Cold starting

[bigsho]

I'm new to diesels so please excuse me if this is obvious. For the past few months the truck has been starting up just fine. As its been getting colder it cranks really slow in the morning.Do diesels start to crank slower as it gets cold or is this a sign i'm gonna need new batteries.

[RedneckGirl]

Diesels are harder to start in colder weather, and even moreso without a block heater. The compression developed in the cylinder creates the necessary heat to ignite diesel fuel. In cold weather, the piston and the cylinder are cold. They are surrounded by cold coolant. The lube oil is cold which creates drag and slows cranking speed. When cranking the engine and the piston reaches up toward top-dead-center, cold fuel is then sprayed into the cylinder. All of these factor stack up against good startability. If these factors are combined with fuel of questionable combustibility, engine wear, ineffective starting aids, an inefficient starter or batteries, then cold weather starting could be troublesome.

[NOVAJOE105]

It may not be a bad idea to have the batteries tested. Also make sure you test them when cranking the truck as there is a lot of load put on the batts due to the glow pplugs warming and just the power it takes to crank the truck over. Hopefully this will shed a little light on the problem you are having. Cold weather or very hot weather will show a weak battery very quickly too. Good luck.

[jacksd3]

Change the oil to a thinner synthetic too. My rig starts easier, warms up quicker, and I get the heater working faster in cold weather since I switched to 5W-40 full synthetic Rotella.

[chopstx667]

i don't mean to hijack but when it gets really cold in the area and I go out to start my truck it doesnt turn sometimes. Like I just hear a loud click and a vacuum sound. I just keep trying and waiting till it does turn over but it gets annoying sometimes. Can anyone tell me whats wrong and how I should fix it? and What is that vacuum sound?

[sirnunya]

Originally Posted by chopstx667

i don't mean to hijack but when it gets really cold in the area and I go out to start my truck it doesnt turn sometimes. Like I just hear a loud click and a vacuum sound. I just keep trying and waiting till it does turn over but it gets annoying sometimes. Can anyone tell me whats wrong and how I should fix it? and What is that vacuum sound?

maybe your batteries going south? Or your starter has something wrong with it in cold weather

[cchase]

sounds like the bats, try cleaning the terminals.

[chopstx667]

So the batterys in cold weather will prevent the engine from turning sometimes? I still get everything else in the cab thats electrical working and the engine will still click.

[Lord Tauk]

Well if you're batteries are on the way out, the cold weather will help them go faster

[cchase]

after I replaced my tranny, my batterys were sitting unpluged for a week, and when I went to start it, it just clicked, all electrical worked, then it would start sometimes, so i cleaned the terminals, and bam works fine sence.