running an engine too cold?

[flygt4]

My thermostat is stuck open on my ute.

This causes the engine to run cold and it only just gets above the bottom cold line on the motorway. are there any downsides to driving it like this in the short term? I have a new thermostat on the way.

only thing I can think of is that the glow plugs will remain on 10-15min longer than usual and may have ill effects for the battery/charging system.

[tsoob]

My thermostat is stuck open on my ute.

This causes the engine to run cold and it only just gets above the bottom cold line on the motorway. are there any downsides to driving it like this in the short term? I have a new thermostat on the way.

only thing I can think of is that the glow plugs will remain on 10-15min longer than usual and may have ill effects for the battery/charging system.

short term shoulde be fine but it wont like to rev hard or be stressed

[Crampy]

It'll use $hit loads more fuel if running cold.

[Mr Revhead]

oil wont get to temp

[flygt4]

It'll use $hit loads more fuel if running cold.

which is still SFA compared to a petrol.
Its mostly motorway driving which gets the temp up above baseline anyway. in 50km zones it drops back a bit though.

[evil_si]

generally glow plugs are on a timer not temp contolled so you wont have an issue there

the only real downside is more wear occurs while an engine is cold,

[Crampy]

It'll use $hit loads more fuel if running cold.

which is still SFA compared to a petrol.
Its mostly motorway driving which gets the temp up above baseline anyway. in 50km zones it drops back a bit though.

True that. Realised it was diesel after I read it again.

[flygt4]

It'll use $hit loads more fuel if running cold.

which is still SFA compared to a petrol.
Its mostly motorway driving which gets the temp up above baseline anyway. in 50km zones it drops back a bit though.

True that. Realised it was diesel after I read it again.

if it gets any more economical after i replace the thermostat i may actually cry

[evil_si]

if its thirsty on the diesel,
does it black smoke under acceleration?

could be the injectors are worn and the fuel/ injection pump needs re calibrating or just winding the fuel screw in a tad

[Leon]

if it gets any more economical after i replace the thermostat i may actually cry

If you think you're crying now, wait until you realise that it is going to take you seven hours to drive over the Rimutaka's

[flygt4]

if its thirsty on the diesel,
does it black smoke under acceleration?

could be the injectors are worn and the fuel/ injection pump needs re calibrating or just winding the fuel screw in a tad

nope its unbelievably economical, I thought the fuel gauge was broken for the first couple of days
I'm used to driving a petrol, but i'm a convert now. it never seems to smoke at all from what i can tell either.
and its not too gutless really , its a 2.7L so its has plenty of poke from idle, 5th gear covers pretty much all driving above 40km.

[Leon]

5th gear covers pretty much all driving above 40km.

Right up to the top speed of 58kph

[flygt4]

5th gear covers pretty much all driving above 40km.

Right up to the top speed of 58kph

it actually accelerates quite easily from 100km to 120km, it won't win any prizes for sheer pace, but its grunty enough to clear most traffic confortably within a passing lane sized gap.

doesnt really want to rev much due to running cold I think , 3000rpm is about as exciting as it gets atm.

[flygt4]

got the new thermostat in this evening, which is just stupidly easy on a nissan diesel, as the housing is pointing upwards and in clear view, and they have an easily accessible draincock.

what a difference its made. the engine is now quieter, and revs way more freely, all the way through to 4k It has also cleared a few suspicious noises/rattles that were concerning me, although I can't be sure how long it was driven like that and if any damage was done to the bottom end during the time the previous owner had it. I have a feeling the reason the previous owner sold it was they didnt know what was wrong with it.

and parts prices seem very reasonable on the slightly older stuff, as it only cost $40 and a few more for the gasket.