Turbo Diesel Cold Start

[peacedub]

Hello all, this is my first post on vwdiesel.net !




i got a 87 jetta with a 1.6 TD, water froze in the cooling system and im trying to start it.

i put up heat lamp and heaters around it, does anybody have any ideas they could give me to start my car.

cheers, and peace.

[8v-of-fury]

hmm.. plug in the block heater for a couple hours.. probably 4+ to get enough heat in to it..

[peacedub]

plugged in the BH, but im not sure if it works, doesnt make any sort of noise (my old rabbits BH would make a quiet buzzing sound)

lets hope it does work

any other ideas?

[ToddA1]

My buddy in WI told me he once had to drape comforters over the hood to the ground.  He put small electric heaters under it for a few hours.

The BH should just be a heating element; I'm not sure what would buzz.  I can't hear mine, at all.

-Todd

[peacedub]

ok sounds good, it should be +4 tomorrow so im hoping to get it to start...

what would prevent it from starting, it hasnt ran in almost a year. theres half a tank of diesel and a good battery.

[rabbitman]

My block heater "buzzes" too.

[trev]

My block heater makes a noise like a kettle starting to boil. Sort of a sizzle sound.

Not sure if yours is heating? Follow the wires to the block heater itself. You should be able to feel some heat with your fingertips. Worth checking to see that the wire actually is plugged in to the heater, and is in decent condition, too.

Got a halogen work light? They throw a lot of heat. If you place one on the shop floor, under the engine, and leave the hood closed, you will warm the area enough to get the block above freezing eventually.
A propane radiant heater on a BBQ bottle would throw good heat too. Enough to warm the whole interior of the garage enough, long enough. Shouldn't be left unmonitored, and allow for some fresh air. Use a CO monitor if you got one.

Even at +4, if it's water, not coolant in the block and rad, it's not gonna thaw enough to be useful without some outside heat. If the there is coolant, but not enough to keep it from freezing in the last round of cold weather, get thee to crappy tire, and buy a couple jugs. Buy the concentrate, not the ready mixed stuff.

Good luck!

 Cheers
  Trev

[jettabrendan]

What seems to work better on my car anyways is to keep the cold start lever in untill it starts firing because it seems like advanced injection causes the engine to spin over slower...

[peacedub]

trev what do you mean by : "get thee to crappy tire"

all the ice has melted and it still doesnt start.

i havea question about the cluster, theres a yellow light which is the glowplug primer right?when it ***s off i should start the engine. what does it mean when it flashes? and what about when its still?

cheers.

[theman53]

If it does start it will squeel like a pig. The water around the pump being frozen won't let the pulley turn...ask me how I know. If you get your garage up to about 40 for a while things will go better for you. A kerosene tube heater will do it, but don't get it too close to plastic stuff...again, ask me how I know. It will take alot to thaw it and if you get it running the temp gauge won't show you what is going on until the hot water finally melts the ice then it has already over heated. If I were you I would take off as much stuff as I could *radiator,hoses, coolant tank* and take them inside. Keep working on the rest, but if you don't have as much volume to change temps it should be easier for you.

[theman53]

now you tell me the ice has melted. Get it warm as you can and make sure the glowplugs are working.

[peacedub]

alright, im heating it with a block heater and a house heater and two heat lamps so i think its warm enough now, the block heater has been plugged in for about a day now and the collant tubes feel soft and so does the heater tubes (they used to be hard as ****)

what kind of tool do i need to remove the glow plugs? 1'' wrench?

[burn_your_money]

8mm and a 12mm wrench.

Read http://www.vwdiesel.net/forum/index.php?topic=22517.0 and do everything that he has done.

When you are cranking do you have smoke out the tailpipe?

[theman53]

alright, im heating it with a block heater and a house heater and two heat lamps so i think its warm enough now, the block heater has been plugged in for about a day now and the collant tubes feel soft and so does the heater tubes (they used to be hard as ****)

what kind of tool do i need to remove the glow plugs? 1'' wrench?

When you say things like that it makes me nervous. The big things are the injectors and take a 27mm if I am not mistaken and a 17mm on the nuts for the lines. These are simple engines that take a lot...but for instance if you time it improperly it can destroy your valves and cylinder head. Stick around and learn here, unlike me most are helpful. If this is your first VW diesel proceed with caution and if in doubt check the FAQ section then ask here.

[peacedub]

thanks everyone and thats why i posted here, this is my first diesel so im trying to learn as much as i can.

like i said when i crank it i hear a loud clicky bang type of noise, as if one cylinder is firing up, could faulty glowplugs cause that?