-35C took us out

[BioBenz]

Well, the mecury dipped to -35C (-31F) last night, and it peaked at a balmy -22 today, and that was enough to lull my baby into a frozen coma. Not cool. My roomate (former now) chose to unplug my block heater and forgot to plug it back in. I drained the battery in the 3 attempts to start her after that. I've since gone through the process of leaving her plugged in for about 2 days and trying to get a boost from various vehicles. Despite the boost, she won't even turn over now.

Could the oil in the case be so thick that it's just imposible to crank over? If so, why hasn't my block heater improved this condition. Or is -35 just to much for these machines to bear. I've got regular 5 - 30 in the case right now. And yes, of course, I now understand the importance of synthetic.

Do these block heaters heat the oil or the coolant?

A good friend and ancient MB mechanic / master greyhound mechanic claims that you just have to store diesel MB's in a heated garage here in Edmonton. I'd hate to think that's the reality. Any suggestions on doing it otherwise?

Thanks from the FROZEN north,

Joey Hundert
BioBenz
1984 300D on BioD

PS - the biodiesel is quite popsicle like at this temp. I'm not even considering running it.

[psfred]

You need to completely charge the battery, just a boost won't do it. That starter is going to draw upwards of 1000 A, no way you're gonna get that through a set of jumper cables!

Run the block heater overnight, and if you have a drop light, put that under the oil pan.

Check to make sure the fuel hasn't gelled, too...

Peter

[BioBenz]

What is a drop light? And where should I check for gelled fuel? Tank or injectors?

-Joey

[Jackd]

Welcome to the balmy Canadian winter,
Your block heater heats the engine coolant, not the engine oil. Your 5W30 engine oil is still liquid (not solid) at -35C.
Get your battery re-charged to full power. A little battery charger from Canadian Tire is only about $30.00 and could be handy.

What are the specs of your Bio-diesel (pour point, cloud point, flash point???).

[Jackd]

Forget the drop light at -35C. it won't help you.

[BioBenz]

my meth/esters were clear down to about -10. Clouding and gelling started at about -15. They've been solid since -18.

I've successfully ignited the fuel in a multi-fuel camping stove. So, it probably has a flashpoint near to that of kerosene.

-joey

[pberku]

The block heater, if it's working correctly will typically warm the the engine by something like 15C above ambient temperatures. So if its, -35C outside, and with the block heater plugged-in for at least 4Hrs, your engine will be at -20C. (ie: 35C - 15C)

The question is, does your car start at -20C without a block heater? probably not. So charge your battery, and try to start it when the ambient temperature warms-up a bit.


Phil

[BioBenz]

Well,
After 3 days of being completely cold soaked, I decided to bring in the big guns. I called an old timer friend, MB mechanic for 35 years, currently one of Greyhound's chief mechanics. We brought my battery inside for a while and gave it a 12v10a charge. 2 hours later, we put it back in the car. In the mean time, I had positioned an portable electric element stove underneath the crank case. The smell was foul, however, it did warm the oil up a fair bit. Mother nature cooperated too, bringing the temp up to a balmy -5C. I can't tell you how warm -5 feels after -35, I was outside in just a long sleeved shirt.
Well, we installed the battery and hooked heavy duty cables up to my friends 190 diesel. As I cranked her over, Cyril shot a blast of ether into the filter housing. We repeated that process about 10 times, then we decided to warm up in his running car. We let my battery charge for another 15 minutes or so. Then Cyril got in my car and cranked it over. As the cranking slowed down, he shouted for me to throw in a shot of ether. I did and the engine sped up and finally roared to life. He squeezed the throttle for a full 5 minutes.

Moral of the story: the block heater requires BOTH ends to be plugged in (go figure), and -35 requires additional considerations (synthetic, battery heater, crank case heater).

-Joey

[blackmercedes]

Man, that was a ton of effort to get this thing running at -5C. I am suspect that you have other troubles other than your block heater being unplugged. Well, you'll be able to see this weekend, as it's supposed to be in the -30's again.

[Jackd]

the block heater requires BOTH ends to be plugged in

I love it
Be very careful with feeding the engine with ether.
Ether has the very habit of digging some prestty nasty holes in pistons.

[benzboy87]

It also reeks havoc on glow plugs. It can also cause the block to crack, pistons to crack, connecting rods to break because (in cases of too much ether used) it becomes a non-moving obstruction at the top of the cylinder. I found this out the hard way on an Olds diesel that I had years ago.

[pberku]

As the previous threads said. DON'T USE ETHER IN A DIESEL ENGINE. Not even a bit, not even as a last resort. Its worse than playing Russian roulette. The odds of causing massive engine damage are stacked against you.

You may, or may not, have escaped its destructive effects this time. The short and/or long term effects of having used it may yet be determined.

Phil

[Old300D]

Originally Posted by blackmercedes

Man, that was a ton of effort to get this thing running at -5C. I am suspect that you have other troubles other than your block heater being unplugged. Well, you'll be able to see this weekend, as it's supposed to be in the -30's again.

Yes, I agree. I was able to start my car yesterday after soaking it at -10C for 7 hours. It was a little sluggish, and needed about 30 seconds to start firing (with a 617.952, do not touch the accellerator!). I am using a biodiesel 40% blend, dino 15W40 oil, and good glow plugs. I usually use a block heater, and even at -20C (coldest we've really seen this winter so far) it starts immediately when it's been plugged in for 2 hours or so.