Idle/Drive hours accumulation - Let's figure it out

Lucy Girl · Nov 18, 2019

Lucy Girl said:
Your probably right because it would be a very cold day for that to be my worry. Sorry about that. Thanks for your thoughts about this and excuse my on behavior.

Thanks for the like and have a good day.

pacofortacos · Nov 18, 2019

Weebear said:
Okay, so, stupid question then, what about those of us with the eTorque, where the engine shuts off when we stop at lights or waiting for our wife?

Does this time get picked up? If not, how am I ever supposed to know how much time I have spent sitting in traffic and waiting for my wife like @mtofell - I mean, I could learn to knit too, but I won't know how much time I have to do it . . .

Hahaha
I would think it does not and you have no way currently to evaluate how much of your life is wasted waiting or sitting at a red light or traffic jam. That appears to be quite the conundrum.
Ram needs to add a Stop/Start tiimer!!!

Marshall · Nov 19, 2019

I know a fellow in the oil patch up here, with a top of the line 3/4 T Ram diesel of course, the thing sits and idles all day , I don't think he pays for the fuel
On a large truck I had and some machinery, hr. meter was important.

m25443 · Nov 19, 2019

The idle time matters on the 6.4, since there seems to be a correlation between lots of idle time and cam/lifter failures. The article I read discussed the commercial use trucks, who often have high idle times, being statistically more cam/lifter failures than those engines with low idle hours.

If I were buying a used 6.4 I'd probably look at the Idle Hours and tell the seller that number is excessive and they will need to knock another $nn off the sale price. While it may have little impact on the negotiation, I almost guaranteed they won't know how to argue that point, or if it's even true.

I don't know what constitutes high/low idle hours, but I do know that if I'm sitting in the truck in the TX heat with the engine running and AC on I rev it up once in a while. I guess I could use my Tazer and set it to "Winch Mode", but I don't want to idle at 2,000 rpm either.

indept · Nov 20, 2019

E-torque adds a whole different variable to idle time vs cam/lifter failure. I've seen claims linking them where,at idle, oil pressure drops from 50 to 30 psi. With e-torque restart at a light you go from 0 psi oil pressure to high engine load acceleration out of a full stop. Is it worth saving 6 oz of fuel every hundred miles or so?

OCDTech · Nov 20, 2019

indept said:
E-torque adds a whole different variable to idle time vs cam/lifter failure. I've seen claims linking them where,at idle, oil pressure drops from 50 to 30 psi. With e-torque restart at a light you go from 0 psi oil pressure to high engine load acceleration out of a full stop. Is it worth saving 6 oz of fuel every hundred miles or so?

That is a good point ive never thought of. If most wear occurs at startup wouldnt that add up to a very large amout of startups over the life of the vehicle. Granted the engine was warm and just shut down seconds to minutes ago but still not near the same as keep running constant lube.

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Seth Richards · Nov 20, 2019

I have always figured that idling means the engine is running but the truck isn't moving. So stopped at a stop light, or sitting in a parking lot with the engine running was what I figured Idling is.

My truck had relatively high idle time when I bought it. I figured it was because the dealership turns the engine on while people look at the vehicle on the lot. I know we had it on without moving it for about an hour the day we bought it as they went over everything with us. In two months I have added very little idle time to the timer. It was at 7 hours I think when I bought it in Sept. Last time I looked (a couple weeks ago) it was only at 8 I believe. I will have to look later on my way home from work to see what its at now. But I know that since I bought the truck my drive hours have increased quite a bit and the idle hours have not increased much. I dont sit with the engine on except at lights when driving.

bint · Nov 23, 2019

I have 1930 hrs drive time and 1 hour idle time. On a 2013 Ram 1500 with 3.6l pentastar

indept · Nov 24, 2019

bint said:
I have 1930 hrs drive time and 1 hour idle time. On a 2013 Ram 1500 with 3.6l pentastar

Wow, with that low of idle hours, the 1st few feet of every drive must be getting driven directly from the starter...

