Colorado road trip prep. 300tdi

leastonce

Well-known member
Callsign: w2eng
I like how we’re answering this question as if he‘s planning an Arctic expedition or moving to Prudhoe Bay.
Feels like I am ... I guess it’s m not the first person to take a 300tdi to Colorado in the winter ;-)
 

Napalm00

Technical Excellence Contributor
Man. I gotta know about a 35x10.50x16 tire......?

From when I put them on. Swampers
 

leastonce

Well-known member
Callsign: w2eng
Ordered a block heater from RN ... alas it wasn't the correct part .. OReilly autoparts seems to be the best place to get a temro 3100087 which I understand is the correct part.
 

aeo

Well-known member
Ordered a block heater from RN ... alas it wasn't the correct part .. OReilly autoparts seems to be the best place to get a temro 3100087 which I understand is the correct part.
Freeze plug heater or the coolant one from RN?
 

leastonce

Well-known member
Callsign: w2eng

This is what I ordered after searching 300tdi block heater. I wonder if it's for non-turbo variants?

The Temro part is on its way ... for anyone that fitted it ... how much and how did you have to bend it? I'm putting it in the plug behind the alternator as I don't have time to pull the turbo out.
 

Grnrvrs

Well-known member
I’m guessing it could get down to -40
Going to install a battery heater blanket and 5w40.
The oil pad heaters seem to have mixed reviews on how effective they are. I’ll probably put one on as they are cheap enough.

In all seriousness, the likely lows at the end of Jan-Feb in Breckenridge are 0F +/- few degrees. Use some fuels treatment, and oil pan heater, if you have access to a power source. Before I had a garage, we had a cold snap in Durango with a week of ~ -25F in the early am. Glow plugs and 3-4 hours on the heater pad and I had no problems starting.
 
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Z.G

Well-known member

This is what I ordered after searching 300tdi block heater. I wonder if it's for non-turbo variants?

The Temro part is on its way ... for anyone that fitted it ... how much and how did you have to bend it? I'm putting it in the plug behind the alternator as I don't have time to pull the turbo out.

Believe we just do the lower hose heater for the 3hunny. I didnt run either and drove in sub -20 conditions in VT & Maine with my 300 D1. Colorado can get cold, but as a whole is warmer than Vermont.
 

TexasD-90

Well-known member
for reference, it was -20 this morning in Crested Butte. I've lived here a good while, and I've never seen -40. Gunnison county is known to be the coldest place in the lower 48. You shouldn't see much south of -10 in Breck.
 

aeo

Well-known member
for reference, it was -20 this morning in Crested Butte. I've lived here a good while, and I've never seen -40. Gunnison county is known to be the coldest place in the lower 48. You shouldn't see much south of -10 in Breck.

It was 12 in Steamboat this AM. Gunnison is the artic circle.

Will you take some pictures on the Temro install? I have one in a box and need to install it.
 

leastonce

Well-known member
Callsign: w2eng
I’ll post some photos later, but long story short. Although I did manage to complete this I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s too fiddly and requires bending the element on the heater. I’d do it behind the turbo if I had to do it again.
 

leastonce

Well-known member
Callsign: w2eng
The photos ... although I didn't take photos of the bending of the heater element .... I used a vice with wooded protectors, a clamp, and various implements to bend it. It was very awkward trying to get it to fit just right. Ultimately I felt it was good enough and applied some sealant to help it ... I stopped before I accidentally damaged anything.

IMG_5627.jpg
 

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Napalm00

Technical Excellence Contributor
i used to run one of these and a moroso oil pan heater. Living in upstate ny it got chilly and i was DD the truck for a few years. I bought something similar to this:


and set it so the timer would come on about 2 hours prior to me leaving for work in the am. when I would park it for the night, id plug it in and the timer would click on before i woke up. Truck would start instantly, no glow needed and have heat in about 10min with a cardboard blocked radiator in sub zero temps.

Pan heater i used:


With the pan heater you MUST thoroughly scuff the pan surface and clean with carb/brake cleaner until a white rag wipes cleanly. Use RTV or rightstuff around the edges or it will peel off. also helps to preheat the pan with a heatgun and the adhesive if it cold outside. I put it in place then used a small board to jack the weight of the engine on it and lfet it like that overnight. Its still on there from 2011
 
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