What is the coldest you've started your diesel?

[pwogaman]

No block heater, not in the garage, not recently run, no special fluids, no cheating - just a straight cold start with regular diesel fuel. And then, what is the warmest "cold" temperature in which you could not start.

For me it is: -11C/has not happened yet.

[TX76513]

Living in both AK and OR with diesels I know we had some consistent days of -10F. I have never used a block heater or had the privilidge of a heated garage (until MS - go figure). Good maintenance, battery, and a dose of Power Service on fill ups has always kept them firing.

[mobetta]

last week started at 9*f, w/ M1 0w-40, wouldn't start at 4*f with rotella 15-40.

[R Leo]

300TD: 21°F w/Rotella 15W-40 (fired right off!).
300D: 24°F w/Rotella 15W-40 (but, could barely get this one running at 45°F when two PG were bad).
300SDL: 24°F w/Rotella 15W-40 (smoked like a Screamin' Jimmy until warm).

[rg2098]

6F with 0-40 syn. last winter
no nice at 19 degrees this winter with 15-40 dino.

How's that block heater coming Roy?

[TheDon]

my car is spoiled being in FL

52*F mobile Delvac 15w40 normal glow cycle -fires up within seconds and no shakes

it does get colder here sometimes it might dip into the 30's so ill let you know then

[kerry]

35 below zero. No block heater.
I dind't realize at the time that it had summer fuel in it. It took a long time holding the starter engaged to get it to run on enough cylinders to run by itself. The following day at a similar temperature it would not start. I believe the problem was gelled fuel.

[Old World Auto]

1966 200d started at -20F (windchill -65F) in upstate NY during college, parked outside, no block heater, car sat for about 4 days prior. Running 10w40 oil.

Repeated same experience in a 1982 240d w/ 300k est. miles, same conditions over the course of two winters. Coldest start in that car was -25 F.

[Colorado220]

1971 220 D..... -22F Winter Park, CO......... Took me about 10-15 min. to get it going......... It almost didn't!!!

[vstech]

1969 Kabuto 2 cyl Diesel tractor. 24F a couple nights ago glowed for about 45 seconds. cranked right up... really was surprised it started so easy, the thing has over 10Khours on it. and continuous blowby...
John
oh, and the reason I was starting it?...
my TD would not start! I needed to tow it out of the way.

[kerry]

Originally Posted by Colorado220

1971 220 D..... -22F Winter Park, CO......... Took me about 10-15 min. to get it going......... It almost didn't!!!

My 35 below was just outside of Winter Park. What I learned from that experience, according to the tow truck driver who towed me inside to warm up the fuel, was that winter fuel is NOT sold along the Front Range. There's a moderate winter blend sold in Idaho Springs but a 60/40 (?) blend sold in Winter Park. So, make sure you put Power Service in your tank if you're running on Front Range fuel in the mtns.
I suspect the tow company pays the Front Range fuel stations to sell summer fuel in winter. When he towed me in, he had a list of diesels a mile long to tow to his shop that day. He said, they'd all have the same problem. Easy $$$

[F18]

The only time I have had trouble in any of my diesels was when there was an extreme temperature swing....which seemed to set up the fuel to gell completely.
ie. Millinocket, Maine about 10 years ago, drove up the Maine coast in late February/early March.....day time Temp. was about 30 F. At night while I was tucked into a Hotel the Jet Stream swung down from the north and brought -25 deg. arctic temperatures with it. The 50 plus temp. change frooze the 300SDL solid....even the interior was crystalized.
A tow into a warm garage with two torpedo heaters directed at it for two hours defrosted it to the point where it would finally start.

But for the most part when I had access to an AC outlet and could anticipate
extreme cold snaps I just plug in the block heater to be safe and usually winters are pretty much uneventful.

[Bruce Kennedy]

My 85 td started two days ago at 14 F. I did not even touch the accelerator and this is with Rotella 15-40 and 100% biodiesel. The car came from Florida and doesnt even have a block heater. My 84 300sd with 364k and my 85 300d with 320k would not start. All three have been recently tuned ,ie, valves, cam and Ip timing, filters ,ect. I think compression is the key to cold weather starting.

Since someone mentioned a tractor, the diesel in my trawler yacht will start in subzero temps with no battery ,let alone glow plugs. It has a two cylinder gas engine (pony engine) mounted to it that starts by hand. This pony engine shares coolant and exhaust with the diesel, and by running it you warm up the diesel. Once you get the diesel turning over good you flip the compression release lever and she starts.

[patbob]

This morning was 26F. Car sat outside, unprotected overnight. Glowed it for an extra ~30 seconds after relay said it was good to go and it fired right up and idled rough for only about 10 seconds. That's with ~B70 in the tank.

Darn diesel wasn't warm by the time the frost was scraped off the windows.

[Diesel_Canuck]

Originally Posted by Old World Auto

1966 200d started at -20F (windchill -65F) in upstate NY during college, parked outside, no block heater, car sat for about 4 days prior.

It must get awful windy wherever you went to college. I plugged some numbers into a wind chill calculator, and found that a temperature of -20F with a wind chill of -65F corresponds with a wind speed of 75 miles per hour. If it was me, instead of trying to start my car, I would have stayed inside while the hurricane passed.

http://observe.arc.nasa.gov/nasa/earth/wind_chill/chill_wcscript.html