Your not really wrong, it's just a waste of energy and isn't necessarily beneficial to the engine to do this. 80C is normal operating temperature and means the engine should be in this range for normal driving since it was designed to be most efficient at this temp. Once your sender hits 40C and begins to move, your engine is getting warm and should be good enough for driving at this point. Just try to keep the rpm below 2000 by driving away gently and let it warm up graciously for the first few minutes and you should be fine.

Diesel engines don't like or tolerate hard driving or high RPM's when they are cold because they run on compression alone.

I start my car and let it warm up because I dont like sitting on cold leather seats. I would rather go out to a nice warm car.

The other day I started it up, locked the door, went back in the house, got side tracked and forgot the car was waiting for me. Took at least an hour and a half for me to remember I started the car already.

I think I have lost a glow plug or two and my car is a little hard to start on cold days unless plugged in. A couple of days this winter the temp outside was zero.... Every time I went somewhere my car was stone cold and hard to start. So I just left it running. I think it ran about 8 hours one day.

I was on the highway 2 weeks ago at 5am and was getting way too tired to keep driving. I pulled in a truck stop and fell asleep for over an hour... I left it running then too.

I was always told it was ok to let a diesel run. Doesn't concern me one bit. In the military we let diesels run forever. My junk yard, my brothers friend owns, leaves their loaders run for days at a time.

just my .02

diesel locomotives are left to run 24/7.

I have a block heater and use it occasionally, but it is inconvenient at times and not possible at times. Remote start has its pros and cons. I wouldn't use it daily. Probably use it more for the function of being able to remove keys from ignition to run in the house to grab something while the engine is still running.

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81 300SD daily driver/project
86 420SEL (sold)
85 380SE(in the graveyard)

Not anymore.

Semi truck engines have a (ussually) 5 min shut down, in other words if you leave it idle for more than 5 min, you will come back to a shut off engine . . . however, if you "bump" up the idle to say 1000 rpm with the cruise, then it will go till it runs out of fuel . . . they don't have a lot of oil presure at idle, and if your running the A/C or TV . . . puts more demand on the whole system . . . sure is rough vibs too, trying to sleep . . . 1000 rpm smooths it out!

Heated garages are nice too

I have always had remote starts on my other vehicles, gas and diesel, but have not put one on my 300 sd yet. Has anyone done this? Wiring tips would be nice

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1987 300D 180k
1985 300SD 330k Helga
1992 300D Lola 269k- Sold
1986 325 coupe Bessie >300k Original engine(ODO Broke) sold
2006 2500HD Druamax Linda- Tows boat and looks pretty in garage thats about it

--folks who buy these sweet old chariots would just read the owner's manual. In it, it says to start the car, wait for idle to stabilize, and drive away. Said manual is also on the repair CD, if you don't have a paper copy.
--folks would stop comparing a 240-liter V-20 DIRECT INJECTION locomotive or 20-liter I-6 DIRECT INJECTION loader to our 3-liter INDIRECT INJECTION car engines. The manual also says not to idle excessively. Those big loco engines used to snap the crank maybe one out of 20 starts--would stop me from shutting it off, too.
--folks would stop believing their neighbor's-cousin's-uncle's school chum's un/educated speculation and read the manual for the vehicle in question (see above).

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James Marriott
2003 Buick Regal
1983 300D (228k, frau Auto)
1996 Suburban K2500 (192k, 6.5 turbo diesel/4WD towmaster 10,000)
www.engineeringworks.biz
1987 300SDL junker 170k
1982 300SD junker, 265k

I thought about putting a remote start on mine but decided it was more trouble (and complexity) than it was worth.

I have a block heater and normally plug it in if it's below about 10F, if I happen to be near an outlet.

When traveling, I will let the car warm up for a few minutes if it's very cold (while I check out of the hotel and get some coffee). It's nice to have the heater and defroster working before driving away. It will heat up enough to give significant heat at idle.

Just use some common sense, don't leave it idling for extended amounts of time without a good reason.

You've got the right idea, but your logic is flawed. The engine will reach operating temperature much faster if you drive it. You are putting MORE wear on the internal engine components by idling it for 10 or 15 minutes cold. The vast majority of engine wear occurs when the oil is cold. By idling it for so long, your forcing it to run with cold oil for a much longer period of time.

