Cold start guidelines

[aswallie]

As a native Ohioan cold winters aren't new to me but owning a diesel in the cold is. Fortunately my bus came from further north in Ohio (actually more of a mixed bag for the rust, but that's not the point of this post) and it came with a coolant heater.

So far I've been kicking the heater on and letting it run for anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes to get the engine to about 110 (per the dash temperature gauge) then turning it over and letting it run for another 20 to 30 minutes to warm itself up.

Is this the best practice? Should i be doing more? Am i doing more than necessary? I also have a high idle switch i could be using if necessary. Any guidance on best cold weather practices that are engine friendly are much appreciated!

[potterfield]

aswallie, it sounds like your coolant heater is working just fine. i suppose if you wanted to avoid starting the bus to let it warm up an add'l 20-30 mins, you could turn the coolant heater on that much earlier?
my pickup has a 'block heater' where the element is installed in the oil filter housing. any time the temp hovers around 40 or below, i plug that sucker in. i'll let it stay heated (plugged in) over night so the next morning it's as simple as firing it up and going.
i like trying to keep the whole engine bay / engine compartment under the hood 'warmer' than the cold winter air sucking the life out of it. makes it much easier for the batteries to crank the old beast.
i've never used battery blankets so i can't speak to their usefulness. my vote is do whatever you can to keep that engine block/coolant/oil/battery warm instead of letting it sit for a few days on end in the cold.
just my $.02.

cheers!