I installed a oil pan heater but this doesn’t seem to help when the temperature gets below 10 degrees. Can you suggest anything I can do to allow me to get this thrifty beast started so that I don’t have to use my gas guzzler! Sometimes I can jump the TDI from the Gas Guzzler and it will start after awhile, but’s it a lot of cranking and I don’t think thats a good idea.
Well a problem starting at about 10? F and less with normal cranking is likely a glow plug problem.
When you are trying to start it, are you waiting for the glow plug light (looks like an orange light bulb filament) to go out before turning the key far enough to energize the starter? Are you getting any CEL (Check Engine Light)?
You can try this; when the light first goes out turn the key back off and right back on. The glow plug lamp should come back on and cycle again. Also wait and additional couple of seconds after it goes out before turning the key the rest of the way.
That glow plug system is well monitored so it should trigger an error code if it fails in any way. You might try having any stored codes read even if you don’t have a CEL as there still could be one there. Some auto parts stores will read them for free, try Autozone or Advanced Auto Parts.
Thanks for your comments. I do turn on the glow plug 3-5 times depending on how cold it is and then try to start it. I don’t wait like you have suggested after the last time it lights so I will try that tomorrow. It’s going to be 12 degrees tomorrow so I will try it then. Whenit is really cold ie below 0 the added boost from the Gas Guzzler battery helps it turn over but it still takes time before I can get it to fire up. I stop cranking when some buzzer happens in the car which I think is something to do with the oil light coming on. ie not getting oil up to the proper parts of the engine. Only a guess. Then I wait a little while do the glow plug a number of times and try again and repeat the process until it finally kicks over or I give up until it is warmer. Do you know of any after market block heaters for TDI’s?
A block heater is the way to go. Also, you can add 1/2 to 1 gallon of regular unleaded to a full tank of diesel (14 gallons +/-). This will give you better starting in cold weather and won’t blow your head gasket. Less is more here - 5% gasoline is enough to start a diesel in pretty cold weather.