Idle shutdown override with defeat protection

The present invention relates to a system and method for controlling an engine including an idle shutdown feature. A system and method for controlling a compression ignition internal combustion engine having an electronic control module with an idle shutdown feature to automatically stop the engine after idling for a period of time include determining whether the engine is being loaded and overriding the idle shutdown feature to keep the engine running when the engine is being loaded. In one embodiment, the present invention includes monitoring operating conditions to determine that the vehicle is stationary, monitoring the engine to determine the engine is idling, initiating a timer/counter to provide an indication of idling time, determining that the engine is operating in an auxiliary power mode, determining engine load, and automatically stopping the engine when the idling time exceeds a first threshold and the engine load is less than a second threshold. The present invention makes it more difficult for engine operators to defeat the idle shutdown feature by detecting current engine operating conditions to verify that the selected operating mode is consistent with current engine operating conditions.