It is supposed to be pretty close to 0 around here tomarrow, to bad my SDL isn't running at the moment.

Someone should start a "who can start at the lowest temp, without a heater" it could be fun. :D

Im in at 17 right now. Supposed to be 12 tonight.

I think with very cold temps, starting without a block heater should only be done out of necessity, not normally. It's adds undue wear and tear to your engine.

That's my basic philosophy. Also, if it's that cold out, there's likely ice. If there's ice, there's likely road salt. I don't seek road salt adventures anymore than I'd put on a pair of galoshes and splash around in puddles of hydrochloric acid. Our salters are particularly bad in this area ... it seems they just drive around occasionally throwing a few shovels of salt in the middle of an intersection, where it sits in a large mound until it gets "spread out" by all the poor cars running through it. But I digress.

My 87 300D has thus far been very good about starting without any assistance from block heaters etc. (knock on wood). It's unusual for temperatures here to dip below 0, but they do now and then. If I can borrow a parent's car or get by without taking mine out I do (much as it pains me ...). But I if I have to take it out, it starts pretty much like it does any day and I give it ample time to warm up before I move it.

It's way ahead of what I grew up with, which was a 1987 GMC Suburban, diesel. I can remember every day going to school in the winter time waiting for that hulk to start. My mom was always so boastful about having four-wheel drive and being able to get up all the backroad hills (I live in a valley) ... but it always seemed kind of funny to me, because it never started when the weather called for four wheels!

This morning it was 6 degrees outside when I went out to start my SD, let it glow about 20 seconds, then turned the key....8 cranks later it was running fine. :D It sat all night (about 14 hours or so) in the street with -10 windchill blowing over it, it was FROZEN. 6 degrees is nothing, I've gotten mine going in -7 last january....BEFORE my valve adjustment and new timing chain were done....it did take about 20-25 cranks to do it, but it still did...with no block heater, plus I had old glow plugs, and my rack damper pin was still in allll the way (super tight)....mine has yet to ever not start on me.

reading zero at 7am this morning when I went out to plug in, wu was planning on going shopping at 9. Figured I'd give it a shot for grins and it started right up on a single glow!! Then the bad news, bent down to plug in and saw the small puddle of anti-freeze on the ground :eek: here's to hoping for a loose hose clamp :beerchug:

James

okay
 

at 16 degf the 240 started. after being driven last night and parked at 10pm it didn't start today a 845am at 4 deg. sorry. theory fails.

Actually worked on my end :) No theories here... real stories!
 

Came back the other day from a three hour trip at 8am. Parked the car and didn't plug it in. Temperatures stayed mostly around 5 F throughout the day. At night temps dropped to -15 F. In the morning at 9am, temperature was -4 F according to the local weather station. Remember, I didn't plug the car in. But the I was able to start it up without much problems. First of all, I let the car sit for 30 seconds after the glow plug light went off, then I tried cranking it and it just wouldn't start. I repeated the glow plug procedure three more times and after that it started up right away. Hey, sounds like a winner to me. I guess that says something about the state of my engine. That Amsoil helps too I'm sure. :D

I didn't even want to perform the experiment on that day. Just that I came back tired and never left the house till the next morning. But I'll try again as we are yet to experience our lowest winter temperatures.

Not too cold here today about 14 degrees.

Let's see what happens...

Glow for a couple of seconds...started right up! (and yes I'm out of windshield washer fluid!)

Seeing the geographic location of most of the posters here, I'm aware of the fact that I can't prtake in the minimum starting temp tests, because we can't seem to get the temps below the mid 40s out here. I can offer some advice, however, about purchasing the wagon. If you have two parking spaces available, get a beater gas unit to rely on and use the wagon when weather is warmer or when you are not in a hurry. If you need to depend on a car you will become frustrated when the only car you have can't be started. You are working in adverse conditions in an apartment parking lot. You are subject to theft of tools, generators, and even the running car itself while you are running back to the apartment to lock up. I'm guessing that most of the people on this thread have a nice closed garage and electricity available to get their rides going. There is another factor involving the battery. I don't remember the formula but a fully charged battery voltage drops way down as temp decreases. A battery in a car in an enclosed garage can crank a car faster than if the same battery were to be used in a car in a parking lot with a wind chill factor. You may be required to take the battery inside some mornings to warm it up. What a hastle. I was skiing once in Idaho and the temp got tp 30 below. The antifreeze looked like green slush. I took the battery out of the Toyota and thawed it out in the bathroom sink. Hope this helps.

Peter

after the earlier post
 

the new 240d starts all the time. it is plugged in every night. this week has been in the low single digits with -10 wc. nose out of the wind. it has to start as i have the other car and gone early and the wife HAS to be at work.

get a new apartment
 

Good apartments are a lot easier to find than a good TD. Use 0W40 synthetic run 2 or 3 glow cycles and keep a good battery extra clean and you might be lucky. Booster pack kept inside at night or during work isn't a bad idea either.

TNT (in the great white north)

we had -40 last week

Has anyone used one of these to help battle the cold starts.

http://www.espar.com/htm/Specs/water/wterheat.htm

What's the year and model of your car? Your Instruement Cluster is loaded!!