At the start of every winter I run my washer fluid down to empty. Then I refill with Heet and a full gallon of fresh fluid.

Did you fill it up with hot water to dislodge the ice?

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-Typos courtesy of my mobile phone.

That was my impression also. It comes up in all the cold start procedures though. Maybe someone can explain it .

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Experience : what you receive 3 seconds after you really needed it !!



86 300SDL 387,000? Motor committed suicide
81 300SD 214,000 "new" 132,000 motor
83 300SD 212,000 parts car
83 300SD 147,000

91 F700 5.9 cummins 5spd eaton 298,000
66 AMC rambler American 2dr auto 108,000
95 Chevy 3/4 ton auto 160,000
03 Toyota 4runner 180,000 wifes

In my experience, touching the peddle makes it less likely to initially catch. I assume that injecting excess cold fuel just cools down the pre-chamber more. I have gotten the best results by cranking without touching the peddle until its actually running, then using the minimum peddle required to keep it running.

Nah, I didn't. The high temps were going to be above freezing, it was a clear day and the windshield was clear so I didn't need to use the fluid anyway. I went to the stores last night looking for some fluid that's good below 32, but I couldn't find any. The temps don't get below 32 for a sustained period of time very often down here, so they don't even stock it. I think last night was the last night of freezing temps, we may have one last freezing night tonight. After that, we'll be back in the toasty 60s by the middle of the week.

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'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

The washer fluid that WallyWorld sells around here is labeled for zero degrees, but it freezes solid at about 25 degrees.

When I go up north over the holidays, I always bring back a case of the stuff labled for 30 below zero.

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Palangi

2004 C240 Wagon 203.261 Baby Benz
2008 ML320 CDI Highway Cruiser
2006 Toyota Prius, Saving the Planet @ 48 mpg
2000 F-150, Destroying the Planet @ 20 mpg



TRUMP .......... WHITEHOUSE
HILLARY .........JAILHOUSE
BERNIE .......... NUTHOUSE
0BAMA .......... OUTHOUSE

Being a noob I usually plug mine in a few hours before I leave for work in the morning. It's been 25F - 35F in the mornings here.

When I start it up after using the heater it is nice a quiet. Only takes one spin, or so it sounds.

When I don't use the heater, like when I leave work for home, it's much more noisy 'till she warms up.

My question is, is it harder on a diesel to start it cold or am I wasting money plugging it in like I do? I'm sure it would start in the temperatures we are having now.

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1993 W124 300D 2.5L Turbo, OM602.962
2000 Chevrolet Cavalier, 2.4L DOHC
2002 Ford Explorer, 4.0L SOHC
2005 Toyota Prius, 1.5L

http://www.fuelly.com/sig-us/40601.png

it was a cold 22F this morning in Florida! Crap in the garage so my 300D is outside right now. I ran the GPs for 30 sec or so and it started right up. Needed my foot on the pedal for about 1 min to keep it running. I guess this is where one of those old style idle speed knobs would come in handy. I'm running 5w-40 syn.

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1985 300D cali 190K

http://mercedes.thatchermathias.com/mw300d.jpg

22 at my house in Florida this morning 2 cycles of the glow plugs and she started right up. Pretty impressive when you consider that I am running 100% bio-diesel.

I sent my supervisor questions for our next supervisors meeting
1. Where is Global Warming and when do we get ours?
2. Who moved Florida while I was asleep?
3. Do you see a theme here?

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Moss Gate Bed & Breakfast
1985 300 TD GG done in by a red light runner
1984 300 CD Sold
2008 Titian
2000 Cadillac SLS
1966 FLH Sold
2003 Harley Ultra

It's printed in the owner's manual of these cars for cold starts. Just one pump, then crank. It seems to help with starting my car in the morning, but like I said, Socal weather isn't really cold enough to matter. It's a matter of cranking for 1 second when using the one pump method vs. 3 seconds without.

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1982 240 D, 308,000 - 321,127 miles (sold)
1982 300 TD,166,500 - 226,000 miles
1998 E 320, 120,000 - 144,000 miles
2005 C 230 K, 26,000 - 77,000 miles (sold)

My '83 300SD's owners manual said for cold weather starts; before cranking slowly push the pedal to the floor, release, them push the pedal to the floor hold it there, glow it, crank it, then slowly release the pedal after it starts firing on it's own and gains RPM. The only addition I made to this was glowing it twice before cranking - the double glow-cycling makes a huge difference in starting in my experience on that vintage MB diesel. The owners manual went with the car when I sold it in '99 - but it was very specific in it's procedural cold weather starting.

I don't know what they are accomplishing by pumping the peddle.

Whatever works.

I don't either, but it's the procedure. Skidrowjoe might actually have the correct procedure; I was going from memory.

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1982 240 D, 308,000 - 321,127 miles (sold)
1982 300 TD,166,500 - 226,000 miles
1998 E 320, 120,000 - 144,000 miles
2005 C 230 K, 26,000 - 77,000 miles (sold)

I just looked at my '83 240D/300D owners manual; it also says to hold the peddle to the floor when starting in cold temperatures. That does not seem constant with my experience, but I'll give it a try some cold morning.