30-40F is PLENTY warm.The car should start without any problems IF it is cranking fast enough. If it is cranking pretty fast, you have another problem. Has the fuel filter been recently changed? Could be some air in the system if so. Is it smoking when cranking? Even a diesel that won't start will smoke (unburned fuel) when cranked for a while. If you can crank and crank as described, and there is no smoke, then there is no fuel. Yesterday morning it was 0*F here, and with a jump my Unimog started right up. Smokes like a bugger and takes a second to fire on all six but it ran at a much lower temp, with 10,000 hours on the engine!

All of the advice on glow plugs is good but, you shouldn't even need them at those temps.

H-Boy,

I disagree with Gman that you don't need GP at 30*-40*F degree temperatures.

It was about 30*F. I had 2 bad GP in my '79 300SD and it would't even hint at firing even though the 3 good GP were working. I replaced the 2 bad GP and it started on the first turn. This is to show how important good GP are for cold starting.

Check the dome cabin light each time you try to start to see if it dims. Then you will know if the GP are working.

Have you checked the resistance of all your GP? Possibly you have one or 2 bad like I did.

P E H

P E H

Well, the problem has been solved. I finally got enough time today to get another battery. It started up after the installation, and left a large cloud of smoke, and smoked real bad. An Italian Tuneup fixed that up real good. If anyone was on the onramp to 288 South near S. MacGregor this afternoon when I was getting on, you'll know what I mean. I left a REAL smokescreen, but no more smokescreen was left after the Italian Tuneups I did. It runs good now. Thanks for all the helpful info.
-Joe

__________________
'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.

PEH, I would guess that if your diesel will not start at 30-40*F that you have either a low compression problem or injector spray pattern problem. Getting the glow plugs to work just masked the true problem.

__________________
1995 G320
1984 280GE
1971 Unimog 416

H-Boy,

BUT....... If your GP are intermittent, the problem might happen again. The engine was loaded up with fuel because fuel was injected when it didn't start. One thing about a Diesel, it will start when flooded.

P E H

G-man,

If it was an direct injection engine like my Case Diesel it might start when cold but indirect injection (IDI) Diesel engines are much harder to start when cold. That's why they have GPs.

I doubt any IDI engine will start at 30*F even if it is in perfect condition.

P E H