40 degrees is nothing. You shouldn't need to change your oil or put in fuel additive.

It sounds like you just need new glow plugs, and you might as well upgrade them while you are at it.

I've had two 300Ds started down to high single digit temperatures on the first glow cycle with no problem. As stated earlier an engine in good condition could likely start at 40 with no glow plugs.

Dkr.

^ The key word is "good" condition. He burns a quart of oil every 300 miles. That isn't good.

I don't think a prechamber IDI diesel will start at 40F with no glow plugs. You'll be cranking for 10 minutes.

If the engine is tired, it needs all the help it can get.

I tend to agree with those who are saying that the glow plug situation is probably where you should concentrate your efforts. My '79 240D used to use quite a bit of oil (along the lines of what the OP reported), yet with good glow plugs I remember being amazed that I could get it to start reliably in below-freezing temperatures.

Changing to the synthetic oil probably is a good idea, too. I've never needed it, but when you're running close to the edge you should avail yourself of every advantage you can get.

Kurt

Synthetic oil, however with that kind of oil consumption it is going to hurt!
Dual batteries are your answer, having a second battery will make a world of difference. Deep cycle ones are a bonus. Or a boost with REALLY good cables and clamps that are not rusty, 0 gauge wires. Cranking speed is the biggest issue with cold starts usually.
Once back test your injectors, poor spray pattern can really hurt cold starts with a tired engine.
Light a camp fire under the engine, that is what they did in the old days at the ski hills to fire up the diesel powered lifts, or move hot coals under the oil pan for a while.
I have never liked using starting fluids, hard on the engine makes it want to fight internally. Hot water can work if you have the means of boiling enough, but it takes a lot of water to warm up a cold engine.
Webasto heater?

Synthetic oil actually burns off less than conventional oil. That's why high mileage oils are synthetic blend or full synthetic now. GIII & GIV basestock is much more tolerant of bad rings.

Listen up people....
CAST IRON is bad about CRACKING if heated or cooled unevenly.....
do not pour hot water on the block..
or the IP....
boiling water on the outside of the engine will not warm up the cylinder WALL ...which is what needs to be warmed......
WHunter.... esteemed moderator confirms that a three second shot of starting fluid sprayed into the intake when the engine is turning over... will not harm the engine...

I'd take boiled water on a campfire over walking miles to get starting fluid. If cracking was a problem, you'd think the head would crack as soon as the engine started and a 1000* F flame front hit the combustion chamber.

Manny, LISTEN UP....
I am telling you that the hot water on the outside of the engine will not help starting the engine...
it will only put you at risk of cracking the block...
I have asked you this before... How old are you?

As usual, back to ad hominem falacy. You give yourself away Greg.

I'm sticking to my guns. If cast iron cracked so easy it wouldn't be used as a cylinder head. All the people who degrease their engines while warm would have split blocks. Seeing as it isn't the case, I beg to differ.

i've never seen anybody trying to start an engine in cold weather by using boiling water. I have seen a truck driver that started a small fire underneath the engine in extreme cold weather and get it started that way.

A late friend of mine who used to be a truck driver and he used starting fluid to start his semi in sub zero temperatures. He used a lot of it.

A bottle of it costs few bucks and can easily be stored in the glove compartment.

Just saying.

Notice in these references the emphasis on the slow heating and cooling processes used in working with cast iron.. either out of the furnace or when trying to weld it...
it is the UNeven heating or cooling which causes it to crack or break...
There are many threads on this forum about cracked heads.... uneven torquing of the head bolts, misplaced cooling passages... or need for more coolant flow.... our 617 engines have three different changes to the holes in the head gaskets..., may be at fault.... The entire cooling system design is based on keeping that high heat from the actual combustion evenly distributed around the metal parts of the engine...
Take a look at these cast iron blacksmith post drill flywheels.... they were cast with ' fancy spokes ' for a reason... because without proper ovens to cure those castings in they would have broken if cast with straight spokes... so it was cheaper to cast those curves into the parts than to cure them slowly.
Notice that something as small as hardening the valve seats can set up stresses which show up later as cracks in cast iron heads....

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=blacksmith+post+drill

Blacksmiths Post Drills, Acme, Champion and Buffalo Forge.

Cast Iron

Guidelines for Welding Cast Iron
"""Broken cast iron parts are not unusual, given the brittle nature of most cast iron."""

http://www.heat-treat-doctor.com/documents/castirons.pdf

Why did my pan crack?

Cylinder Head Crack Repairs - Engine Builder Magazine

http://www.locknstitch.com/pdf/gmrc_white_paper.pdf

Fundamentals of Professional Welding

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempering_%28metallurgy%29

but the main reason not to waste that water is that it will never be able to put any heat to the cylinder walls where it would be effective in helping to start the engine... whereas using a block heater will surround the bore with warmth. As is.. it serves as an insulator keeping hot water on the outside of the engine from getting to the cylinder..
Manny is too young to understand this stuff.. so this is for others reading who might think not replying indicated his argument held water ( pun ).....

I don't want to get into specific energy about water and cast iron etc.

I wash my engine very often to keep it clean, and I have an even worse combo (Iron block Aluminum head) than 61x engines. No cracks here, because you need to heat and cool cast iron by hundreds of degrees RAPIDLY to crack it. I'm not saying "pour molten Sodium over the engine to heat it up." If cast iron cracked simply due to localized heat it wouldn't be good as an engine material.

Fools age too Greg (not everyone becomes wise as they age). :) The age falacy is still irrelevent to the question of helping a stuck diesel owner in the cold here.

Use a flame!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVxaJJhXofA

Short term:
Ether can be used in small amounts, but it's either ether or glow plugs, never both.

Best long term solution:
#1-Make sure valves are adjusted (free if the valve cover gasket isn't shot)
#2-Make sure your battery ground, battery hot, and block grounds are clean and connected with a bit of grease.
#3-Make sure the glow plugs are working
#4-Spend the $150 on a new high quality battery if it's questionable.



My best advice for starting any old diesel:You only get one shot in the cold. Hit the glow plugs, then hold the starter until it starts or the battery dies. The MB starters are rated for something crazy like 30 seconds on/ 2 minutes off. 30 seconds of cranking feels like an eternity compared to your average gas car(1-3 seconds).

Our cars have different type of diesel than most trucks.

It is NOT a good idea to use starting fluid.

Good earlier thread on subject.

Having said that, I have once or twice in an emergency squirted a 1 or 2 sec burst into air cleaner intake while cranking with battery boosted from another car. Hated to do it though :eek: