Diesels in the Winter
Discussion
Have short listed the 2 x cars I wish to buy next which will be from the 04 - 07 vintage. One, or potentially both, will be diesel and having never run a diesel personally I wanted to float a question here.
My petrol cars have not given me the slightest bother when the weather gets cold but do modern diesels have issues starting from cold during the -14C cold snaps we had?
I am basing my thoughts on cars that have been regularly serviced with injectors, glow plugs wtc in proper order.
My petrol cars have not given me the slightest bother when the weather gets cold but do modern diesels have issues starting from cold during the -14C cold snaps we had?
I am basing my thoughts on cars that have been regularly serviced with injectors, glow plugs wtc in proper order.
In Janaury here in Scotland we were frozen solid as a country for weeks and there were only a few days the glowplugs even had to come on.
Car starts 1st time, everytime, barely turns over before it starts.
Should add I only got the car in January, its a 2002 vintage common rail turbo diesel.
Car starts 1st time, everytime, barely turns over before it starts.
Should add I only got the car in January, its a 2002 vintage common rail turbo diesel.
Edited by MondeoMan1981 on Saturday 31st July 14:52
The longer warm up time before the heater can get the cabin all warm and toasty is probably going to be a bigger issue than the starting and running of the engine. They do take a bloody age! Our Panda is warm by the end of the road, I am almost at work by the time the Furby has warmed up.
the additives in modern diesel means it should give you any issues and most manufactures programme the glow plugs to preheat when you zap the car with your remote locking . On all Fords now they have an electric PTC heater built in , so even though the engine takes a while to warm up the cabin is nice and warm within 3-5 mins.
Forget the age of the car. Fact is diesel fuel is blended by the fuel companies to suit the climate when and where it's sold.
http://www-accept.shell.com/static/nz-en/downloads...
http://www-accept.shell.com/static/nz-en/downloads...
My relatively old skool MG ZS Diesel took less than 2 seconds to start when it was below minus 10. If we were in Canada or Alaska then it might be something to worry about, but even then I think it's the fuel and glow plugs that make the difference.
A decent battery helps, I managed to make mine last from one winter to another on a dying battery, as the weather warmed up and the car started until the next winter came. As soon as we got below 5 degrees it failed to start the car twice in one week, so it was time for a new battery.
Direct injection or common rail engines should have no real problems starting in -10 to -15 temperatures, if the battery is okay and the engine and fuel system is sound, even if a glow plug or two is dead.
The biggest problem is getting heat inside the car when it's really cold, in my experience.
A decent battery helps, I managed to make mine last from one winter to another on a dying battery, as the weather warmed up and the car started until the next winter came. As soon as we got below 5 degrees it failed to start the car twice in one week, so it was time for a new battery.
Direct injection or common rail engines should have no real problems starting in -10 to -15 temperatures, if the battery is okay and the engine and fuel system is sound, even if a glow plug or two is dead.
The biggest problem is getting heat inside the car when it's really cold, in my experience.
Modern diesels don't suffer the problems that were experienced circa 20 + years ago
That said, I did hear of a few isolated in indents of non starting diesels at the beginning of the year due to diesel waxing - in fairness, they were in the far reaches of Scotland where it got down to -25 degrees C
Not a fault with the cars as such, more to do with the fuel supplied by the fuel companies, which is only designed to be safe down to -15 or so - in their defence -25 in the UK isn't exactly normal
That said, I did hear of a few isolated in indents of non starting diesels at the beginning of the year due to diesel waxing - in fairness, they were in the far reaches of Scotland where it got down to -25 degrees C
Not a fault with the cars as such, more to do with the fuel supplied by the fuel companies, which is only designed to be safe down to -15 or so - in their defence -25 in the UK isn't exactly normal
Turkey said:
The biggest problem is getting heat inside the car when it's really cold, in my experience.
Most (all?) modern diesels have electric booster heaters that work on the engine coolant or sometimes (like MB A & B Class) on the heater itself.Snag with these systems is they take so much power they tend to be arranged so they only work when the car is on the move, and diesels are *very* slow to warm up if left to idle.
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