[GlennGlenn]

Took delivery of brand new (24 miles) 2015 CTD with all options including the pan heater BUT minus the safety package. Veh will be parked outside and will be used primarily in NO and SO Wisconsin and Northern IL.

1. What's the deal with the oil pan heater and when or better yet, should I plug it in and use it below certain temps? How long can it be plugged in for and is it thermostat controlled?? I can put a timer on it as veh is parked outside. I have one on my old ChryCo T & C and it works great in winter to warm the car faster, BUT that's a gas engine too.

2. What kind of Def are you all using? Dealer said Peak DEF is fine as are most others. I've seen 2.5 gallons at Sam's Club for less than $9.00.

3. Cold weather diesel fuel additive? What F temps should I start using this?? ( Northern IL and So Wisconsin,) How much do you guys use per gallon of diesel fuel?? (yes, I know, RTFM )

4. Tier 1 fuels and who's using Shell /Amoco primarily etc??? Any thoughts about using off brands like Thornton or Truck Stops??

Thanks for your help in advance and be gentle with me, I am a diesel noob

 

[boraz]

the pan heater wont activate til approx -18c even when plugged in....k, wait, i know the gas version does this, cant remember if the diesel does it or not

it only warms the oil....not the coolant...

example, its -40 and if you pull the dipstick the oil with be warm enough that you dont notice it, but the dipstick will be warmer at the tip than it is way up at the top

the car comes with electric heat if you have the heat knob turned high...when coolant is hot enough to heat the cabin, the electric shuts off

some talk on here that the electric heat only works on def or def/floor....cant remember

i always have it on defrost/floor...it works...even at -50, i start the car, scrape windows maybe a minute, drive away

def is def, i buy the cheapest available

there were fuel gelling issues last winter on this forum....fuel is sposed to be good to a certain temp in your area....if it gets crazy cold, the fuel could gel and your in for a world of hurt.

we get -40 all winter long (northern BC) so i buy any diesel, and add zero additives...if i drive to vancouver, i burn off the fuel before i get back here to not have gelling and fill with local fuel

#1 diesel is your safe bet, but it costs more....you can buy #2 and use additives...many swear by it...just dont be a normal man and double the recommended doses...you CAN do damage to the emissions....how likely? dunno...but you can read what the owner manual says aboot additives.

get your fuel from high volume places, less chance of untreated fuel in there...diesel doesnt go bad, dont gotta worry aboot that

dunno aboot your refineries, but the refineries around here serve all the fuel stations....if shell refinery is down, the shell stations are filled with esso fuel, and vice versa...its just fuel

 

[Aussie]

Welcome to the diesel world, I have 3 and 1/2 years on mine and it has been great. Never been below 2C where I live so can't help you with cold weather driving. Starting has never been a problem and the engine runs 20C cooler than my daughter's 1.6T hatchback. I hope you have as much enjoyment from yours as I get from mine. It is a coolish day for Sydney with a top of 27C, a really pleasant summers day.

 

[boraz]

last winter i posted the chart of the temps that the fuel was good to, state by state

i cant find it now...

 

[GlennGlenn]

the pan heater wont activate til approx -18c even when plugged in....k, wait, i know the gas version does this, cant remember if the diesel does it or not

it only warms the oil....not the coolant...

example, its -40 and if you pull the dipstick the oil with be warm enough that you dont notice it, but the dipstick will be warmer at the tip than it is way up at the top

the car comes with electric heat if you have the heat knob turned high...when coolant is hot enough to heat the cabin, the electric shuts off

some talk on here that the electric heat only works on def or def/floor....cant remember

i always have it on defrost/floor...it works...even at -50, i start the car, scrape windows maybe a minute, drive away

def is def, i buy the cheapest available

there were fuel gelling issues last winter on this forum....fuel is sposed to be good to a certain temp in your area....if it gets crazy cold, the fuel could gel and your in for a world of hurt.

we get -40 all winter long (northern BC) so i buy any diesel, and add zero additives...if i drive to vancouver, i burn off the fuel before i get back here to not have gelling and fill with local fuel

#1 diesel is your safe bet, but it costs more....you can buy #2 and use additives...many swear by it...just dont be a normal man and double the recommended doses...you CAN do damage to the emissions....how likely? dunno...but you can read what the owner manual says aboot additives.

get your fuel from high volume places, less chance of untreated fuel in there...diesel doesnt go bad, dont gotta worry aboot that

dunno aboot your refineries, but the refineries around here serve all the fuel stations....if shell refinery is down, the shell stations are filled with esso fuel, and vice versa...its just fuel

Welcome to the diesel world, I have 3 and 1/2 years on mine and it has been great. Never been below 2C where I live so can't help you with cold weather driving. Starting has never been a problem and the engine runs 20C cooler than my daughter's 1.6T hatchback. I hope you have as much enjoyment from yours as I get from mine. It is a coolish day for Sydney with a top of 27C, a really pleasant summers day.

Thanks gentlemen, also ordered the Holden badges. Hoping I get those in Jan 2016??



Does the Tier 1 in Wisc or IL have the additive already? We can get 0 degree F nights here. Typically Jan-March temps are 10-15 F at night and 30 F during the day.

 

[GlennGlenn]

last winter i posted the chart of the temps that the fuel was good to, state by state

i cant find it now...

