Re: SAFE ENGINE OPERATING TEMPERATURES
Reply #2 –
To add to Peter's post-- when idling to warm up/air up enough to start moving, use the cruise control to select high idle (1,000 to 1,000 RPM). Better for the engine and quicker air up.
And in shutting off, it really depends on how hard you have been pushing the engine just before you want to shut it down.
If you have just pulled a 6% grade and pulled into a rest area, 3 minutes is Caterpillar and Cummins recommendation.
But, if you have exited the freeway and driven even a couple of blocks at low speed to a CG and idles up their drive, even one minute is sufficient, as the turbo has not been working hard (has already started to cool down). If you have an EGT gauge, you already know this. And certainly, from the CG office to your site-- as soon as you arrive, you are safe to shut it down.
Most idle their engine much longer than any engine manufacturer suggests.
Brett Wolfe