In the thrashing freeze that is the 2014 “Snowpocalypse,” now, more than ever it seems, folks are looking for any and all kinds of help they can get to have mobility. You’ve seen the headlines by now: stretching most of the Northeast and Southeast of the US, blinding blizzards have coated the landscape in so much snow and ice that folks have all but given up trying to drive anywhere.

It’s important to know that your diesel is especially susceptible col weather conditions like these. At idle and low rpm conditions, the engines aren’t using that much fuel and very little heat is produced. This lack of heat, can result in carbon build up. This carbon can work its way into the ring areas, which can render the rings useless over time. This could, in return result in oil being burnt, pistons burning or scaring and even engine failure if not fixed.

Another issue caused by the excessive cold and low RPM conditions is un-burned fuel. For combustion to happen, there must be enough heat in the cylinders to ignite the fuel. This unburned fuel can mix with the carbon and it creates a thick sludge (called wet stacking). If you have ever pulled the down pipe off of an engine and there is a thick black goo or sludge in the pipe, it is the result of unburned fuel mixing with the carbon.

The solution, thus becomes one of getting the engine’s temperature up, which is what BD Diesel Performance is here to provide. They have a high idle kit, to warm up the engines on both Ford and Chevy rigs.

For the Ford Super Duties, the kit covers 2005 to 2014, encompassing the 6.0L and 6.4L Power Strokes, as well as the 6.7L. A rotating switch allows for adjustable high idle between 1200-2400 rpm on ’05-10 vehicles, and 900-3000 rpm on ’11-14 vehicles.

Conversely, Duramax vehicles using the LB7 (2001-04) and LLY (2004-06) are covered by the Chevy High Idle Kit. It offers the same parameters and benefits as its Ford counterpart.

To find out more about these and other great products made by BD Diesel Performance, check out the company’s website. When you’re done there, take a look at their Facebook page.