Alright here's the deal:
Last night got out of work, fairly cold, around 20 something, car started fine.

This morning, the battery seems toast. It was a little colder, around 15. But battery tired way too quickly. Thats ok, it was an old battery anyhow. I replace with a new battery. Now the car will not start at all. Nothing, zero, zilch. Just cranks and cranks. I have the filament style plugs, and I am curious if my glow plug light will still function even if one of these plugs is shot. There is no difference from when it started nicely last night. Also, just curious if there is a picture anywhere on how the porcelain resistors need to be set up: I want to make sure all my plugs are getting juice. Any ideas?

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1976 300D
190,000 Miles
Colorado Beige

1975 300D
Parts Car
78,000 Miles
Rustbucket
Also Colorado Beige

1984 190D 2.2 (Dad's)
156,000 miles
Champagne Metallic Clearcoat

I think it's definitly colder here today than last night. A few degrees seems to make a big difference at this temperature. My car started fine last night. It wouldn't even consider starting this morning (although it was about a 15 degree drop since last night, even so only 5-10 degrees makes a difference). My battery had very few cranks left in it. I'm hoping my battery is the problem.
As far as having lots of cranking but no starting, I would do a search here on cold weather starting or glow plug diagnostics. I'm sure you will find a lot.

If one GP in the string is open...no current path...no light....no start..
Porcelain insulators go between the two conducting bridge wire attachment loops on the glow plug snout.....Each plug has the big wire loop on first...then the insulator..then the other bridge wire loop (small)..then the nut...
Example ....order of installation...... glow plug...bridge wire...porcelain insulator...bridge wire....threaded hold nut....
Do you have a multimeter...?...

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1978 Yellow 300D (The Mustard Toad)
1980 Blue 240D (The Iron Toad)
1989 Grey Mitsu.4WD Mighty Max Pickup (Needs a Diesel transplant bad)

(Open the pod bay doors HAL)

My sympathy to you guys in the Eastern U.S. If I were you I would plug in a block heater. If yours doesn't work or you don't have one installed, try Diesel Giant.com and see if that will work. I plug my 300 SDL when it gets below freezing. It makes a big difference, and I don't have to wait so long for the heat to come on. good luck

it is possible taht your fuel gelled over night if you didn't put an addative in there. mine gelled last year that is the last time i fogot to put an addative in the tank. sat at the airport for 3 days till it warmed up enough to flow

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-Trevor

OBK #12
1980 300SD 333,XXX miles - Totaled
1986 Mazda RX-7 212,XXX miles - impounded and auctioned off
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited 33,000- SEGR, Provent, Fumoto

A valve adjustment might help. If the valves are tight it's harder for the car to start. But it probably won't totally fix the problem. I would check all your GP, the relay, and the strip fuse to make sure that is all in order.

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