'06 Ram w/Diesel -- Doesn't 'hold' heat

"Hober Mallow" <hoberxxx.DeleteThis@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:Xns99FA6B8D6A8F2hoberxxxcomcastnet@216.196.97.136...
> Hello Everyone,
>
> I maybe poked a stick into a hornets nest with my original question of
> 'losing heat', but here's what happened to my '06 Ram with Cummins
> Diesel (6-speed manual transmission) yesterday....

Nope you didn't poke anything. This is just they this grroup functions at
times.

> I live on a owner-maintained gravel road and went to get some 'inch-and-
> a-quarter-minus' crushed rock to fill in some potholes. I purchased
> about 3/4 ton of crushed rock.
>
> By the time I got home with the crushed rock (total trip of about 18
> miles) my temperature gauge registered right in the middle at, what, 200
> degrees.
>
> I had my shovel with me, so I commenced to fill in the potholes as I
> returned home down my gravel road. The technique is to stop, fill in a
> couple of potholes, move down the road, fill in a couple more potholes,
> etc., etc. At each stop, I kept the Cummins Diesel running, and used
> the parking brake.
>
> By the time I finished and returned to my house, the temperature gauge
> had actually DROPPED and was registering about two thirds of the way
> from stone cold to half-way.
>
> Man, talk about losing heat from the Diesel motor !!!

That is a very efficent cooling system that you have. If not being worked it
will cool rapidly

> I maybe poked a stick into a hornets nest with my original question of

Nah - you didn't do anything. We just have a few volatile individuals here,
who love nothing more than to show the world their finely-honed debate
skills, coupled with their mastery of the English language. Pay no
attention...

> Any comments? Thanks.

Well, you haven't told us what part of the country you're in, but
regardless, an idling Cummins won't generate enough heat to overcome the
efficiency of the radiator. I've seen my EGT's (exhaust gas temperature)
drop to almost 200°F during extended periods of idling (caution: don't do
this - it's not good for the engine). When you consider that the cooling
system can maintain a water temperature of 195°F even when the engine's
cranking out EGT's of 900°F, it's no wonder the engine cools off as much as
it does when idling.

The problem with this, aside from the fact that the cab heater doesn't work
as well, is that with the engine that cold, some of the injected fuel can
re-condense on the cylinder walls, washing the oil away, and allowing the
rings to score the cylinders. Now, don't get worried - this doesn't happen
overnight. However, on vehicles that spend a lot of their time idling away
in colder weather, over a period of years, the engines show significantly
more wear than if they were worked instead of idled.

A possible solution may be something as simple as a winter cover on your
grill. By blocking off some of the airflow to the radiator, you can keep
more heat in the engine.

Another option may be the high idle feature... with a little electrical
work, you can get this feature enabled on your truck so that you can turn up
the idle speed via the cruise control. Details on this can be found here:
http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/showpost.php?p=1170415&postcount=21

Yet another option could be an exhaust brake. When the exhaust brake is
engaged, it creates a restriction in the exhaust, making the engine work
harder to maintain it's programmed idle speed. This additional load is
enough to keep the engine temps up (and, as a bonus, lets the engine warm up
quicker from a cold start. Faster warm-up = cab heat available sooner).

Of course, if this behavior isn't bothering you, and you're not
extended-idling your truck more than occasionally, you don't have to do
anything about it.