Quote:
Originally Posted by midnight rumbler
I should have specified that I purchased the truck 4 months ago with 19,000 original km's and I have since put on 5,000.
What is the benefit of the circulating tank heater? My truck starts great in cold weather. Is this to have the rad fluid at normal operating temperature to prevent the truck from idling high to bring the vehicle up to normal operating temperature? Seems to me that there is a give or take on this, am I actually saving by plugging the truck in, here I will have electrical expenses versus leaving the truck running for 3 minutes, is there truly a savings to be had?
My loads are usually consistent in size as I am a contractor and carry all my materials and supplies give or take a few hundred pounds. Maximum weight would probobly be 4200kg's
No tach or vacuum gauge but they will be installed after reading this forum and the benefits they can have....Princess auto, here I come
|
Ok, so only about 15,000 km / 9,000 miles per year. Given the miles per year and load, there is likely not much point to considering gearing changes.
Toronto is
warmer than I'd have guessed. Even so, I find it difficult to believe the engine reaches
full operating temperature (82*-88* C) in just three minutes of idling? But if 3 minutes is really the case, maybe not. FE is decidedly worse until engine reaches
full operating temperature!
On the other hand, cold starts are dramatically hard on cylinder walls & piston rings (fuel condenses on the cold cylinder walls and washes away oil film - especially true for carbureted engines - don't know about TBI) and other engine parts. If you decide not to do a tank heater at this time, be sure to monitor next summers FE and compare it to the drop you'll see next winter and you may change your mind.