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17 Deg F. Startup

Marcel

Well-known member
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Location
Rhode Island
I own a 5 ton multifuel dump whistler with an LDS engine. It has been sitting in my back yard for about 2 months without me starting it. Today the temperature is 17 Degrees F. and I wanted to see if it would start up in the cold. I began by engaging the manifold heater for about one minute and cranking the starter with the manifold heater on for another thirty seconds. She ran rough for another thirty seconds but smoothed out and idled normally afterward. I did buy a block heater from Westfolk but have not installed it yet. This spring I will install the block heater because I plan on retiring to a more northern climate in the distant future but for now it will not be necessary to use the block heater. Just a heads up for all who own these five ton trucks.
 

greenjeepster

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Your cooling system holds about 11.5 gallons of coolant compared to a deuce with 8 gallons. People will disagree with me but if you want to benefit from a block heater you need a bigger heater.

The 600 watt may be fine in Virginia where the temps do not fall below zero much, but in New England a 600 watt heater is going to be under powered. You may want to consider doubling up and putting a 500 watt pad heater on the oil pan as well.

Look up the 40 below zero deuce thread and look at what they did to that truck to handle sub zero temps... Over kill is always better than under kill.
 
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MikeON

Member
134
11
18
Location
Lucinda PA
The operating instructions for my deuce say to use the manifold heater only when cranking the engine or intermittantly after startup while idling roughly. I realize we are taling 5-ton here, maybe the instructions are different. Last winter, my deuce would start even below zero with the manifold heater. But I unhooked it because it was leaking fuel into the crankcase.

I put on the 600w water-pump heater and tried it last week. I plugged it in and let it heat for 1 hr 15 min. I took temperature readings using an IR thermometer. The bumper reading is for ambient temperate.

Time
Location 08:15 09:30
Bumper 10 17
Water Pump 10 62
Front of Manifold 9 57
Rear ofManifold 10 45
Front of Head 11 51

I was a bit surprised to see heat reaching the rear of the manifold. Expected it to be more localized.

Then I started the truck and it took right off in a second or 2.
 
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Marcel

Well-known member
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Rhode Island
Good point green jeepster. I bought the 750 watt water pump heater so perhaps that will suffice. Western Maine gets pretty cold so I'll find out when I get there I guess.
MikeOn--- Cranking the starter with the manifold heater on wasn't doing it. I was wasting battery juice and taxing the starter without results. That is why I chose to preheat the manifold before cranking the starter.
 

Chevytruck

Active member
1,579
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Location
Western Maine
Good point green jeepster. I bought the 750 watt water pump heater so perhaps that will suffice. Western Maine gets pretty cold so I'll find out when I get there I guess.
MikeOn--- Cranking the starter with the manifold heater on wasn't doing it. I was wasting battery juice and taxing the starter without results. That is why I chose to preheat the manifold before cranking the starter.
:ditto:

western Maine does get cold!

care if i ask where in western Maine? :mrgreen:
 

Marcel

Well-known member
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412
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Location
Rhode Island
I have read page 2-84 in the TM 9-2320-361-10 and will try again using these instructions today. It is +5 deg F.
Okay, I successfully started my 5-ton dump this morning using the approved cold start method stated in the above technical manual. It took five 10 second bursts using the starter in conjunction with the manifold heater. Now I will idle the truck for 45 minutes to recharge the batteries and leave it till spring. A good lesson learned.
 
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TigerHawk

New member
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Location
Small Town USA
I installed a 6oo watt 3/4 treaded block heater last week and it works well down to about -5. When it was -10 I had to use the manifold heater. What ever you do DON'T TRY THE CATS TANK HEATER! You will burn up the element. They don't tell you in the directions but, if your hoses are longer then 2' the heater will fail!

Cheers...
 

Rgdl

New member
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Location
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
I own a 5 ton multifuel dump whistler with an LDS engine. It has been sitting in my back yard for about 2 months without me starting it. Today the temperature is 17 Degrees F. and I wanted to see if it would start up in the cold. I began by engaging the manifold heater for about one minute and cranking the starter with the manifold heater on for another thirty seconds. She ran rough for another thirty seconds but smoothed out and idled normally afterward. I did buy a block heater from Westfolk but have not installed it yet. This spring I will install the block heater because I plan on retiring to a more northern climate in the distant future but for now it will not be necessary to use the block heater. Just a heads up for all who own these five ton trucks.
You're nuts.

I think that's the first I've ever heard someone say they want to move NORTH when they retire.:mrgreen:
 

Marcel

Well-known member
1,092
412
83
Location
Rhode Island
North

You can have those Florida mosquitos and hurricanes. I will take the colors of Autumn and the deep snows of the great northern wilderness. Tracking moose on snowshoes or the tree sap crackling in the dead of winter. Waterfalls swelling from the rains of spring. That is for me.:cookoo:
 

greenjeepster

New member
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Location
Southbury, CT
Me too: I am hauling arse out of the dreadful south first chance I get. I love cold weather, but I hate this 55 deg one day 1 deg the next. I like to light my wood stove in November and let it burn out in April. This lighting it at night and letting it go out in the morning sucks.
 
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