need advise on idling....

[NickC]

i know its bad for injectors in the 5.9 but does idling these 2.7 engines bad, when im in a delivery with this van there are a lot of times where i have to spend the night in a truck stop until morning so i can get a new load and with cold weather coming i have been leaving the heat on.... good idea or no?

[Kilch123]

I'm not personally familiar with these engines, but I know that idling a cooled EGR engine is inviting EGR clogging and problems

I did a quik search and found this thread http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/dodge-sprinter/TU9M69C1RSRDNPI35

Partway down (dated around April 18 and 19 2008) you'll see several mentions of idling problems with them

There are quite a few companies now that make APU's (auxiliary power units) that will heat/cool the truck while stopped (check google for APU)

Good Luck
Tom

[NickC]

thanks for looking that up tom!

after reading that and all the problems these vans run into im starting to think less of this van..... i sure hope it makes me enough money to put away in the case of a costly repair!

the idling problem that the article you posted was for the new i6 engine... mines the i5 so im hoping there is less of a problem but with my luck i am expecting the worst. its to cold to sleep without it running and hotels cost to damn much to pay every night

[Kilch123]

Nick - definitely check out these 'no-idle' solutions: (there's a lot of them - there are anti-idle laws in a lot of states now)  http://www.fleetequipmentmag.com/files/issues/2008/IdleRegs08.pdf

http://www.thermoking.com/products/product/tripac.asp?mn=tripac&pg=image&cat=10

http://www.rigapu.com/index.php?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=CPC&utm_content=Rigmaster&utm_campaign=RigAPU

http://trucktrend.automotive.com/83381/163-news080730-navistar-fleetrite-apu-to-help-fleet-truck-fuel-consumption/index.html

http://www.cumminsonan.com/apu/

There's a bunch of others as well

[NickC]

they dont show prices... but they do look expensive!

you think theres a way to get a small heater fan and a deep cell battery and just charge it every so often or maybe run a hot wire from the battery so when its started its charging?!?!

HAHA, when your cheap you think of all kinds of crazy alternatives...

[Kilch123]

most of those units have a ROI (return on investment) calculator to help you justify the cost

If you run your truck for an hour it burns x gallons of fuel vs their little APU which burns y

Replacing your EGR system can be VERY expensive

There are systems that use deep cycle batteries that are charged when you drive (they have special isolators so that only they get discharged when the engine is not running) and equalizers to properly charge all batteries when running.

Believe me, nobody is cheaper than the trucking companies - they have to squeeze every dollar and gallon of fuel

[NickC]

well time for a little update...

the whole time i was trying to keep costs down, i did not want to do anything huge because i dont plan on keeping the van... its just not working out like i hoped for it to do.

so what i came up with was a generator... i bought a 2600w generator and figured i would carry it around and just chain it to the van at night and run a space heater off it. well i brought it out one time the gas line broke so i did not get to use it. i haven't been working this van in the past week or 2 due to holidays and what not but i still haven't warmed up to the idea of carrying a generator around with gas in it SO....

i came across one of these bad boys on sale in a store a few days ago,
http://www.mrheater.com/productdetails_extended.asp?catid=41&id=116

now this guy gets HOOOTT! and it says indoor safe with the right ventilation... i was just thinking of keeping the windows cracked a few inch's on each side to keep the air circulating. i have bought a carbon monoxide battery powered alarm to make sure plus this unit has a safety feature that shuts it off in the event of low oxygen so im thinking its a green light for heat! any one see a problem with my new direction?!?!

[NickC]

and give me honest opinions... im not going to make anyone sign anything to make them responsible 

[Kilch123]

I know people use those or the coleman equivalent in tents, and don't kill themselves with CO

I would definitely make sure the CO monitor is fully functional, but like you said, with the windows cracked a bit, there shouldn't be a lack of O2 for you to breathe

[1995DodgeRam1500]

CO has a tendency to hang about at low levels, so when you have the windows cracked a bit at the top I'm less than enthusiastic about this option. Now if you put a vent at the bottom of the vehicle for this to drain out while having the windows cracked then maybe it would be a better option. It just seems rather unsafe to have this in a vehicle that should be fairly closed at the bottom, now if it's already rotted out then go for it.

Just my  worth.  Of course if you really want to see what you look like cherry red then disregard the above. Oh yeah and then there's the ever popular skull crushing headache to go along with it. And those are just what happens when you don't die.

[Kilch123]

This is the info I used when I got CO monitor, as there was no direction where to mount it.

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/chem03/chem03364.htm

[1995DodgeRam1500]

I just don't trust them a whole lot. There have been too many gadgets coming from China that don't work as advertised and then of course unless you happen to have a bottle of CO hanging around you can't really test the stupid thing until you get the CO level to a point where you get a headache. Don't get me wrong I have them in the house I just don't trust them.

[NickC]

This is the info I used when I got CO monitor, as there was no direction where to mount it.

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/chem03/chem03364.htm

thanks for that read buddy! from what i gathered in that section is that mid level should work and that CO wont sit on the floor or stay high.

i was hoping people gave me there $.02 and you did! thanks guys!!! i really dont have any other options at this point, im gonna give it a try but i also considered getting a little battery powered fan to circulate the air a little better just as another safety measure. i guess the only way i can sum it up is after next week pass's and you guys dont see me around... just make sure you all learn from this

[1995DodgeRam1500]

Well lets hope you don't try out the cherry red can't breathe option followed by the coroners wagon.  Good luck wiith it Nick.

[Buford445]

I'm not fond of this, It can sneek up on you and Kill ya