Well heck, what good is that

 

[boraz]

there were 5 or so ppl with gelling last winter

some had some anti gel added, some didnt, some had bought #1 diesel (or they paid for it at least), but the tank didnt contain it or so the story went

these were in wi, co and ia that i can remember, but it was unseasonably cold last year

fuel in north america, even worse in usa doesnt have the lubricity it use to (removal of sulfur for the environment)...sure you hear aboot all the vws that had fuel pumps go boom in the last half dozen years...vw and bosch (fuel pump maker) say the fuel is to blame, govt says its fine....but same pumps dont wear out and kill the car in canada or europe at the same rate, and the fuel in canada and europe does have more lubricity....sounds to me a fuel issue...so additives will add lubricity...at a cost....per bottle, and potential harm downstream in the emissions

i would tell someone to use some additives, not an endorsement but just hedging...seems a bit safer

 

[boraz]

Well heck, what good is that

i know...the search on here isnt as good as other sites.

 

[LiveTrash]

Took delivery of brand new (24 miles) 2015 CTD with all options including the pan heater BUT minus the safety package. Veh will be parked outside and will be used primarily in NO and SO Wisconsin and Northern IL.

1. What's the deal with the oil pan heater and when or better yet, should I plug it in and use it below certain temps? How long can it be plugged in for and is it thermostat controlled?? I can put a timer on it as veh is parked outside. I have one on my old ChryCo T & C and it works great in winter to warm the car faster, BUT that's a gas engine too.

2. What kind of Def are you all using? Dealer said Peak DEF is fine as are most others. I've seen 2.5 gallons at Sam's Club for less than $9.00.

3. Cold weather diesel fuel additive? What F temps should I start using this?? ( Northern IL and So Wisconsin,) How much do you guys use per gallon of diesel fuel?? (yes, I know, RTFM )

4. Tier 1 fuels and who's using Shell /Amoco primarily etc??? Any thoughts about using off brands like Thornton or Truck Stops??

Thanks for your help in advance and be gentle with me, I am a diesel noob

boraz answered your questions pretty thoroughly, but more input could never hurt, so here's my answers.

1. Never had to use the oil pan heater last winter. Started it on a -37C (-34F) and it started no problem. I usually let it run via remote start for about 5 minutes on super cold mornings like those. I'm not sure how much easier it would be on the engine if I were to plug it in or not.

2. As boraz said, DEF is DEF. I've never read anything credible about there being a substantial difference that will mess with your emissions system. Find it at any local store that sells it and you'll be fine.

3. If you live in a cold climate like I do, Ontario, Canada, then it's likely the fuel is already treated. A brief Google search told me that Diesel fuel will start to go cloudy at 0C (32F) and begin to gel around 9-12C (10-15F). As mentioned in answer #1, I started it and drove well below those temperatures with no additives of my own and I had no problems with gelling.

4. At my local gas stations there's only 1 grade of Diesel. I pretty much always use Esso. Not sure which tier this can be compared to in your area, but I seem to be getting great mileage and my emissions system appears to be happy with it.

 

[boraz]

Thanks gentlemen, also ordered the Holden badges. Hoping I get those in Jan 2016??



Does the Tier 1 in Wisc or IL have the additive already? We can get 0 degree F nights here. Typically Jan-March temps are 10-15 F at night and 30 F during the day.

gonna be a big difference between fuel available in Duluth and Milwaukee...(ex over the road trucker)....have you even noticed 2 different diesel pumps? one with #1 one with #2?

 

[boraz]

youll get some info out of this thread

http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/64-chevy-cruze-diesel-general-discussion/46073-extreme-cold.html

 

[diesel]

Took delivery of brand new (24 miles) 2015 CTD with all options including the pan heater BUT minus the safety package. Veh will be parked outside and will be used primarily in NO and SO Wisconsin and Northern IL.

1. What's the deal with the oil pan heater and when or better yet, should I plug it in and use it below certain temps? How long can it be plugged in for and is it thermostat controlled?? I can put a timer on it as veh is parked outside. I have one on my old ChryCo T & C and it works great in winter to warm the car faster, BUT that's a gas engine too.

2. What kind of Def are you all using? Dealer said Peak DEF is fine as are most others. I've seen 2.5 gallons at Sam's Club for less than $9.00.

3. Cold weather diesel fuel additive? What F temps should I start using this?? ( Northern IL and So Wisconsin,) How much do you guys use per gallon of diesel fuel?? (yes, I know, RTFM )

4. Tier 1 fuels and who's using Shell /Amoco primarily etc??? Any thoughts about using off brands like Thornton or Truck Stops??

Thanks for your help in advance and be gentle with me, I am a diesel noob

Welcome to the club. I will give you my answers based on my 146K mile (so far) experience

1. I don't have one and never had a starting issue down to -9F (coldest temp I experienced)

2. I have had good luck with the Blue DEF from Advance Auto Parts.

3. Never used an additive.

4. I mainly use Shell and Gulf, but once in a while will fill with off brand. i try to avoid biodiesel over 5%. I think IL has 11% mandated?

 

[Gator]

I live in Ohio and it did drop to the single digits and it started no problem. It takes a little longer at those temp to get to operating temp but that what the electric heat is for. I use Blue DEF at the truck stop pump. I use a little over a gallon at 8000 miles. That's when I change the oil. Coming up on 96000 miles and its been a great car. Welcome to the club.

 

[TDCruze]

The CTD oil pan heater does not have a thermostatic control, I use it quite frequently to help aid in faster warm up times and ready to drive quicker. Even when it is only in the 20's F, I have never had an issue with it plugged in for 12 hours while at work. The heater is only 125 Watts, so it does not put out very much heat. It does helps speed up the defrosting and melting of ice off of the windshild. The car will "start" without it plugged in, in pretty much any weather you would ever see.

 

[money_man]

Where I live that would be roughly $6/mth in power

 

[TDCruze]

Where I live that would be roughly $6/mth in power

Yeah, it's pretty cheap to run. I usually plug mine in every day at work if its looks to stay below -5C/25F. Its in a heated garage at home though :grin: Definitly recommend plugging in below -18C/0F if possible, it really is easier on the engine.