Umm... There is no throttle blade on a diesel.

 

what is there?

 

There is nothing between the air box and the intake valve except the turbo. Diesels are throttled by the amount of fuel they inject . They have no problem running lean. Less fuel injected less RPM, more fuel injected, more rpm. Whole different animal when compared to a gas engine.

 

ahh ok. . . . our 85 diesel Suburban had a TB but it was mechanically injected

 

Touchee Batman!!

 

Thanks for the info regarding the cycling... now I know! *and now, it all makes sense*.

btw - I'm getting price quotes now from some local shops on an install of a block heater (too damn cold out, and I don't have my equipment with me...). That should cut down the start-up time quite a bit, since I can go outside, flip the switch, go back inside, take a shower, get dressed, etc. then come out, heat the plugs (in a warm block) and then start 'er up. Any suggestions on where to go about getting a block heater in a pinch?

Once again, thanks for the help! And any general diesel tech, links, etc. are welcome here!

 

what you should do is get the heater and get a remote start. Plug it in when you go in for the night and then the next morning start it up from inside the house. then when your ready to go just unplug the heater and go. This way you dont have to go outside so many times.

 

I'd need at least 300' of cord to reach. Assuming I get the closest parking spot. Got anything else? I'm thinking about buying 3 heaters at Home Depot (small, home-use ones) and permanently installing them all around the engine block. Have a switch in the cab that runs them, and idk what I'd need to do to protect them against water. Any ideas? Maybe one of those dipstick-based heaters? I'm surprised they don't make something that just wraps underneath the engine essentially... but yeah, if I can get the block up to, say, 80 degrees, she'll fire up no problem, even with her getting fed cold air.

 

that's a horrible idea. Those heaters will most likely get moisture on then and burn your truck to the ground. But even if they won't short out, you still need a power source to run them so in comes the 300' of cord you mentioned. An average block heater uses 600 watts of electricity. Most block heaters on a diesel range anywhere from 1000-1800 watt output which will require a 120volt source.

is there not a plug in on a pole or building that you can get permission to plug in to? If not your just wasting your money IMO.

 

You could do like they did in the 40s. just put some coals under your truck and let em burn all night.