It baffles me why I have to glow and crank the hell out of my OM617 when the temperature goes a bit below freezing, while the guy up the street from me with his new Sterling (not sure what engine is in it) just has to hit the key for a couple of cranks, and it roars to life. Although I must admit, I've seen lots of big rigs starting hard, with enough white smoke belching out the stacks to make you think there's a forest fire. Is this just a case of the new Diesel technology?

I don't know about the big rigs, but we start them with air on ships...they might do the same, since they must have an air supply for their air brakes.

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Former nuc bubblehead (boomers)
"Sustained superior performance through continuous incremental improvement."

1987 300SDL White w/ Gray Leather interior, 160K (mine)
2009 Nissan Murano (leased - wife's)

I guess it depends what you mean by "bit below freezing." Both my 616 and 617 start without any additional effort down to about 10-15F, than they require some additional glow time and maybe a few seconds of extra cranking. A well tuned 616/617 shouldn't have any real problems just because the temperature is below freezing. I assume big trucks use diesel technology similar to modern diesel auto engines.

AFAIK, the big rigs have no glow plugs at least none of the old Cummins 6 cyl engines I saw 20 years ago. They started easily, since they have huge batteries and a starter the size of a small engine.

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DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

Didn't they have heating grids?

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But what do I know...

1984 300SD 256k

I could swear the 5.9 in Dodge trucks currently uses those.

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I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

I just checked, and they do.

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'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

I used to drive the old 70s Kenworths which happened to have a built in canister of ether with a little button on the dash for those really cold mornings. Somehow, I don't think they do that anymore.

Most of the big Cummins/Cats, ect... start pretty good in cold weather, up to a point. It really depends on how old the engine is, ect... but if it's in fairly good shape, it'll start OK.

When I lived in Maine and it got REALLY cold, the Macks I was driving, we would simply leave running 24/7 as they were a real bear to start in a -40 cold snap. Even at that, you had to take it really easy until the trans and rears got warmed up.

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1973 Ford Maverick
1977 Ford F150 shortbed stepside ripping 429
1978 Ford F150 shortbed stepside 4x4
1979 Ford F100 'Free Wheeling' shortbed stepside
4 more 73-79 Ford parts trucks
1988 BMW 735iL
1994 BMW 540i
1992 Mercedes 190E 2.3

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The big International engine in my friend's bus has no glow plugs, no pre-heating system of any kind, just tons of raw compression, and a freakishly powerful starter. Cold morning he just gets in, cranks it for a few seconds, and it lights up with a roar and a cloud of black smoke. No problems though!

peace,
sam

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"That f***in' biodiesel is makin' me hungry."

1982 300TD Astral Silver w/ 250k (BIO BNZ)
2001 Aprilia SR50 Corsa Red w/ 5.5k (>100 MPG)

It depends on the condition of the engine really. My 603 with nice light synthetic oil would spin right over like a gas engine. Starting just wasn't an issue after the glow plug light turned off, turn the key and your good to go.

With a diesel compression is everything. If its old with low compression it will be a pita to start, thats why they have block heaters use them!
Oil makes a surprising difference. This winter I am running 15w-40 dino in the SD and you really can feel the difference in the teens. With 5w-40 or 0w-40 temp really isn't an issue.

Condition of the battery is another issue, diesels need a strong healthy battery if its old replace it.

Starter condition is important as well, if your starter is pretty old a rebuilt one will probably crank faster.

Their are a bunch of other little things to check but basicaly if a diesel is in good shape it will start to just as cold a temp as any gas car.

Modern diesels are also much better in the cold, I imagin CDI's probably glow for a couple seconds and light right off.

One of the boats I work on has a pair of somewhat tired 6v92TIB's. They smoke like crazy if you don't plug the box heaters in. Even if the water is 70! Gota love old Detroits, loud stinky sobs.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

http://www.zafr.com/trucktcom/starters.htm

http://www.auxiliarypowerdynamics.com/product_details/

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1985 300SD
1983 300D
2003 Volvo V70

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