new cummins owner with questions

[DieselPower]

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Having an older Cummins Turbo Diesel on our BEI Grape Harvester, would the 5W-40 Dello improve our starting? Our vineyard manager puts heating bulbs next to the oil pan on cold mornings when he is harvesting. Fall can be kind of chilly around here and he currently is using straight 30 weight.
Where do you click to make it send you an email if someone responds to this thread?

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You could try a multi-viscosity oil but depending on how cold it is you might want to check into getting a block heater or a oil pan heating mat. Block heaters don't cost much and you can stick them on a timer so it comes on 3 or 4 hours before you plan on using the equipment to save on electricity.

 

[Nebraskan]

Harvesting grapes in the upper 30's to mid 50's as a general rule. This is only in the period from mid September through no later than 1st week of November. Most is done way before Halloween. Grape vines still have leaves on them, and the fruit latest to be picked is generally the Chambourcin, Vidal, Cabernet Franc and Traminette and then it's into the barn for a rest until next August.

 

[02supercrew]

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Originally posted by md_lucky_13:
and post injection to burn up anything extra)

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Can you explain how adding more fuel (post injection) burns up "extra" fuel? There's already unburned fuel at the end of the combustion cycle so more is injected? Is it burning back though the exhaust to heat the cat? Sounds like a recipe for poor fuel economy. That doesn't make sense to me.

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It IS a receipt for poor fuel economy.. Which is exactly why the 03s (which don't have that extra injection) get better mileage then the newer, same common rail system.

The extra injection is to increase EGTs and burn out more of the impurities.. On top of that, they are also retarding the cam timing drastically compared to the older trucks.. its the same old song and dance that the auto makers played during the first generation of emissions control.

The extra event is also to heat up the catalytic converters.

Starting next year, they will have even MORE injection events that will heat the catalytic converters, and the particulate filters.. Not to mention an EGR valve!!

So... Take all of these things into account, and you get: horrible, horrible mileage. I'm willing to bet that the diesel mileage drops down to about the same as a big block gas engine starting next year..

But look on the bright side. We get to pay more for fuel, get worse fuel mileage, and undoubtably have less dependability as these filters will eventually have to be replaced.. but at least us diesel owners can now run around with a smug attitude since we are saving the fuzzy bunnies! right?.. right?...

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I'm not sure that I subscribe to this theory, especially since I have a '06 dodge Megacab that has the H.O. Cummins in front of a 6 spd that gets 22-23 mpg at 55 mph.

Call me a liar all you want.

I do see how this could be possible if the total fuel injected from cycle start to cycle start was more, but I'm not so sure that it is.

 

[md_lucky_13]

I'm not calling you a liar, but that is, without a doubt, the absolute BEST mileage that I have heard from anyone with a third gen.

I have heard of people with regular cab 2wheel drive trucks that are lucky to get 18 unloaded on the highway.

You've got a gem. Keep it!!

 

[02supercrew]

When I got the truck, the best I could squeeze out of it was 15 mpg.

Then I started having problems with intermittant hard starts at about 8k miles on the clock. I took the truck into the local Dodge dealership and they reflashed the ECM to the latest program. There was an immediate change in engine behavior, more power, better throttle response, etc.

After picking up the truck from the dealer I noticed the digital mpg readout was running way higher than I had ever seen on this truck (20-23 mpg). Naturally I didn't believe the numbers until I started filling the tank up until it was brimming at the fuel neck so that I could get accurate hand calculations. Low and behold the hand calculations came out to be very close, usually within a .5 mpg either way of what the display reads out.

Now the truck has about 13500 miles on it. Each of the previous two weekends I put about 650 mi on each weekend and averaged right around 20 mpg through western SD with pretty constant speeds near 65 mph.

This is my first Dodge, always been a Ford diesel guy, but if this truck continues to run the way it is now, I doubt I'll ever get rid of it.

 

[02supercrew]

BTW, the truck is also 4x4

 

[md_lucky_13]

That is incredible.

I would be very, very, VERY happy with those numbers. Like I said, I have NEVER heard of someone getting mileage like that. The initial 15mpg unloaded, hwy was about average for what I have heard... Maybe even a little ABOVE average.


Just to tickle my own mind a bit, is this with ULSD or regular diesel?

 

[02supercrew]

500ppm

I doubt that I'll see ULSD for at least another year in my neck of the woods.