I know some of these have been asked, however maybe not in this fashion.

I am an the verge of being a new Dodge owner after being a Chevy guy for my whole life...

I want the Desiel, but am concerned about whether it will work with my intentions...

I know it is cold blooded, I am an ice fisherman though... therefor it could be parked out there for a LONG time with no provisions to plug it in...

Also, I have read that the truck will not warm up idling in cold weather.. would this beast be able to warm up and keep me from freezing to death idling?

Just trying to get some questions answered prior to pulling the trigger..

Thanks for any input!

(Located in the Banana belt, Rapid City, SD)

 

I live in SE MN, so the weather is about the same as SD. My 07 w/ 5.9 starts on its own down to about -10* F. Last winter I had it parked outside overnight and it got down to about -20*F. It didn't want to start on its own. It had a hard time turning over. The 15w-40 oil turns to molasses when it gets that cold. I was able to plug it in and it started just fine after an hour. I just started using a synthetic 5w-40 and that is supposed to help with extreme cold weather starting. When it is below 0* the truck will not warm up at idle, above 0* it takes 10 to 15 minutes to start blowing warm air out of the heater. Some trucks have a high idle function you activate with the cruise control buttons that raises the idle to 1100-1500 rpm's (adjustable between that range). Using this feature it helps warm the truck up quicker and it helps a warm it up a little bit when the temp is below 0*.

Hope this helps....if you know what year(s) you are looking at let us know. There are some different things you can do with different year trucks to help with the warm up.

 

Check out the Espar truck heaters, expensive but very good.

 

Thanks!

I am considering picking up the 06 3500 CTD 6spd manual Laramie I test drove Saturday...

I was wondering if the truck idling while I was sleeping out ice fishing would keep the cab warm, so it sounds like it will do just fine, just take a little longer to warm up than gas

This is my first diesel by the way....

 

Thanks for the help guys! I picked up a 06 3500 CTD 6spd manual quad loaded to the hilt yesterday! This truck is awesome!

 

Congrats on the new truck. Hope you enjoy it.

 

Congrats on the new truck! I live in Northern B.C. and I purchased the cold weather front from Dodge and it helps the truck warm up quicker!

http://www.leeparts.com/dodge_ram/ac...end_cover.html

My Dad works for a Dealer so Got it a little cheaper. Was money well spent! I am getting ready to put it on in the next couple of weeks so may take some pics of it!

 

Thanks! and thanks for the input- I need to/will def look into getting one of those

 

It says in my manual-05-not to idle the truck for more than a few minutes. The diesel mechanic at the dealership warned against doing that as well. Injectors don't like it. Also if your going to go the cheap way and let it idle, have the dealership set up the high idle feature connected to your cruise. It may help. That's why i recommended the Espar Heater. These trucks are really expensive to repair...just a heads up! I'm sure you'll love your truck I've had mine since Nov 04 new and still like it over the Ford/Chev. You made a good choice.

 

I also have an 2005, You can enable the high idle feature by pressing the on button for the cruise control and then pushing the set button, your RPM's should increase to around 1000. If you want to increase it a little more simply push the accel button until the desired RPM is achieved.