2020 3.0 Diesel Engine fan Racing (Diesel particulate filter?)

gemarsh · February 12, 2021

3 minutes ago, Brandonb0013 said:

I appreciate your input. So you are experiencing what the dealer is, that if it's not being remote started, you have no issues. To clarify, do you plug it in above 0 degrees F?

Yes, Brandon, if the forecast is to be below 40°F, I plug it in, if it's not running. I get home and will plug it into a timer, that will energize the heater at 3am. I will leave the house around 8am. I will drive to the shop and if I plan on being there for an hour or less, it stays running. If longer, I park by a outlet and plug it in with no timer.

You are communicating with a person that has froze his fingers off, changing fuel filters on the side of roads. It costs just pennies a day to keep a vehicle plugged in for me.

I can understand you wanting to plug in a diesel in the winter months. I'm sorry you are having issues. It's unreal that GM has an issue with something so simple as a block heater. For years we have used Kat heaters, without issue. GM has screwed with thermostats inline. And now seems to be doing something new.

gemarsh · February 12, 2021

17 minutes ago, Brandonb0013 said:

Not sure I follow this. If you unplug the heater and then start the vehicle, the element should still be heated, thus I wouldn't expect it to be that big of difference. I'm not familiar with how hot the element gets, but the engine is never at 160 when I start it after using the block heater, so I have this hunch that it doesn't get crazy hot in the first place...? Maybe? But, I'm pretty sure that it's not getting above the boiling point of the coolant, which is then when I would expect the "water on a light bulb" scenario to happen.

Idk, I'm just speculating and thinking aloud. Again, thank you for your input!

In the old days, you could hear the heater sizzle after a minute after plugging in and stay sizzling. After unplugging it would quit within 2 3 seconds, cooling off fast. When it's this cold, like we are having now, a block heater would be lucky to keep the whole engine warm, it will be hot around the heater itself, the radiator will be ambient air temp, if the heater is still sizzling and the engine pumps cold coolant past the element, it could make it rupture.

I honestly don't know how warm this gm element gets. I see the cord end has 8a on it. I am assuming the end is rated for 8 amps. So I would figure the element is 960 watts or less.. Hair dryers are 1500 watts. But I don't think a person would want to touch it, plugged in, out of the block.

The good ole Kat block heaters in the day were 2200 watts and had to be plugged into 20 amp circuits or they would trip breakers. Those are what I have in my head as would pop like water hitting a light bulb.

Mercracing · February 13, 2021

In the old days, you could hear the heater sizzle after a minute after plugging in and stay sizzling. After unplugging it would quit within 2 3 seconds, cooling off fast. When it's this cold, like we are having now, a block heater would be lucky to keep the whole engine warm, it will be hot around the heater itself, the radiator will be ambient air temp, if the heater is still sizzling and the engine pumps cold coolant past the element, it could make it rupture.

I honestly don't know how warm this gm element gets. I see the cord end has 8a on it. I am assuming the end is rated for 8 amps. So I would figure the element is 960 watts or less.. Hair dryers are 1500 watts. But I don't think a person would want to touch it, plugged in, out of the block.

The good ole Kat block heaters in the day were 2200 watts and had to be plugged into 20 amp circuits or they would trip breakers. Those are what I have in my head as would pop like water hitting a light bulb.

I, like you, have been in the diesel field for a long time. About 13 years for me. I don’t disagree with what you’re saying, but GM has gone so far as to have the auto stop/start on these diesels. That flys in the face of what we’re used to. I don’t think we can compare the “old days” diesels to today’s current half ton diesels.

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Mercracing · February 18, 2021

Sorry it took me so long to post. Last weekend I parked my truck outside from Friday night until Sunday morning. High temps were below zero. I plugged my truck in Sunday morning for about 3 hours. I started my truck using the button, and it was MAYBE +3 degrees. No issues.

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Brandonb0013 · February 18, 2021

So this is my experience over the last few days. Unfortunately/fortunately we are through the sub-zero temps here for a while in Wisconsin. Attached is a spreadsheet of my data collection. My dealer called on Monday asking me what I had experienced, so I sent them this file without the last few days of information. I have yet to hear back from them.

Truck Troubleshooting Data.xlsx

Colossus · February 18, 2021

Good idea to run the Diesels daily in freezing temps.

Mercracing · February 18, 2021

Good idea to run the Diesels daily in freezing temps.

Why is that?

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redwngr · February 19, 2021

19 hours ago, Colossus said:

Good idea to run the Diesels daily in freezing temps.

Nonsense.

Chrisd534 · February 25, 2021

I had this fan issue twice. Stopped after a day both times. I've also never plugged my truck into the block heater as it hasn't gone down to the recommended temps here yet. I brought to the dealer twice and because it wasn't happening they said they couldn't do anything.

GMC Ryan · February 26, 2021

Update from me.... truck hasn't moved in 24 hours. it was 36F this afternoon and I knew I had to go out this evening, so I plugged the truck in to see what would happen. Truck plugged in three hours, coolant temp is 73F on startup. No engine fans!! Truck built January 2020, latest ECM calibration installed late May 2020 when I purchased. No idea if GM has actually made a fix for the engine fans in the software or if it's just coincidence, but I'm happy.

Brandonb0013 · February 26, 2021

I had this fan issue twice. Stopped after a day both times. I've also never plugged my truck into the block heater as it hasn't gone down to the recommended temps here yet. I brought to the dealer twice and because it wasn't happening they said they couldn't do anything.

This is the first time I've heard of it happening without using the block heater. Keep us updated if it continues.

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Brandonb0013 · February 26, 2021

Update from me.... truck hasn't moved in 24 hours. it was 36F this afternoon and I knew I had to go out this evening, so I plugged the truck in to see what would happen. Truck plugged in three hours, coolant temp is 73F on startup. No engine fans!! Truck built January 2020, latest ECM calibration installed late May 2020 when I purchased. No idea if GM has actually made a fix for the engine fans in the software or if it's just coincidence, but I'm happy. [emoji846]

This is interesting. What was the outside temperature when you started the truck? I'm guessing it was below freezing?

Also, your icon next to your name is the green G. Are you also located in wi or just a fan? I'm actually in the greater GB area.

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Brandonb0013 · February 26, 2021

Update from me.... truck hasn't moved in 24 hours. it was 36F this afternoon and I knew I had to go out this evening, so I plugged the truck in to see what would happen. Truck plugged in three hours, coolant temp is 73F on startup. No engine fans!! Truck built January 2020, latest ECM calibration installed late May 2020 when I purchased. No idea if GM has actually made a fix for the engine fans in the software or if it's just coincidence, but I'm happy. [emoji846]

This is interesting. What was the outside temperature when you started the truck? I'm guessing it was below freezing?

Also, your icon next to your name is the green G. Are you also located in wi or just a fan? I'm actually in the greater GB area.

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Mercracing · February 26, 2021

This is interesting. What was the outside temperature when you started the truck? I'm guessing it was below freezing?

Also, your icon next to your name is the green G. Are you also located in wi or just a fan? I'm actually in the greater GB area.

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Im not who you were asking, but I’m just south in Appleton

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GMC Ryan · February 26, 2021

2 hours ago, Brandonb0013 said:

This is interesting. What was the outside temperature when you started the truck? I'm guessing it was below freezing?

Also, your icon next to your name is the green G. Are you also located in wi or just a fan? I'm actually in the greater GB area.

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It was 32 or 33 when I started.

I'm located in British Columbia, but have family in Wisconsin. I was last in GB and visited Lambeau in the 2019 off-season.