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Starting the EcoDiesel in cold weather

Bigfoot

New Member
Nov 6, 2013
17
9
None reported. It has been tested in Canada and northern states. The fuel filter and DEF are heated in very cold conditions, and a block heater is required for extreme cold (-20F).
 

RamDiesel4

Member
Oct 9, 2013
61
10
Yea the only thing im worried about is the def fluid as other automakers have had problems with that.
 

DieselDude

Member
Oct 9, 2013
55
5
Bigfoot said the def is heated so maybe that will help with this one then.
 

MaxSteelDave

New Member
Feb 9, 2015
14
5
Truck Year
2014
SW PA here. Coldest night was -2F this winter. Truck sat for about 12 hours. Started in about 4 seconds. Started plugging in the block heater since then. Much quieter and engine almost completely warmed up within a mile. No problems with the DEF that I know of
 

BoostN

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
Jul 27, 2013
4,288
1,127
Truck Year
Not Listed
Good info Max. So far the cold isn't affecting the #EcoDiesel at all. Although, most modern diesels handle the cold well now. The block heater makes a huge difference. I need to get a timer to kick on about 3 or 4 hours before I leave so it doesn't burn as much electricity.
 

MaxSteelDave

New Member
Feb 9, 2015
14
5
Truck Year
2014
I didn't have the heater cord yet on that -2F morning and the noise upon startup prompted me to get the cord right away. I was only plugging it in when it was below 10F but I've moved that up to about 27F. Now I just unplug, get in and start driving
 

MaxSteelDave

New Member
Feb 9, 2015
14
5
Truck Year
2014
Was -10F here yesterday morning. Had the heater on a timer for 3 hours before I leave. Started with no delay and quiet.
 

codespace

New Member
Feb 25, 2015
4
4
We have recently had a string of really cold days in southern Ontario. We hit -40C (-40F) with the wind chill about two weeks ago but we've been hovering around -20C to -30C consistently. My ED started every day without a hitch. It was a little noisy when it first started and took a good 25km of highway driving before the oil and coolant got to the high 70s Celsius and stayed there. A week ago, I was on a trip and the Malfunction Indicator Light came on. The next day, the service electronic throttle control warning came on and the truck would max out at 60km/h (3000rpm). I limped the truck to the dealership. They dealt with Chrysler and informed me that this was becoming a common problem with the EDs in the cold as they don't warm up enough. I was advised that the truck MUST be plugged in if the temperature drops below freezing and Chrysler is considering providing winter fronts for the EDs. There is currently a back order of 300 Mopar winter fronts, so that won't be happening soon. I ended up buying the stainless winter inserts for my ED from truckhardware.ca. They are supposed to arrive today.
 

utdiesel

New Member
Mar 12, 2015
27
2
Truck Year
2015
Good info codespace . They should include those parts for extreme cold areas if that's a big problem.
 

codespace

New Member
Feb 25, 2015
4
4
Thought I'd update the forum on the results of installing the winter covers on the grill. My ED now warms up to normal operating temperature (100 degrees C) within about 20 minutes of starting. The cab finally gets warm and it seems to be running much better.

The winter covers seem to be working well. And look pretty sweet.
 

Varoum

New Member
Aug 8, 2015
9
4
Yes!

I do not own the truck. A friend of mine does. I called him for his experiences with his pick up.

He reported just good things. But, in cold weather like -30 Celcius on -22 F and below the stuff you guys put next to the diesel. Well the check engine turns on. He told me NOT to turn the truck off. If you do, it'll NOT start again. Go directly to the dealer to reset the computer, if open...
 
Last edited:

BoostN

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
Jul 27, 2013
4,288
1,127
Truck Year
Not Listed
Yes!

I do not own the truck. A friend of mine does. I called him for his experiences with his pick up.

He reported just good things. But, in cold weather like -30 Celcius on -22 F and below the stuff you guys put next to the diesel. Well the check engine turns on. He told me NOT to turn the truck off. If you do, it'll NOT start again. Go directly to the dealer to reset the computer, if open...

Welcome @Varoum
 

WesMgc

Active Member
Aug 18, 2015
128
33
Truck Year
2014
I was up north last winter -45 on the metric scale after parked for 4 days tried to start it with remote started for a second stopped had to get a boost started right away .
No I didn't plug in too many trucks and trailer in lot.

Lots of cars and trucks had to to towed away that weekend very surprised I didn't have to.
 

jdn112011

Well-Known Member
Oct 18, 2015
1,242
336
Truck Year
2015
Only ever test drove the one eco d. We were in a pretty good cold spell it was -20 to -30F the whole week. Dealer remote started it across the lot where it had been sitting for weeks unmoved. No problems. That inspired some confidence.

The issue seems to come from the DEF not being thawed and the truck running regens. It takes a good deal of time for a 7 gallon tank to reach temps over 15 degrees to begin to thaw with only an engine coolant line running through it but still being exposed to external cold.
 

seiko

Active Member
Jul 23, 2015
263
57
Truck Year
2015
The winter cover supplied by FCA, work great. I have it close all the time. REGEN distance back to normal, almost. In case, it really get cold -30 C, I have been checking out info on Diesel fuel additives, anti-gel, cetane booster, etc. It may not be needed, as the gas stations are adding their own stuff to their pumps, I think. I was going to buy one small container, just in case. Pick up a Canadian price list for Opti-Lub brand.

FYI: Here the price list for Albertans...
 

Attachments

  • Canadian Retail Pricing.pdf
    92.1 KB · Views: 5

Tcat1100

New Member
Jan 18, 2018
1
0
Truck Year
2017
Same problems here in Maine. Truck has 700 miles and has been at dealer more than at my house( I have owned since 12/29, been at shop 2x now for total of 15 days)! “service electronic throttle control” occurred in temps of -5 to -15 degrees when sitting overnight on 2 different days. Dealership has “no known fix” and says working with RAM to find solution. As of right now,I am being told that in cold weather(below zero?) I NEED to do the following:
1. Plug truck in( they are installing cord it didn’t have)
2. Add fuel additive to every tank($$$)
3. Do not move truck until it reaches 140 degrees
I had Cummins with none of these “requirements” . Brand new truck should not require this much effort!!!!
What next!!!
 
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