for a significant period of time to evaporate the moisture out of the engine lubricant. Unless an engine is working hard, a short run is especially harmful for a diesel engine as there is less waste heat developed in the engine to keep the engine coolant and oil warm. Cooler operating diesel engine oil will be polluted sooner and need changing more often than engine oil in a somewhat warmer running gasoline engine that produces more waste heat under similar operating circumstances.

Just because it will start with little or no problem does not mean cold weather is easy on a diesel engine.

 

wow thats alot to take in!!

 

Tx,

When I went to WTI, I took a 1/2 ton gasser with a slant six and a 4 sp. It worked but the elevation (7200ft) created a lack of o2 for the truck to run right. Performance was seriously lacking. Head up I-80 to Cheyenne and it was 3rd gear all the way up the hill, 40mph tops.

The turbo on a diesel will definatly make up for the lack of O2 that may cause problems in a gasser.

My .02