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12-01-2016, 12:27 AM
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#1
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New Member
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 7
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cold weather starting
its my first bit of colder weather with my bus I live in northern New Mexico and it gets pretty chilly here, sometimes single digits or ocationally below zero so Im wondering if my bus needs to be pluged in all the time or just the night before Im going to start it or if it needs to be plugged in at all. 1990 Bluebird TC 2000 5.9 cummins.
Thanks for your help!
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12-01-2016, 12:36 AM
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#2
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
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5.9's are usually easy to start down to around zero. But...a block heater or intake heater will definitely make any diesel easier to crank in cold weather.
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12-01-2016, 02:38 AM
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#3
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Darrington, Wa.
Posts: 304
Year: 1994
Coachwork: Genesis/Am-Tran Tall Roof
Chassis: International, 643 transmission
Engine: DT 466ci 250hp, International
Rated Cap: 86 screaming Monsters
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How do you keep your rv drinking water system working. I was just thinking you guys of grid with no power or not very much power. you could easily install a cheap camping propane on demand water heater to your coolant lines. use the lines that you had with your rear heater and that 12 volt circulation pump they had my is mounted my the drivers seat. That would heat that engine up quick for very little propane. I would think its better than any plug in block heater and easy to install temporary just out side the bus hanging from the side. Cant freeze it has antifreeze in it.
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12-01-2016, 03:27 AM
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#4
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Winlcok, WA
Posts: 2,233
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The amount of humidity in the air makes a big difference in how easy it will start when it gets cold.
Here on the wet side of the mountains in WA state when the temp goes below 40* most diesels start to have issues with starting. The amount of moisture in the air that also needs to heat up before the engine will start can make it a real challenge to start.
Ideally, plugging the engine in the night before will make starting your bus a whole lot easier. It will take less work on the part of the starter, less work on the battery(ies), and it won't smoke nearly as much.
Our church has a Thomas Saf-T-Liner MVP FE with a 5.9L Cummins. It always starts no matter how cold or how long it has been since it was last started. But when the ambient gets below 50* it starts to need more than a quick twist of the key to get started. When it starts it will start on 3 or 4 cylinders and within a short period of time it will finally be hitting on all 6. In the meantime it puts up a smoke screen that a battleship would be envious to make. Once it warms up it will fire off before the starter has made one full revolution, it will start on all six, and it will have barely any smoke visible.
So if you are in a position to plug your bus in the night before, it would make a world of difference regardless of the ambient temperature outside.
If plugging in isn't an option just be prepared to work at trying to get it to start.
WARNING: DO NOT USE STARTING FLUID!!!!
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12-01-2016, 06:43 AM
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#5
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Pensacola and Crystal River, FL
Posts: 647
Year: 1998
Coachwork: AmTran International
Chassis: 3800
Engine: Navistar 7.6L
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get you one of these...............
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12-01-2016, 08:01 AM
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#6
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 543
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Back in the 70's there was a circulating pump/heater. The Chevrolet dealer sold to truck owners up here in Canada's frozen north.
Sent from my SM-G530W using Tapatalk
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12-01-2016, 08:07 AM
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#7
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Pensacola and Crystal River, FL
Posts: 647
Year: 1998
Coachwork: AmTran International
Chassis: 3800
Engine: Navistar 7.6L
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tootalltechie
Back in the 70's there was a circulating pump/heater. The Chevrolet dealer sold to truck owners up here in Canada's frozen north.
Sent from my SM-G530W using Tapatalk
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Still sold.."in-line heater hose heater"
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12-02-2016, 12:11 AM
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#8
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New Member
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 7
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Thanks
Thank you everybody for your replies !!
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12-02-2016, 07:54 AM
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#9
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Bus Geek
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,830
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
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theres also oil-stick heaters sold.. one of the biggest nemesis you face in startign a diesel is spinning it fast enough to build up heat and compression against the cold metal and fuel...
your engine oil gets thick and creates a lot of friction causing the starter to work much harder / batteries to drain quicker..
keeping your oil even a little warmer goes a long way.. I know they used to make oil stick heaters for cars and longer ones for diesels.. they were 25 or 50 watts and worked wonders to help starting in cold weather..
and of course make sure you are running fully winterized fuel.. which if you are buying it up north should be a non issue.. and most stations even in the south winterize their diesel..
-Christopher
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12-02-2016, 09:31 AM
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#10
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Andrews,Indiana
Posts: 2,436
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: AARE
Engine: 3116 Cat 250hp
Rated Cap: Just the two of us.
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Quote:
in the south winterize their diesel.
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Better check on that, when I was driving truck stops only treated for local area, you could get into trouble if you bought in south and headed north.
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12-02-2016, 09:49 AM
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#11
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Music City USA
Posts: 737
Year: 2005
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freightliner
Engine: Detroit MBE906
Rated Cap: 72
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Quote:
Originally Posted by somewhereinusa
Better check on that, when I was driving truck stops only treated for local area, you could get into trouble if you bought in south and headed north.
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USA is right.... You're fine as long as you leave the engine running..... but shut it down with non-winterized fuel aboard in cold weather and you might just find your fuel gelled up. If that happens you better find a way to heat up your entire fuel system or you'll be sitting there until spring. If you're heading from warm to cold, get just enough southern blend to get you to where you can get winterized fuel then fill up at that stop.
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12-02-2016, 09:51 AM
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#13
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Bus Geek
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,830
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
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I guess i should say they are "supposed" to.. the major brands anyway
in my case ive only got a 25 gallon tank so I'll have to get northern fuel before id reachthe cold.. but I know some of the busses have 100 gallon tanks and may end up pretty north..
-Christopher
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12-02-2016, 10:06 AM
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#14
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Pensacola and Crystal River, FL
Posts: 647
Year: 1998
Coachwork: AmTran International
Chassis: 3800
Engine: Navistar 7.6L
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tootalltechie
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The magnetic heaters are great. When I lived up north and had to plow snow I had like ten of them.
One on each side of oil pan, one on each side of engine block, one on tranny pan. Plus the heater hose heater. Plus a stick-on battery heater.
That old plow truck would start up like it was 80 out and I had almost instant cab heat in 20 below zero.
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12-02-2016, 07:13 PM
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#15
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Skoolie
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 157
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid
I guess i should say they are "supposed" to.. the major brands anyway
in my case ive only got a 25 gallon tank so I'll have to get northern fuel before id reachthe cold.. but I know some of the busses have 100 gallon tanks and may end up pretty north..
-Christopher
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I doubt my bus would be able to get from South to North without burning through a full tank of fuel, even a 100 gallon tank at 10 MPG only gets you 1000 miles. L.A. to Seattle is 1141 miles. So even with a 100 gallon tank and going less than that distance, you would still need to replace most of the fuel when you arrived anyway. A small amount of the South fuel mixed with the North fuel should be fine.
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12-02-2016, 10:57 PM
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#16
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Bus Nut
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Richmond Virginia
Posts: 932
Year: 1984
Engine: 366 Big block Chevy! :) w/ Stick shift
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As i read this post I am sitting by a fire, in the new fireplace that i just made out of an empty propane tank, with a kitty on my lap. Time spent here can not be deducted from life. Not a day early.
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