Jimmy07 · Nov 24, 2019

indept said:
Wow, with that low of idle hours, the 1st few feet of every drive must be getting driven directly from the starter...

Just another example of why the hours count can’t be relied on for anything other than entertainment. I catch the hours doing this all the time in multiple Rams.
Another little tidbit- the odometer stops tracking mileage when it reaches 621,369 miles (1,000,000km).

gfh77665 · Feb 23, 2020

I just spent 3 weeks in a 2020 Ford F-150 rental truck, because my wifes car was in for body work. I happened to toggle through all the electronic gauges, an I founds it idle meter. 224 drive hours, a whopping 78 idle hours! I know its a rental truck but dang thats a lot!

gfh77665 · Feb 23, 2020

gfh77665 said:
I just spent 3 weeks in a 2020 Ford F-150 rental truck, because my wifes car was in for body work. I happened to toggle through all the electronic gauges, and I founds its idle meter. 224 drive hours, a whopping 78 idle hours! I know its a rental truck but dang thats a lot!

gfh77665 · May 20, 2020

OCDTech said:
I thought i was the only one who wondered this, but i haven't a clue. That being said mine is at 10 percent or so, looks like your at 5, and i'm pretty conservative.

I just reached 200 hours of drive and 8 hours of idle. 4%.

Bbroj · Apr 26, 2022

I have 1500 Classic with 47395 miles on it. I only looked at the hours because I am trying to buy and install a 7" EVIC. My idle hours are at 383 and my drive hours are at 29. I know that can't be right because I just drove 14 hours each way on a trip a week ago. It would have had to have idled for the entire 30kmi before I bought it. Can the numbers be backwards? Should I reverse them if/when I get a new EVIC? Even if I add the hours together, my average speed for the truck so far would be 115mph!

Face · Jul 25, 2022

I drive a total of 12 miles a week to Lowes and back in 2 trips. My ‘20 Classic says I have over 400 idle hours and almost 8,000 miles. That’s impossible. Can someone please help?

caulk04 · Jul 25, 2022

I dunno man, I try to ignore it. I forget the exact numbers, but my 18 with 63XXX miles shows nearly 600 idle hours. It had 30XXX when I bought it and I don't idle it any notable amount but I've added 100 or so to that tally.

I too am curious what are the criteria for counting idle vs drive hours, but it's all speculation. Best to just keep good oil in it and avoid starts without any movement.

06 Dodge · Jul 26, 2022

IIRC any time your engine is running and the vehicle not moving is counted as idle time, so every time you sit at the stop light that is idle time, warm up engine idle time...

John Jensen · Jul 26, 2022

06 Dodge said:
IIRC any time your engine is running and the vehicle not moving is counted as idle time, so every time you sit at the stop light that is idle time, warm up engine idle time...

I've read that warm-up on fast idle does not register as idle time. Also, have read that idling in gear, such as at a stop sign, does not count. There are so many comments and opinions on the subject it's hard to know what is correct. Not trying to argue as I only know what I've read. It would be nice if you could provide published data or ?? regards your statement. Thanks

Hemi395 · Jul 26, 2022

FWIW, my 2013 just hit 85k today. It still has 0 idle time. I find it very hard to believe that in 9 years and 85k, I haven't accumulated at least an hour of idle time......

06 Dodge · Jul 26, 2022

My info is based off talking to and listening to Mopar Mechanics and those who I believe to be knowledgeable Cummins owners, my self I have wonderer when using high idle over 1000 rpm during warm up would count as run time or idle.. Also based on the idle hours I saw reported a while back on my truck leads me to believe what I posted to be true, i.e. out of 72 engine hours it showed 12 hours were listed as idle time even though I do not warm up engine longer then 2 minutes or a need to have cool down time since I bought it..

Idle/Drive hours accumulation - Let's figure it out

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