I started my 05 this morning and went back in the house to let it warm up some. I can hear it when the grids kick in and out, anyway after the grids where done it went to high idle all on it's own. Is this stock feature? So I get in truck and give accelator a tap like you would a carborator gas eng and it idles down so then I back out and set in the drive and it starts high idle again. Anyway I drive about 60 miles to pick up a load of pipe and while I am being loaded it goes into high idle again. The nose is pointed to the north and it's cold about 32 and I had been setting about 10-15 min. When I got back to truck it had idled back down.I am still suspicious that this truck my have a programmer. Is all what I am experincing normal (stock)

We get some teens to twenty degrees in the morning. Not North Dakota cold but feels damn cold to me. LOL --- I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?t0inme 2003 Ram with gauges and a Smarty! Not much more. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I got married at the JP's office in Gaffney SC. Still live in Hickory NC. Iknow quite a few folks that made that trip back in my younger days. I am like you 20* is cold enough for me. But from where some of these folks are from they are gonna call us wussies.

Still say come to Idaho with -25*F weather...:lol:But seriously it best to fire up the truck. Go back and grab you odds and ends that you need for the day or work. Then get rolling and take it easy till the coolant temp comes up. I used the high idle more so for when I was working the fire dept and need a warm place to put people during vehicle accidents etc. But typically I'll just fire up and drive easy till warm.

I pretty much follow the same procedure as MM. Crank it up idle for 20 or 30 seconds, idle out to the highway and drive easy until I see the temp rise or the oil pressure start to drop. They pretty much go hand in hand.I have worked in -25* weather before and it sucked. That is just to cold. Anytime you have to get an air compressor and a 90# hammer to dig a ditch, it just aint right.

I pretty much follow the same procedure as MM. Crank it up idle for 20 or 30 seconds, idle out to the highway and drive easy until I see the temp rise or the oil pressure start to drop. They pretty much go hand in hand. I have worked in -25* weather before and it sucked. That is just to cold. Anytime you have to get an air compressor and a 90# hammer to dig a ditch, it just aint right.

But it's a "dry" cold!! Anyone can like 75* and sunny. It takes a special kind of idiot to like the other extreme!!!

All the third gen and up trucks have the option for setting your idle with your cruise control. You only have to take your truck to the dealer and have it turned on. If your dealer says he can't find a new dealer.push the cruise on, then push set and your idle should run up to 1000 RPM. By tapping the accel button you can run it up to 1500 RPM in 100 RPM increments.Don

Not possible on my 03. Smarty Jr doesn't even turn it on. --- I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?xcemra 2003 Ram with gauges and a Smarty! Not much more. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I dont think the early 3rd gens have it. I know the 2nd gens dont. High idle alone does not make much differance, you have to load the engine. My e brake does when you idle out. 350* to 400* on flat ground and 500or a little better with a slight incline

Well my truck has it and a buddy at work that has an 03 and just had it turned on after I showed him mine. He also told me "I was told you can't do that with our trucks". Wow I glade someone didn't tell that to my dealer then . Don

I gues I was wrong. Just did not think the early 3rd gens had it. evidenly

From what I have figured out about the high idle its all based on the design of the steering wheel. I have an 04 and I can manually do it, but my brother has an 03 with a different style steering wheen and he cant do it.

There are very few late 03's that it works on, but the vast majority of 04's do not have the option. Like it has been mentioned it has to do with steering wheel design.

My '04.5 had the "high idle"enabled from the factory. Does it automagically. I cannot do via the cruise control.When it's cold here, I only idle Mighty Whitey long enough to back out of the garage, close the garage, and hitch up my work trailer. Usually well under 5 minutes unless I forgot something in the house!!! Then I just drive easy until I get out of the neighborhood. Almost 8 years and 162,xxx and all's well!!

My '04.5 had the "high idle"enabled from the factory. Does it automagically. I cannot do via the cruise control. When it's cold here, I only idle Mighty Whitey long enough to back out of the garage, close the garage, and hitch up my work trailer. Usually well under 5 minutes unless I forgot something in the house!!! Then I just drive easy until I get out of the neighborhood. Almost 8 years and 162,xxx and all's well!!

The automatic fast idle is enabled on all 03+ CTD's (and maybe 2nd gens??). The manual fast idle needed to be enabled, which Smarty has done for you. Since you have a manual all you need to do is ground the ECM #22 pin and you can control your rpms with the cruise control.

The automatic fast idle is enabled on all 03+ CTD's (and maybe 2nd gens??). The manual fast idle needed to be enabled, which Smarty has done for you. Since you have a manual all you need to do is ground the ECM #22 pin and you can control your rpms with the cruise control.

Negatory AH64ID...........Mighty Whitey has had the automagic "high idle" operational since new. That includes pre Edge Juice w/Attutude, and pre Smarty. I wonder if it doesn't have something to do where the trucks were sold??? For example; North of a certain latitude, they programmed it into the ECM. I dunno........some of this has not "rhyme or reason" to it!!!!

Negatory AH64ID...........Mighty Whitey has had the automagic "high idle" operational since new. That includes pre Edge Juice w/Attutude, and pre Smarty. I wonder if it doesn't have something to do where the trucks were sold??? For example; North of a certain latitude, they programmed it into the ECM. I dunno........some of this has not "rhyme or reason" to it!!!!

I think you misread my post, as I said the same thing you are saying. The automatic fast idle (high idle on a diesel is rated rpm, no load) is enabled on every 3rd gen, and cannot be disabled. It's not an option. The manual fast idle is an option to be enabled on 04+ trucks, with the rare 03. It has to be enabled by the DRBIII/Star Scan or tuner. Automatic/Manual has nothing to do with transmission, but how the rpms increase. Automatic: ~32° rpms will increase to 1,000 rpms 2 minutes after startup; ~15° and below the rpms will go to 1,000 as soon as you start. Manual: Turn the cruise control on, press set. Rpms go to 1,100. Accel/Decel can be used to adjust the rpms in 100 rpm increments between 1,100 and 1,500.

Not sure why some of the 03 trucks would have a different steering wheel, they should not. When the 3rd gen HD trucks came out the column changed at the same time! We build the columns at the plant I work at and part of the change over was a new steering wheel. The same one that is in the 04 should be in the 03. Can you take a pic of our wheel I would like to see what it looks like. Now if you do not have cruise control then no you won't be able to do this. But again cruise was standard on all the trucks except the ST base model if memory serves me.Don

Not sure why some of the 03 trucks would have a different steering wheel, they should not. When the 3rd gen HD trucks came out the column changed at the same time! We build the columns at the plant I work at and part of the change over was a new steering wheel. The same one that is in the 04 should be in the 03.

Can you take a pic of our wheel I would like to see what it looks like. Now if you do not have cruise control then no you won't be able to do this. But again cruise was standard on all the trucks except the ST base model if memory serves me.

Don

The steering wheel difference was in shape and cruise control buttons.

With this wheel the manual fast idle will not work. (and yes I know it's a hemi, that's not the point )

That is my steering wheel exactly! No hi idle possible. Even if I ground the pin will it work? --- I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?qhbjg1 2003 Ram with gauges and a Smarty! Not much more. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not sure why the 03 (the start of the third gen HD) would have that wheel. My truck has the newer wheel as does the guys 03 truck from work. My truck was built in November of 04 and Ken's truck was one of the last 03's built before the model year change over.Maybe Damn-Lire had too many of that wheel in stock and wanted to run them out? Don