Idling Overnight at -35F - Long Term Damage?

[04UZJ100]

Long story short I may be staying overnight in Alaska where it is supposed to drop to -35F.

How likely am I to cause any damage idling one night for ~8 hours? Truck has fresh oil and will be changed sooner than normal afterwards. I even plan on blasting down the highway in 2nd gear for a bit to warm everything up - particularly the exhaust when underway the next day.

 

[silverhorse]

Good question ...manufacturers will say that excessive idling will Cause oil consumption and ring wear but in your case you got to do what you got to do

 

[04UZJ100]

Good question ...manufacturers will say that excessive idling will Cause oil consumption and ring wear but in your case you got to do what you got to do

I guess where I am at on it is 8hrs in the span of an engine’s lifetime is absolutely nothing......

 

[OregonLC]

10 hours of idling isn't a big deal in the life of a 3UR. If it was an everyday thing then it would be something to consider. The thing to keep in mind is that just because the engine is warm doesn't mean the rest of the drivetrain is. So when you're ready to move take it very slow and let the axles and trans come up to temp. The trans will likely be somewhat warm because there is a two-step process for conditioning trans temp; it goes both through the radiator lower tank and through the trans cooler.

 

[gaijin]

Long story short I may be staying overnight in Alaska where it is supposed to drop to -35F.

How likely am I to cause any damage idling one night for ~8 hours? Truck has fresh oil and will be changed sooner than normal afterwards.

I'd worry about it, a little, but I'd still do it - lesser of two evils.

I even plan on blasting down the highway in 2nd gear for a bit to warm everything up - particularly the exhaust when underway the next day.

Sounds like a really bad plan. Even after overnight idling, I'd leave the trans in "D" and take it easy for the first couple of miles to warm everything else up (axles, brakes, diffs, bearings, etc.). One additional step you might want to take before driving off the next morning is to slowly (count to 3 in each position) cycle the trans through all positions (P,R.N,D,N,R,P) with your foot on the brake before finally putting it in "D" (or "R") to drive off.

HTH

 

[04UZJ100]

I'd worry about it, a little, but I'd still do it - lesser of two evils.



Sounds like a really bad plan. Even after overnight idling, I'd leave the trans in "D" and take it easy for the first couple of miles to warm everything else up (axles, brakes, diffs, bearings, etc.). One additional step you might want to take before driving off the next morning is to slowly (count to 3 in each position) cycle the trans through all positions (P,R.N,D,N,R,P) with your foot on the brake before finally putting it in "D" (or "R") to drive off.

HTH

I was going to let it warm up before cruising. Thanks for the tips on the transmission!

 

[Angelo1]

A heating blanket wrapped over the engine and or a thick blanket. My Dad has done this a few times when we lived in Incline Village,NV and it works really well when he knew temps were hitting -20f not including windchills.

 

[tominboise]

Off topic, but windchill doesn't apply to inanimate objects like engine blocks. Just to living tissue. So while the engine would cool to -20F faster if the wind was blowing on it, it wouldn't cool below -20F.

 

[fjcruising]

Think of the engine as a generator. There is nothing special that generators have that this engine doesn’t and they are designed to run non stop, air cooled. As mentioned above, in the overall length of the engine life for this vehicle, 8 hours is nothing.

i can’t speak to your idea of blasting in 2nd - can’t say it will help or hurt. Take it easy with normal operation and you’ll probably be fine.

Stay warm.

 

[bloc]

That is cold enough that it may not really stay warm. You won't be dealing with frozen coolant, but it is possible that it won't quite idle at full operating temp, between the very cold air the engine is ingesting and heat radiating off the block. Keep in mind that our oil coolers are fluid/fluid exchangers, usually putting heat from the oil into the coolant, for the radiator to transfer to ambient air. In idle there is usually a coolant circuit to bypass the closed thermostat and ensure warm water keeps running to the heater core, as well as the oil cooler. The pan sitting down there radiating heat away from the oil, the oil staying cool because the engine isn't actually doing any work, sapping heat form the coolant.. I even think your trans cooler might pull heat out of the coolant. Aren't there Three? One Air/fluid in front of the rad, the loop into the rad, and one on the transmission housing? I think this is also used to help warm the ATF when needed from coolant which usually rises quicker. Even with the ATF thermostat closed I suspect the one on the trans will pull heat out of the coolant.

I agree this is the lesser of two evils, but at that temp don't be surprised if it stays colder than operating temp.

Damage to the engine will be very low if at all. Like other said, if this was a frequent thing, yes, bad. But.. your biggest concern will be burning off the contaminants that will be in the oil after a long period of operating at less than full temp. So.. after this, go get on the freeway and drive it. Get the engine and oil up to temp for a while, and you'll likely never know this even happened in the long-term history of the vehicle.

