I have 341,000 on my 85 300D. It got to about 28 F here for the past 2 mornings. I almost could not get the car started and am afraid of low compression. I have listed below what I did/have done. Another important question is should I be expected to use the block heater when the temperature gets this cold and this many miles on a turbodiesel engine?

1. Valves adjusted 8,000 miles ago.
2. New battery 2 weeks ago
3. Pre-glow through 3 cycles (until the relay clicks off before trying to start).
4. Hold the accelerator completely to the floorboard while cranking.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated!

Richard