An add-on to the -10C no start thread

[Smokey Eddy]

I just tried to leave the house today at -6C and i knew it was cold so i plugged the block heater in for 30 minutes. Let the plugs glow for about 15 seconds and it turned very quickly and chugged hard on a stroke or two until three, then it caught, i let my hand off of the key and it ran for maybe a full second and died.
Tried to turn it over again and it just spun like there wasn't even a head on it... i could just hear the starter wirring away and a slight wobble through the car...

New (June) battery (cummins size) and a new 1.7kw bosch starter. Ran the plugs for an extended period of time with a bypass switch. Don't know if all the plugs are glowing but they were when i tested them about 10,000km ago... sounds like a long time ago...

I don't know what the compression numbers are as i dont have a tester (hence my prior posts about wanting a compression tester) but its a pretty recent re-ring. I'm contemplating that there may be some head gasket tom foolery going on OR the injectors are not atomizing anymore (hence my prior posts about wanting a pop tester).

With the wind its -22C (which is very peculiar for these parts)

Ideas?
im going to leave the block heater plugged in until the cam cover is warm to the touch. Then just carry an extension cord around in the trunk.

[jpedro]

its about the same temps here in bc its bloddy cold cannt wait for the summer again, but mine seems to be starting up no problems now after adding a bottle of ford diesel additive and a fresh 20 L of diesel.  just have to go insure the old girl seeing as my truck ins ran out on sat night. so with out a vehicle this long is kinda brutal lol.

[Smokey Eddy]

I live in Abbotsford, where are you? I'll have to try some additive... Which did you go with?
I like the cetane boost stuff. It's orange and smells sweet. I haven't used it since the days of my 1.6td though.
My concern roots from how my 1.9/1.6 would start at whistler at like -14C plus the elevation but not the AAZ now here at sea level...

[jpedro]

im in terrace north of you but i did go with the cetane stuff it deffinatly helped a lot i used half the bottle to.

[rodpaslow]

I live is Saskatchewan where today with the wind it's -39°C (about -30° temp). I run two glow plugs, one at either end of the block and I've had my car start at -45°C without issue.  It's much easier on the car too, cause at -20 the temp gauge is already showing about 100°F.

[Quantum TD]

Summer fuel gelling? Biodiesel gelling? Old fuel filter?

I'd start there. I thought I had gelling fuel last winter on a trip. Turned out the filter was full of water that kept freezing. Once I replaced the filter, no problems.

[Smokey Eddy]

Hey my filter is pretty old... about 70,000km at least. I'll try draining it.
What really gets me though is that after it catches for a second it just spins like mad as if there is no compression. definitely going to try draining the filter and putting done fresh stuffin it.

[Quantum TD]

Hey my filter is pretty old... about 70,000km at least. I'll try draining it.

That's a start, but it only takes one bad batch of fuel to destroy a filter. Once the water gets soaked into the paper filter in the winter time, you'll be hard-pressed to get it out. It was 15-20 when mine froze up in the mountains of PA. I'd estimate that with the wind-chill, it was closer to about -5.

On my fiasco, I drained it 4 times, put in diesel additive, anti-gel, 4 gallons of gas. Nothing worked until I replaced the filter. Now, I don't go ANYWHERE without a spare filter. Also, clutch cable, anti-freeze, oil, fuses, belts, spare alternator, glow plugs, etc. Having a tool box in my Caddy helps.

[rallydiesel]

I live is Saskatchewan where today with the wind it's -39°C (about -30° temp). I run two glow plugs, one at either end of the block and I've had my car start at -45°C without issue.  It's much easier on the car too, cause at -20 the temp gauge is already showing about 100°F.

I don't understand. What do you mean you run glow plugs in the block? And how do you get the car to start at -45C? Do you mean it has two block heaters?

[Smokey Eddy]

Thanks quantum. It's -10 or so here and that's centigrade. In F I think that's somewhere around 20 or 25.