Quote:
Originally Posted by vwnate1
It sounds good and runs very smoothly, that's good .
I don't see any smoke but you shouldn't if the engine runs well and is in good shape .
I'm sure the cold exacerbates the leak .
Seriously cold weather starting drill (40* F and below) :
Depress and release accelerator pedal twice then _hold_it_to_the_floor_, temp below 40* F cycle the glow plugs _twice_ then crank the engine until it's running on all five cylinders before letting off the key .
When new you car came with a card describing this procedure, it worked very well to get my old '79 worn out low compression 617 engine to light right off in any cold .
Take that other battery and charge it gently and slowly (as low an amperage as your charger will go) for 12 ~ 24 hours before it dies from being left discharged .
Remember to always use those little battery to tray clamps ! .
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Diseasel300
I'd suspect your flex pipe on the downpipe probably has a hole or three in it. Not sure if the 123 is the same as the 126, but there is also a joint down below that could be loose. Could be as easy as tightening the bolts up if that's where it's coming from.
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This start up procedure has worked perfectly twice now so far. Granted, it had only been 2 hours since running the first time, however it was in fact -10degrees so possibly car was fully cold by then. Second time was this morning and it started up great, however it was around 25 degrees outside so maybe that was high enough. But either way thank you VWNate! I don't know how i never registered in my mind that there was a proper startup procedure. I guess the fact that engine block heaters exist made me think that those were a necessary solution. I sure would rather not depend on that thing.
I don't know if i'm grossly misinterpretting smoke/heat/exhaust but in that video and in real life even moreso i see TONS of exhaust floating up from around the downpipe/flex area. Not smoke. And it sure smells like exhaust.
I may have used the wrong word. From the behavior of the visible exhaust it seems to be coming from somewhere deeper under that juncture though, not so much directly coming from the flex.
I had to replace the flex on my previous car, so i know what those holes look like. I had major ones in mine. I will take a small mirror and check underside of flex, but it seems like it's looking healthy from above and sides.
It would be very nice if all i had to do was tighten some bolts down under there. What is the easiest way to access that bolt juncture (if it exists on the w123) ?
I would even be ok with temporarily doing a patch of downpipe with some exhaust tape/clamp. I could at least make it last until when the weather stays above freezing for a few days and i can work easier on things.