Cold weather and my '83TD -- Newbie question - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

jallgire · #1 02-16-2007, 10:51 AM

This is my first winter driving this '83 TD. Unfortunately, things aren't going well. I'm in Michigan and we're talking about 0 degree temps at night (and sometimes during the day) for quite a few days now.

Current situation:

Car won't start, even using an external battery starter.
Glow plug light on dash comes on and I hear the "click"
Oil pressure is good
-- not able to do diagnostics beyond that right now b/c it's dead in my driveway

Over the past few weeks, the car has been getting progressively harder to start in the the cold weather.

Earlier in the week, the car started after about 10 minutes of cranking, while attached to the external battery charger but now even this doesn't work.

Suggestions on where to start checking, or what to do at this point? Thanks. I know I didn't give much information, so I'll try to clarify or test things if people ask questions.

Biodiesel300TD · #2 02-16-2007, 11:26 AM

Check your glow plugs, you can still have one plug out and have the light come on. Visit Diesel Giant's DIY Glowplug repair . It will walk you through the process. When I have one plug out it is a lot harder to start. Also you may want to try adjusting your valves. Diesel Giant also has a DIY for that too. Try those and see what happens.

424studios · #3 02-16-2007, 11:27 AM

Do you have a block heater on your car? If you see an electrical plug near the front of the car by the radiator, thats your block heater. Plug that in and let it sit for a few hours. Getting some heat in the engine makes a world of difference.

Generally, for cold weather starting there are a few common issues:
1. Bad glow plugs
2. Valves not adjusted correctly
3. Weak battery/starter
4. Oil is too heavy (use a 5w-40 in the winter for quicker starts)

All these issues are addressed in other posts on the forum. Just use the search function to find lots of info. Good luck, I've been there.

jallgire · #4 02-16-2007, 11:38 AM

Thanks for replies.

Yes, I have a block heater and it was working well through the winter so far.

Previous owner says he replaced the glow plugs in the past year, so I'm hoping they're not the problem, but haven't been able to test them.

Even if the battery is weak, if I'm using an external jump starter/charger, that shouldn't be an issue -- right?

Oil = 5W-40

Icefire · #5 02-16-2007, 11:50 AM

You should probably be useing some winter fuel additive, Also check/ change filters, I usually do it about twice a year. Any fuel or air leaks in your diesel system contribute to hard starting, I had a bad primer pump and it was very hard to start some times.

Other than the previously mentioned items, I use 0-40 sythetic oil (im accross the border in ontario, and it was around 0F this morning. One of my diesels will start witout the block heater plugged in, but 3 others will not.

Getting your fuel from a good source is important, forget about biodiesel or summer diesel at these temps,

jallgire · #6 02-16-2007, 12:04 PM

When the weather man predicted really cold temps (0 Farenheit) a few weeks ago, I started putting in a diesel additive and had no problems. I'm running straight diesel at start-up, then switching to WVO once up to temp on the road, and purging the system before shutting down...so that I'm back to straight diesel again for starting up the next time.

When I was driving the car every day, things were OK, but this week's snowstorm kept me off the roads for a few days and that's really when things got bad.

Haven't checked filters yet.

barry123400 · #7 02-16-2007, 12:16 PM

The first step of checking your glow plugs is mandatory. Even if they were changed out last week. The valve clearance is really just good general maintenance anyways. Yet if totally neglected for a long period of time can have other consequences such as yours. .
As for your thoughts on your battery. Get it checked out somewhere as it's a free deal. No, boosting with a charger on top of a marginal battery is not a conclusive way to make sure you really have enough amperage available for the starter. A preliminary check of your glow plugs takes a meter and less than five minutes in your driveway. If it will not start with block heater assistance you do have a problem.

kerry · #8 02-16-2007, 12:46 PM

Is your block heater working? Does the temperature gauge show it's heating up the block when you turn the key to the on position?

jallgire · #9 02-16-2007, 01:06 PM

When I turn the key to the "ON" position, the temp gauge flicks up a bit, to just below 40C. Any idea what it should go up to if the block heater is working properly? Block heater has been plugged in all night (longer, actually).

Before I turn the key, the needle is all the way down...so it does move a bit.

According to the previous owner the glow plugs were replaced in the summer of 2006, so they're not even 1 year old. The battery was replaced right before the glow plugs.

vstech · #10 02-16-2007, 01:17 PM

it sounds like the heater is working, but to be sure, put your hand on the valve cover. if it's working you should not feel cold metal, but warm. if it is cold, and you don't have howling wind, it's not working. if you do have howling wind, put your hand on the actual block between the injectors should be pretty easy to feel. still cold? bad heater, or cord. get a VOM and measure the ohms of resistance between the two blades of the plug. post results.
John

jallgire · #11 02-16-2007, 01:22 PM

Just went out again and I can hear the block heater running.

Valve cover seems quite cold. It's not howling wind, but it's 12 degrees and breezy. After my fingers warm back up again, I'll go back out to try to feel around the block, as John suggested.

Not able to check with a VOM at this time...

vstech · #12 02-16-2007, 01:29 PM

if you are hearing boiling noises it's probably working. on my 82SD, the temp gauge does not move at all when I crank the key. I bet yours is working.
John

VegErl · #13 02-16-2007, 01:34 PM

I...

gave the GP system a thorough check via DieselGiant.com,
gave the old girl a valve adjustment job,
switched to synthetic 5w40,
and changed out the starter for faster start up RPMs

I beleive the new starter made the most difference.

She now starts at 25 deg F without block heater just like it was summertime.

1980 300SD - 250 K miles.

vstech · #14 02-16-2007, 01:34 PM

it's probably hard to type with cold fingers! you are going to need a good digital VOM to properly diagnose this problem. I would forget about the block heater at the moment, focus on the Glow plugs. "PO says changed the GP's" is not the same as YOU measuring the resistance of the gp's is is really simple on this car, just follow the directions for gp service on dieselgiant's site.
John
and while you are at it, measure the exact digital volts coming off the battery, I bet you aren't getting above 12.2 V you should have 12.75 on a fully charged battery.

jallgire · #15 02-16-2007, 01:39 PM

Thanks again to everyone. Saturday, I should be able to get a diesel mechanic over here to help with things, so for now all I can do is feel/listen/observe and try to get things for him to check out...

When he gets here, we'll check the glow plugs and move on from there. But, if the glow plugs are working and the block heater is OK, then what other things should we check?

Battery may still be the problem but I'm waiting to get a charger to get it charged up again. This morning, I had it on a charger for 10 minutes and then used a jumpstarter. No go -- and that's when I started asking these questions. (and now the charger/jumpstarter seems not to be working *sigh*)

You're all being so nice to me, the clueless newbie and I appreciate it. I'm going through culture/climate shock and it seems like my car is too, so I need all the support I can get! *grin*