Operators Manual

Cold Weather Operation
Special precautions must be taken during cold weather. To protect your engine,
special cold weather handling is required for fuel, engine oil, coolant, and batteries.
NOTICE: To avoid engine damage, DO NOT use any type of aerosol spray,
e.g., ether, starting fluid or brake cleaner to aid in starting the engine.
For EPA07 engines with a grid heater:
WARNING: BODILY INJURY
To avoid injury from an explosion, do not use ether or starting
fluid on engines equipped with a manifold (grid) heater.
The engine does not require starting aids down to 10°C (50°F). Temperatures below
-20°C (-4°F), will require a block heater and oil pan heater.
Winter Fronts
Winter fronts on DD engines are seldom necessary due to the modern design of the
engine cooling system. The coolant thermostat is on the inlet side of the cooling
system on the DD Platform engine and regulates coolant flow from the radiator into
the engine. The thermostat regulates coolant flow to control the temperature of the
coolant within the coolant circuit. The following benefits are a result from
regulating the coolant at the inlet temperature side of the engine:
• Reduced thermal cycling of the engine
• Operating temperature is reached faster
• Improved vehicle heating because of better temperature regulation
Further information on the thermostat function may be found in the Coolant
Thermostat section of the engine workshop manual.
Use of a winter front on a DD Platform engine, particularly those that are fully
closed,
will cause performance issues and is not recommended on DD Platform
engines. Winter fronts can result in the following:
• Excessive fan run time due to higher Charge Air Cooler (CAC) outlet
temperatures resulting from low air flow through the CAC
• Increased fuel consumption
• Failure of the DEF system heaters to turn on when needed due to incorrect
temperature calculations resulting in fault codes, poor performance of the
Aftertreatment System, and power reduction
• Failure of critical emission equipment that will result in vehicle speed
inducement to a maximum of 5 mph
Use of a winter front should be avoided as this has been shown to cause false fault
codes with the engine and aftertreatment system. This has also been linked to
specific component failures that will cause vehicle downtime and lost productivity.
There are two specific situations where a winter front may be temporarily needed:
Operating Instructions for Starting the Engine
56 All information subject to change without notice.
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