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Old 01-03-2018, 09:53 AM
strelnik strelnik is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SE Mich
Posts: 3,285
Quote:
Originally Posted by jake12tech View Post
It's pretty crazy. My dad put a battery in my now e300 10 years ago. It's still kicking strong. It was also MB brand. I know they're all made by Johnson controls, but it's ironic the MB brand always lasts the longest for me.

I have only had one battery last this long. Most die about 7 years.


Keeping fully charged is how I do it. For example, even though the battery works fine and the weather is -2, I plug in the block warmer AND give the car a low-amp charge the entire night.


When starting, the response is strong and quick.


Of course I also use Arctic blend oil so that the crank turns quickly.


It seems to me that the most important issues are:


1. warm/thin oil to keep the crank going fast enough to start
2. Battery power to keep it cranking even if the glow plugs do not work
3. Good grounds and glow plugs.


You can start a diesel in winter if you can get the crank to turn fast enough and long enough to get compressive heat, perhaps with a bit of help from WD-40 or kerosene+turpentine mix. Turpentine increases flammability. So does diesel purge or xylene. But the latter can be explosive. I have seen it used in Canada.
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Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6
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