Tony:

The starter draws 950 amps when starting the car. If it doesn't start right up, and it may not cold, think of how many amps it draws times the amount of time you crank. Your alternator, at idle, will only put out 10 amps or so, no more. Have to get the engine up to 1500 rpm to get max output.

Starting the car every day and idling it for 10 minutes will usually give you a dead battery on a diesel -- this is why over-the-road truckers don't shut them off every time they stop.

Take your battery to a battery shop or car parts place and get it checked out. Dollar to a donut it is both tired and the wrong one -- there seems to be a disease amongst used diesel owners that causes them to buy a cheap gasoling engine battery that works OK when the weather is good, but isn't enough when it gets cold. Since the battery is too small, it won't provide sufficient current to start the engine properly, you crank too long, take the charge down too far, the plates swell and crack, and you have a bad battery. I've seen it any number of times.

The proper battery is BIG and expensive -- I use the Sears Dihard International series, ran me $95 last time I bought one. Fills the entire battery tray, weighs a ton, and starts my car every time.

After you get the battery charged or replaced, take the car to an automotive electrical place and get the charging system checked -- if you've got a diode out on the alternator, or a bad voltage regulator, it won't charge the battery -- same story, it gradually goes dead.

Your lack of heat sounds like no heater core circulation (do the hoses get warm to the heater?), a servo problem (air from the wrong vents, no heat since no air goes through the heater core), or a pushbotton control unit problem. Lots of threads on these, and I don't have this model. Believe it or not, I've heard of the heater hoses being plugged -- when the monovalve goes, you get heat all the time, and somone "fixes" it in the summer by plugging the heater hose! Works fine when it's hot, but no heat when it's cold!

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!