ALL vehicle manufacturers recommend against idling to warm up. They all recommend driving the car to warm the engine up since it warms up much faster that way. Starting off on a cold engine of course you need to take it easy, drive gently, don't rev it up past 4000 rpm, etc.

Invest in a block or coolant heater and you won't have this problem at all.

FYI smaller and more modern / efficient diesel engines like the 1.9 liter VW TDI will not even warm up idling!! You can start them in the winter and idle for 15 minutes and the vents will still blow cold! You have to drive it to get any heat into the motor.

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'98 E300 turbodiesel

Here goes the rant!

The reason i use remote start is to get the cabin of the vehicle warm! NOT for the benefit/demise of the engine. I plug the car in on cold nights and start the car 5 min before walking out the door in the morning. 5 min is enough to warm the cabin if i have plugged it in. This is so i don't have to sit in the ****** cold catching a cold or pissing me off in the morning taking a coat on and off while trying to drive down the freeway at 75mph. 5 min of idle time is barely more than sitting at a stop light and is not going to harm the engine or carbon up anything more than normal city driving would do. I drive an hour to work on the highway every day without stopping so it gets plenty of run time after to clean everything up.

So all you negative people can rest assured that i am not harming my engine. Though i am sure, as someone always does, is going to come up with a reason why this is a bad idea. Hence why we love this forum for the different points of view. This works with all my other cars diesel and gas just wonderfully! So if there is anyone that could help with some wiring tips or brands of remote start units that work best with these old cars i would appreciate it

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1987 300D 180k
1985 300SD 330k Helga
1992 300D Lola 269k- Sold
1986 325 coupe Bessie >300k Original engine(ODO Broke) sold
2006 2500HD Druamax Linda- Tows boat and looks pretty in garage thats about it

LOl. my neigh gaybors would hate me. therefore i should do this.

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Paul
Benz-less
I need an SDL !

It would seem that you could use any "diesel" remote and a 12VDC coil 3/2 (three ports, two-way) solenoid valve. Most likely the vacuum connections on the back of the key switch will be permanently removed, and only electrical signals will be used.

I can't imagine why something like V310-12vd from http://www.wincofp.com/ couldn't be made to work; or try the sales counter at your local industrial pneumatics supplier (eg, Air World, Inc). I think the only trick would be finding a wire from the switch that has juice at "run" and "crank" but not at "acc" or "off." Maybe the same wire that feeds the glow relay?

YMMV.

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James Marriott
2003 Buick Regal
1983 300D (228k, frau Auto)
1996 Suburban K2500 (192k, 6.5 turbo diesel/4WD towmaster 10,000)
www.engineeringworks.biz
1987 300SDL junker 170k
1982 300SD junker, 265k

Sounds cool in theory but you don't want to idle a diesel too long. The lower speed = lower combustion temperatures which = unburned fuel washing your cylinder walls of oil and creating the right environment to score your pistons and also diluting your oil.

If you really want a warm cabin, why don't you get a 12 dcv ceramic heater that plugs into your lighter?

I've got one of these. We had our worst winter ever last year, and believe me... the little lady I was dating was in love with it.

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1981 300SD - 283,000 KM's at purchase, 360k+ now. Engine replaced at 311k. 16" CLK wheels, w126 gen II cosmetic upgrades, late w126 leather interior. RIP. Parted and gone due to fire

1987 300SDL - 243K miles and counting. In winter hibernation!

2001 Ford F250 Super Duty "Platinum Edition" Lariat 4x4 7.3L turbo diesel, 295k+ miles, various mods for reliability and performance.

The biggest problem with a remote start on our diesels is the tach input.

-Almost any remote start system requires a tachometer input.
-Almost any diesel Mercedes has a very flakey tachometer.

Most remote start systems must "learn" the tach signal for two things. Crank speed, and idle speed.

This is required so the remote starter knows when the engine is running, and will then stop sending juice to the starter.


Since us diesel fans have been blessed with some of the worst tachometers.. I would suggest doing a thourogh check of the entire tach system before installing a remote start that requires a tach input.

If that tach decides to stop working one cold winter day, it's possible that the remote start will crank until your starter gives up.

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