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#30 by jtanguay on 27 Jan, 2005 15:44
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WOW... car starts now!!! got an extra 800 CCA in my trunk (in a battery blanket too) went to home depot.. rigged up some gauge 1 wire to the front battery in parallel with a heavy duty switch. For now I'm going to trickle charge the backup battery until I get something to charge it properly from the alternator. 15 seconds or so of cranking and she sputters to life!!!!! i'm glad that the diesel is working, for the mpg sake!
So she starts... but the starter makes some WEIRD noises. I guess i will have to drive it the way it is for now and hope it lasts until a nice warm day and i can replace it
. One thing is for sure though, if it wasnt a vw starter, it would have died long ago...
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#31 by chrissev on 27 Jan, 2005 18:07
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Quote from: "jtanguay"
what if you timed your engine with the cold start pulled out. Wouldnt that affect it? (i think my mechanic timed mine with it pulled out.. not quite sure)
yeah it'll definately affect it. -
#32 by chrissev on 27 Jan, 2005 18:09
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Quote from: "jtanguay"
WOW... car starts now!!! got an extra 800 CCA in my trunk (in a battery blanket too) went to home depot.. rigged up some gauge 1 wire to the front battery in parallel with a heavy duty switch. For now I'm going to trickle charge the backup battery until I get something to charge it properly from the alternator. 15 seconds or so of cranking and she sputters to life!!!!! i'm glad that the diesel is working, for the mpg sake!
So she starts... but the starter makes some WEIRD noises. I guess i will have to drive it the way it is for now and hope it lasts until a nice warm day and i can replace it. One thing is for sure though, if it wasnt a vw starter, it would have died long ago...
when you replace the starter support the engine from underneath. It falls down otherwise (can crush your hand if you have it in the way) -
#33 by jtanguay on 27 Jan, 2005 18:18
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roger that thnx again
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#34 by dubCanuck1 on 03 Feb, 2005 00:21
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I might be a little late on this, but here's some input.
I live in Calgary, so we get some pretty ridiculous weather fluctuations (40-50 deg C change in 2 days). I have to park at the C-Train to get to work and my '89 golf (non Turbo) was killing me last year (I sympathize with jtanguay), particularly because they would cycle the power every 30 minutes (freeze/thaw/freeze/thaw).
I have a client who coincidentally is a heavy diesel mechanic. I had the same problem where the car would barely turn and then the battery would drain. I was pissed, so I asked him to put the biggest g*dd*mn battery he could fit under the hood. The battery is a 1200 or 1400 (I'll have to look at it during daylight hours (all four of them).
Of note, he said that there was a problem with the glow plug relay, and that the only time they would warm was when the key was in the start position, that's why I would have to (and still do, I have to talk to him 'bout that) crank it for a while before it would start. Once he fixed that, all was fine. Maybe test your relays to see if all the plugs are warming/firing properly.
With the big b@stard battery, it turns the starter over in a damn hurry. I haven't had to call reinforcements yet this year. And my drives are only about 15 minutes, which theoretically should equate to my eventually having a dead battery (not enough drive time to recharge).
If you look at the information on the back of a battery blanket, you'll find it takes a ridiculous amount of energy to crank a car when the battery is cold. Combine that with the higher compression of a diesel engine and things start looking grim when your nostrils start freezing.
So if you can (or already have), invest in one and plug in wherever you go.
I also looked into some Cold Start systems, such as http://www.beru.com/english/produkte/iss.php. They have some systems that apparently kick @$$, but I've never been able to get a reply out of them.
As for starting, I'm with chrissev on the "choke" Once she starts catching, pull it out and push the throttle about half way. It'll come around.
I'm going to try some of that 0w40 to see if my starting gets better.
BTW, nice to see so many Canucks on the site. -
#35 by ricosuave on 03 Feb, 2005 20:05
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dub,
ufa sells a rebadged esso 0w30 and 0w40 synthetic oil called polar plus. its dirt cheap, and will help in those cold winter months.
do a search here or tdiclub.com under my user name to find out more.
also, is your client mechanic taking new customers?
good to have another calgarian. pm me anytime.
rico