-25F here and the Benz and BMW both start right up. both are garaged and plugged in onite.

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1984 300 TDT 200k mi.
1982 300 SD 65k orig mi. (sold)
1985 BMW 524 TD 90k mi.
1996 Ford Explorer 225k mi. (still strong)
1997 Clackacraft drift boat

-57? Yikes! - Well, it's a balmy -2c here in Brampton. Lowest it got so far was -18c. Just glowed twice and started up. Not plugged in..

OK so, I may be stirring a little hornets nest here, but I just wanna know why this happened.

I'm about to go home and as is my SOP, I'll pop outside to start my Benz and let it idle for about 10 minutes to warm it up. This time, I made a conscious effort not to touch the pedal. It was actually the first time I ever had a situation where I felt the car would not start! The starter actually had to kinda 'carry' (dunno how else to explain it) the engine until it started.

Previously, with the pedal movement I described earlier, my Benz would always start at the first 'kick'. No hesitation at all. I dunno, maybe its just colder tonight? I'll try again tomorrow evening with the pedal down and see what happens.

As it stands, I understand all the logic of cold fuel etc. But if so, why without the pedal did it crank longer? Any thoughts?

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1987 300TD
1984 300D
755,000 KM and going strong
BC Canada

The governor will provide a bit of extra fuel when the rack is advanced to the "start" position. You need to depress the pedal slightly for this to occur.

Without a "start" position, you only get idle fuel which might make the time lengthen slightly.

Note that this "no pedal" procedure is not utilized on a daily basis. If the engine will start normally, it's not required. Only when it's very cold, and you anticipate a crank time longer than 5 seconds..........due to the condition of your engine/starter/glow plugs/battery..........will you need to use this procedure.

Thanks Brian. This worked just as well as pressing it all the way down and bringing it up halfway. The usual 'one kick' start happened this morning when I tried this method of very slightly depressing the pedal.

In other news, I discovered that my Benz can actually handle the 6 inch unploughed highway today! I had my doubts as I had a little trouble reversing out of the driveway this morning as cars driving by had built up a little snowbank about 18 inches high. Some rocking back and forth between D and R got me out of that. After that, the car held rock steady thoughout my drive. Maybe the 20 Litre water bottle I placed in the boot had something to with it, but whatever...I'm happy to have made it to work unmolested

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1987 300TD
1984 300D
755,000 KM and going strong
BC Canada

Here in So CA. They don't have Chill Factor, they have "Feels Like". Being from the Chill Factor states, My sis and I roared with laughter the first time we saw it stated so.......
But it does explain it very well.

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1986 Euro 500SEC "RUF" 9:1CR, "Rose"
1985 Euro 500SEC Cabriolet AMG Widebody
1982 Euro 500SEL "Blue"
2001 Texas Heeler (Aussie/Queensland X) "Sulphie",
2012 Queensland Red Heeler "Squeak"
Best dogs I've ever had.

I don't know how you stand it?!

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" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

put a blanket around your engine. that'll keep the windchill off....

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1984 123.193 372,xxx miles, room for Seven.

1999 Dodge Durango Cummins 4BTAA 47RE 5k lb 4x4 getting 25+mpgs, room for Seven.

We had a freakishly warm weekend (upper 60s); I kept the top down all day Sunday. Now a chance of snow tomorrow, highs in the 30's, yuck. At least i had a break.

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

How many miles do you have on that puppy?

Yeah - I thought it was just semantics.....and no, you weren't overtly dangling your profession out there....it just didn't really change the crux of the discussion, tis all.

I remember you battling it out with Forced Induction - maybe that's why I recollect the science teacher background

I agree - it could be packaged as temperature and wind speed.....but when it comes right down to it, if my 8 year old daughter hears that it's going to feel like -15, she's more apt to remember her scarf than if it's 5F with 30kt wind.....so I suppose in that case, it has some value - albeit steeped in some media sensationalism, no doubt.

Of course, her mother would never let her out of the house without it - but that's another argument

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1981 240d - 135k - Arlene

Yes, that is true. But what if she had never learned the windchill number? If she heard that is was 5F with a 30kt wind and had only heard it that way would she be more apt to wear a scarf?

Maybe...guess we'll never know.

My 2 year old always tries to take off his stocking hat. I don't ever let him do it until we are inside the car. I'd side with your wife!

I really have cut back on my TV watching the past year. And now because of DVR I don't have to watch all the ads and can finish an hour show in about 35-40 minutes.

Convective heat transfer in a nutshell:
The fluid will not cool (or heat) the object in question to a temperature any colder (or hotter) than it itself is (excepting any phase changes). It will only get (or attempt to get) it to that temperature sooner than if there was no convection. In the case of our faces, a wind chill value represents that the rate of heat removal approximates the rate of heat removal at that temperature in still air. IOW, it "feels like" that temperature because heat is being removed from our skin at a rate that exceeds our ability to replace it from within. The temperature is not what makes us "feel cold", it's the rate of heat removal from our body. )Right now it's 27F here with a WCI of 11F so that means it's cold out and the wind makes it feel much colder.)
It seems the core of the argument here is that people either do or do not need to know this value. I think people want quantification in all things when possible and this wind chill idea is no exception. If you invite a friend to go to a restaurant with you and you tell him the prices are "cheap" or "expensive", he might want numbers assigned to those generalities so he can decide how much money to bring or whether to even go.

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1983 M-B 240D-Gone too.
1976 M-B 300D-Departed.

"Good" is the worst enemy of "Great".

Holy C$%^ !
who cares what wind chill is at 110MPH winds?

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

this guy is NOT going to be convinced. everybody stop it.
HE (total assumption here...) does not need the number. He thinks it should go away. explaining to him what the number is or how it is needed is as useful as talking to a cement wall as it is falling on you...

__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!