 

[Mark W]

Forget "blasting along in 2nd gear". Just drive it gently at first and that is all you need to do. I am assuming that you will must be planning to be out somewhere where you not be able to plug the rig in so I won't bother suggesting that you just put a block heater in and a battery heater and be done with it. But you won't be sleeping in -35F conditions yourself. So just take your battery out of the rig and take it inside the tent or whatever warm place you will be in. A warm battery will start a modern FI rig just fine at cold temps.

If you do elect to let the rig idle all night it will not damage anything.

Where ya gonna take the rig that you will not be able to plug it in?

Mark...

 

[ljschnel]

I'd think that most places in Alaska that a human should be spending the night have some form of lodging or habitation (or people build or bring a suitable shelter).

If for some reason that isn't possible I'd look at a Little Buddy or similar propane heater. Your biggest problem in the Cruiser is all the glass. The heat just pukes out.

I would consider a reroute or reschedule. Not sure how much time you've spent in those temps (maybe a lot as you're in Alaska), but it's pretty dangerous to human life. Like why are you car camping in that? If the engine dies, so do you.

 

[Weedhopper]

I’ve done that a few times with my old MB diesel on ski trips. Never a problem but don’t go “ blasting down the highway”, drive normally.

 

[Angelo1]

Sounds like Fairbanks or Barrow. If Fairbanks, plenty of spots to plug in a block heater for your truck. I’m surprised you don’t already have a block heater if you live in AK.

 

[Cruisin911]

You guys are WAY over thinking this. I ran a toyota 5.7 up in alaska for years in those temps. Granted, I ran the toyota 400w block heater (not quite strong enough in those temps) along with an oil pan heater and pad heater for the battery. Your visit sounds temporary and as such, i wouldn't worry a minute about it. Just give it time to warm up properly and don't drive crazy trying to warm things up. Start it up and let it idle for 10 minutes or so, turn on the seat heaters, and drive normally. At those temps, the engine WILL make some noise on startup. Its normal for those extreme temps. Your cruiser will be just fine.

Most importantly, make sure your battery is in good working order. At those temps, you're not going to get a lot of power out of it to turn that big cold engine.

 

[gaijin]

Long story short I may be staying overnight in Alaska where it is supposed to drop to -35F.

How likely am I to cause any damage idling one night for ~8 hours? Truck has fresh oil and will be changed sooner than normal afterwards. I even plan on blasting down the highway in 2nd gear for a bit to warm everything up - particularly the exhaust when underway the next day.

One more thing: don't forget to add some additional pressure into your tires. Generally, for every 10 DegF drop in air temp, tire pressure will drop 1 psi. So, for example, if you check your tire pressures at +35F and expect temps of -35F (70 degrees different) you should add an additional 7 psi to your tires while at +35F. If you check your initial tire pressures in your garage, don't forget to calculate using your garage temp, not the outside air temp. Besides being good for your tires, it will prevent your Low Tire Pressure warning from coming on.

HTH

 

[mooneywa]

Three years ago we were in Jackson Hole and it was -28 to -32 for a few of the mornings. Sounded like a diesel briefly starting, took FOREVER to warm up, but otherwise ran just fine. Only issue was time warming up which I think would be mitigated if it was running more. Other issue - the windshield got so cold soaked that when two people got in the car it was nearly impossible to keep it from fogging up and the engine was too cold to provide heat for windshield defrost.

 

[04UZJ100]

Appreciate the tips gentlemen! I work in the arctic so well aware of the time it takes to warm up a truck LOL.

 

[bloc]

What temp does our factory coolant start to freeze at?

 

[Lester did that]

You guys are WAY over thinking this. I ran a toyota 5.7 up in alaska for years in those temps. Granted, I ran the toyota 400w block heater (not quite strong enough in those temps) along with an oil pan heater and pad heater for the battery. Your visit sounds temporary and as such, i wouldn't worry a minute about it. Just give it time to warm up properly and don't drive crazy trying to warm things up. Start it up and let it idle for 10 minutes or so, turn on the seat heaters, and drive normally. At those temps, the engine WILL make some noise on startup. Its normal for those extreme temps. Your cruiser will be just fine.

Most importantly, make sure your battery is in good working order. At those temps, you're not going to get a lot of power out of it to turn that big cold engine.

100% agree. If your on a short trip you will be fine. You don't need to idle it over night but once or twice won't hurt if it gives you peace of mind. And as others have said just make sure you have a good battery. You can get a battery warmer cheap. Just need to plug it in somewhere. The best option is a block heater and battery warmer. Block heaters are a pain to install so that is a job for a mechanic with the right tools. If I was sleeping in the thing I would absolutely let it idle all night!