The scourge of idling

[Gronk1]

Ford diesels with pilot injection are as quiet as a gasser so they shouldn't bother you. Haven't heard a Duramax but the Cummins I have heard sound like a 40 year old John Deere...

And for the Ford guys that don't know the 6.7 has water cooled turbos that you don't have to let idle to cool off. The water continues to siphon once you shut off the engine to keep it cool. Works just like the ecoboost engines.
Having said that being raised on a farm and around diesels for years I let mine idle if I have been towing.

I let mine warm up while I am hitching up but not for 45 minutes. Also let it run if the dogs are in the cab..

LIB, learn something everyday. I'm used to the old turbos that were oil cooled & fried when you shut them off hot. Probably will still idle it down when worked hard, old habit, been doing it that way for 40 years.

[A.Texas.Yankee]

And for the Ford guys that don't know the 6.7 has water cooled turbos that you don't have to let idle to cool off. The water continues to siphon once you shut off the engine to keep it cool. Works just like the ecoboost engines.
Having said that being raised on a farm and around diesels for years I let mine idle if I have been towing.

It is recommended to idle to cool off turbos, especially after being under long hwy driving and after towing (per Ford)

LIB, learn something everyday. I'm used to the old turbos that were oil cooled & fried when you shut them off hot. Probably will still idle it down when worked hard, old habit, been doing it that way for 40 years.

This is best practice after working the engine above normal driving (again per Ford). But a few minutes after normal driving is good too.

[Dawgfever]

Thanks for the cooling guide. Turbos spin at incredibly high rpms, 50K,80K, some even 100K rpms especially when working hard. When you shut the engine down turbos spool down which leaves the bearings unlubricated which can lead to problems. I prefer to idle for a few minutes when working the engine hard to allow them to slow down and cool down some. In fact, I do this a little bit when just making a short run. Not saying this is necessary, but I feel I am taking care of my engine when I do this.

[nprario]

I usually let mine idle a couple of minutes after a long haul but thats it. I have never experienced what the OP describes. Not saying it doesn't happen but is this really a big problem around RV parks?

[Hoopy Frood]

I had a EGT gauge on my last Cummins and I usually let the exhaust gas temperature get down to, or under, 300° before shutting down. It usually didn't take very long, even pulling off the interstate to a rest area. A couple minutes was usually sufficient.

[Redapple63]

Ford diesels with pilot injection are as quiet as a gasser so they shouldn't bother you. Haven't heard a Duramax but the Cummins I have heard sound like a 40 year old John Deere...

And for the Ford guys that don't know the 6.7 has water cooled turbos that you don't have to let idle to cool off. The water continues to siphon once you shut off the engine to keep it cool. Works just like the ecoboost engines.
Having said that being raised on a farm and around diesels for years I let mine idle if I have been towing.

I let mine warm up while I am hitching up but not for 45 minutes. Also let it run if the dogs are in the cab..

My GMC Duramax manual has turbo cooldown guidelines. Max cooldown is 5 minutes after towing heavy off the fwy. Very rarely do I come right off the fwy into my spot, so on shutdown I let idle for a minute. On warmup depending on outside temp before towing I let warmup about 5 minutes, no need to do more than that. Non towing, 30 seconds to a minute just to make sure all the fluids are circulating and I have good oil pressure. Then drive light footed until fully warmed up.

Bill

[downsc123]

I had a EGT gauge on my last Cummins and I usually let the exhaust gas temperature get down to, or under, 300° before shutting down. It usually didn't take very long, even pulling off the interstate to a rest area. A couple minutes was usually sufficient.

I have the Banks gages as well on my Cummins and always monitor EGT1 for turbo temps - I let it cool to 450ish before I shut it down - if not towing, it gets there in seconds (or usually in the time it takes to get parked). When pulling heavy for a while, it may take 3 or 4 minutes to get down to 450.

[Hoopy Frood]

I have the Banks gages as well on my Cummins and always monitor EGT1 for turbo temps - I let it cool to 450ish before I shut it down - if not towing, it gets there in seconds (or usually in the time it takes to get parked). When pulling heavy for a while, it may take 3 or 4 minutes to get down to 450.

I had the gauges on a 2001 Cummins, so it didn't get that hot, mostly, and cooled pretty quickly. Just curious what kind of temperatures you're seeing while pulling. I tried to keep the temperatures on the 5.9 to under 1,200°, and under 1,000° most of the time. So just curious how hot the new ones run. TIA.

[traveldawg]

I found these interesting tidbits in my owners manual when looking for advice about idling.....

"Note: For every hour that your vehicle idles, it accumulates the equivalent of approximately 25 mi (40 km)."

"... Avoid idling the engine in cold weather or for extended periods. Start the engine only when you are ready to set off...."

When I have a long pull up a hill and I stop (typically at a pull off or rest area) I let the engine idle a bit while watching the exhaust temps (via FrScan) so they get a few minutes to cool down.

I couldn't find anywhere in the owners manual about letting the turbo cool.

In no case could I find anything about having to idle to warm up anything before towing. Although, if you think about it, just repositioning the truck and hitch gives enough warm up time as does pulling out of the campground.

[jleonard]

but the Cummins I have heard sound like a 40 year old John Deere...

Then you haven't heard a modern Cummins. They are very quiet.
Now, my '91 WAS as loud as an old JD.