How cold was it out when you have drove your DIESEL Benz ? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

macdoe · #1 12-15-2009, 05:53 PM

It has been cold up here for the past couple weeks. We drove the wagon to a hockey tournament on the weekend. -35 celcius with windchill factor =-45 degrees celcius out side. Mostly highway driving with lots of idleing in between. Sure likes to pound back the diesel when it is that cold. Started it at 9 a.m and shut it off 11:30 p.m that day. I plugged in the block heater overnight and the following day it started.... but the battery light lit up for a few seconds then the car died. I waited for a few more minutes then started it again...no baterry light and drove it the rest of the day. I wonder why that light came on briefly? I have a vision of the belt freezing to the pulley from condensation of the warm motor cooling down when parked the night before?
It is suppossed to be -49 C tonight. I am staying indoors...again.

macdoe · #2 12-15-2009, 05:56 PM

I wonder what it would be like to be born into the world fifty years ago as an Eskimoe baby?

kerry · #3 12-15-2009, 06:13 PM

30 below zero F is the coldest I have started and driven my 85 300td. First day it started and drove fine. Second day, fuel was gelled. No go

macdoe · #4 12-15-2009, 06:56 PM

Comparison chart of all three

macdoe · #5 12-15-2009, 06:58 PM

According to this chart, Kerry...that is about as cold as it is here, or not far from it anyway.

layback40 · #6 12-15-2009, 07:06 PM

macdoe & kerry,
Its going to be 41C here today! that's 105F. I'm staying indoors too, aircon on!

pawoSD · #7 12-15-2009, 07:24 PM

I've started and driven mine at -13F.....or around -25C. COLD! Lowest it's been so far this year is about 7F....started fine.

jaoneill · #8 12-15-2009, 07:31 PM

I regularly drive mine at -20f to -35f. Time was when that was our typical winter temp range mid-Dec through Feb. Last 15-20 years we only see temps that low 4-5 days a year; I still use a 50-50 winter mix with power service from Dec - Feb just in case.

Jim

Hatterasguy · #9 12-15-2009, 08:30 PM

My coldest morning ever was in a ski house on the side of Killington mountain. I think it was -20 that morning. My dads at the time nearly new 1994 F150 fired right up.

Cranked a bit slow though...

I hate the cold, nothing works right, and everything is frozen. Working outside in the cold sucks.

i-osprey · #10 12-15-2009, 10:31 PM

While driving in temps that cold is it recommended that you block air flow over the radiator so that the engine can reach a proper operating temp?

Did the OP do that while driving that day?

About ten days ago it was in the single digits F around here and I noticed that my heater wouldn't ever really get as warm as it should.

Last year in my W123 I covered the radiator with a piece of cardboard under the grill and it remedied the problem.

The only problem I had was keeping it on there one day when it reached 60F and it almost overheated....

macdoe · #11 12-16-2009, 03:32 AM

Yes, I made my own winter front with a piece of cardboard and some twist ties from a box of garbage bags. It fit very nicely and was easy. Also free. It has been common practice for me since moving out of town and having to commute on the freeway...30 kms/ea. way. I will travel at about 110- 120 kms/ hr normally to keep up with traffic flow.

I have done the cardboard winterfront with all my vehicles even my Nissan Stanza which is gas powered. (cut about an 10 inch diameter hole in the center, and unplug one of the two electric fans.) I think most people up here have a winterfront of some kind if they are on the highway and most trucks have custom made winterfronts if they are diesel. Better fuel mileage....by lots.

I wonder what that makes the windchill factor for the exposed metal that gets blasted with -49 c cold air at 120kms/hr? A Friend tells me windchill has no effect on inate objects, but I think heat disapation from the cold and the wind has an effect on things like the metal fuel filter and being higher and to the front of the engine bay....
I did leave the top of the grill open by two inches. (hood latch gets in the way)...maybe I could have covered the entire front of the grill in hindsight.

I used about 4x the usual amount of fuel supplement that morning when I filled up with winter diesel.

I also run it with an Amsoil synthetic diff. fluid. I would like to use synthetic transmission fluid but could'nt afford it. It uses Valvoline dextron from Wal Mart.

t walgamuth · #12 12-16-2009, 06:05 AM

The coldest around here runs 20 to 25 below F. I have let the car run all day in the parking lot at work since there was no plug in available and once when out of town for a funeral I let it run all night at the motel. Running all day or night uses maybe a couple of gallons of fuel at most and when you get ready to go the car is all nice and warm. I keep an extra key around in winter for these occasions so I can let it run and lock it up.

LUVMBDiesels · #13 12-16-2009, 06:09 AM

Wow it is COLD where you guys live...

In New Paltz the coldest I saw was -4f I guess I should have been wearing shorts and flip-flops that day

It did get "down" to 25f in NY last week. My can of B100 that lives in the trunk to be used as an additive gelled up nicely. Just a word of caution to any Bio-D users -- time to switch over to B-20 or straight D2...