Was down around 5 F last nite when I left work. The old 300D almost didn't start. I finally got to the point where I cycled the glow plugs about 4 times and that seemed to do the trick.

The car sits in a "wind tunnel" on campus and get's pretty cold.

Anyway, just wanted to share this near miss with my diesel support group.

JCD

PS< I gave it a quick start at 3PM and let her warm up and she did just fine.

They're predicting -5 or below tonight. 120 year record to be broken. (I'm in Jersey too). I just hope my gasser starts tomorrow so I can get to work. Won't even try the diesel, which is the sole occupant of the garage.

Right now I'm more concerned about my water pipes. Our 85 y/o house has never been tested like this before.

__________________
Toblin

'79 300D, "Liesel von Diesel", 235K

I kid proofed the house....but they still get in

Toblin,

One trick I have heard that helps the pipes is to open the kitchen / bath cabinets when there are pipes on outside walls. The doors below a sink on an outside wall for example. This helps some more heat get to the pipes in that outside wall. Also let the water drip a bit, moving water freezes less easily than still water. Good luck!

Chuck

Toblin Stats:

current temp. -3

wind steady, 18 mph

all sys. appear normal (But I strongly suspect just they’re just waiting for me to go to bed).

***********************************

Comments:

My freeken oil furnace has logged 12.5 hours of operation so far this day.

Yeah, I know what they say; If you can live in NJ, you can live anywhere.

But THIS is ridiculous!

__________________
Toblin

'79 300D, "Liesel von Diesel", 235K

I kid proofed the house....but they still get in

From RI. It's now -8F, dropping 3 degrees in the last hour. Expecting -10F overnight. Even with a block heater I think I'm screwed tomorrow. Fuel's gonna be like maple syrup.

It's a nice 49*f here in NE Oklahoma.

Temperatures here in SoCal often plummet from mid 70s into the mid 50s at night. Even this would not be tolerated on Maui.
The only ice I want to see is that which is floating in my drink.
You people in the frozen North are much tougher than I.

__________________
You can get farther with a smile and a gun than you can with just a smile.

1984 300D
1985 300CD
1980 300SD
1993 SL500

Outside temp -2 F. Windy like a sonuvagun.

Man is it cold.

Jim

Zero this morning at my house. Kitchen cabinets open to avoid the pipe freeze of last week. Bought an additional kerosene heater for the basement. So far no pipes frozen.

TD would not start this morning. No block heater (it is on the shelf in the garage). Will try again when I get home.

Stay warm

__________________
Paul

1991 300TE (280,000)
1985 300TD (432,000 miles - retired)
1976 300D (225,000 - retired)
1975 300D (165,000 - retired)

-10F here in Mass, with a 20-25mph wind that drops the wind chill down to -40 F. Frostbite sets in within ten minutes. A local radio station is having a contest for patriots tickets today at 4:00pm they are having contestants stand outside in their bathing suits ( bikinis for women and shorts for men) for the longest Well they do have some heart, they are allowed to wear socks. Crazy!

-8 here this morning with a 30mph wind .. i think the diesel will sit in cold storage today...

__________________
1984 300D Turbo - 231k....totalled 11/30/07 RIP

0 this morning at the Jersey Shore! My car is in the garage plugged in. Had to jump my son's '82 300D last weekend to get it started. He had let the battery get low on water. Seems ok now.

However my car's battery light is remaining on at all times. Did I screw up the alternator when I jumped my son's car? It was a straight forward procedure, all hookups correct, his car started right up. Where did I go wrong??

Joe

__________________
www.jerseyplanning.com
1987 300TD 440K - My car
2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 107K - Tim's car
2000 - CLK320 100K - Deb's car
1994 C230 150K - Josh's Car

You most likely did fry the alternator or the voltage regulator. That is why I will never jump anyone from my cars... even 'correct' connections still can't save your alternator.

__________________
1984 190D 2.2 Auto 220k
2001 Jeep Cherokee Sport 70K
2004 Lexus RX-330 ??K
2005 Chrylser Crossfire LTD 6K

Play guitar? Go to www.cyberfret.com for free online lessons!

Hi Everyone,

Regarding cold weather starting, I have found that using an "anti-gel" additive to the diesel fuel works wonders.

I use 2.4 ounces to 3 ounces of STP Diesel Fuel Anti Gel to a full tank of Diesel (20 gals).

During winter, I run the tank down to half and then fill up with diesel fuel and 1.2 - 1.5 ounces of anti-gel.

Yesterday it was -1F in Northern New Jersey and the car started like a gasoline engine (I pre-glowed 3 times before attempting to start).

Anti-Gel is great! With it, you won't even need to use the block heater unless you're in Alaska or something.

STP Diesel Fuel Anti-Gel is the best one I have ever tried. One 12oz bottle treats up to 100 gals.

Unfortunately, STP has stopped making this product and I'm down to my last two bottles which should last me through this winter.

Has anyone had any good experiences with any other anti-gel?

Please advise.

Thanks.

It has been going down to about -30 F here in Montreal. Depending on the wind direction, I have to keep an electric heater with fan on in the crawlspace of my 150 year old country house. No frozen pipes yet. Keeping the chicken coop warm has been a bigger challenge. As for driving my diesel, plugging it for a few hours does the trick. I also never allow the car to be more than 3-4 hours without running while I'm at work, or else I'm not sure what would happen.

__________________
Denis

1979 300TD 189,000 Miles, now running WVO with a home-made 2 tank conversion
1974 230 Gasser 189,000 Miles, For Sale
1961 VW Microbus 162,000 Miles
1961 Ford Fairlane 500, 53,900 original miles
1951 Oliver Super 55 Tractor
2002 Chocolate Lab