Killer Cold...

[rednekexprez]

I plug mine in when ever it is going to get below freezing...It starts easier and I believe it is easier on the engine...still let her warm up at least 15 min. after starting..or if there is some of the nasty stuff on windshield let it defrost before leaving..

[Doakster]

Glad to hear from another Mainer out there. I'll share some things I've come across. There are many threads on hear that talk about hard starting in cold weather, if you do a search you should find plenty of info. The most common problems with cool starting are the glow plug relay going bad and the glow plugs themselves failing. The Glow Plug Relay (GPR) is fairly simple to trouble shoot

Here is an ok explanation of the GP system on our trucks from another forum. Hard/No Start? Check here first. - TheDieselStop.com Forums

Here is an explanation of the Glow Plug Control Module, installed on california emissions vehicles, most likely you truck doesn't have this system but it might, mine does. How to Diagnose the Ford Glow Plug

The glow plug relay in on the passenger side of the motor just back from the "powerstroke" cover, it is the relay all the way back toward the firewall. The second relay is for the Intake Air Heater (IAH). The intake air heater comes on based on oil temp, air temp (anything below 32 degrees) and one more parameter I'm not sure of. The IAH does not directly aid in starting but once the motor is running it helps to heat up the intake air charge and prevents white smoke and generally helps the engine run in the cold.

My truck was also starting hard in the cold, it would always start at anything under ten degrees but always had to crank it alot. Come to find out the AIH relay was bad, replaced that, didn't help a heck of alot.

But the biggest thing I did that helps was changed to 5W-40 Rotella T sythetic, it was night and day how much faster the engine cranks and how much smoother the engine idles in the cold. If you oil is near a change this is work a try as well as checking the GP system. I don't have a place where I can plug my truck in so I always have to start it cold unfortunately. I was using 15W-40 Rotella up until a few days ago, but I'm confident that my truck will fire right up with the 5W-40 in it in the negatives. It's been consistently firing right up at 5-10 degrees. The down side is it's about 16 dollars a gallon for the stuff and the only place you will probably find it in Maine is at Wal-Mart, very pricey. . Hope this helps.

[strokethis69]

any diesel will start right up if it is plugged in if it dosnt then it is junk and has no compression.

[jnhuber]

I have a Co-worker that drives a Cummins he said that if you plug in your block heater and leave you defroster on over night that it will keep your windows defrosted all night long. Will that work on powerstrokes or is that just a Billy Goat thing?

[Doakster]

Originally Posted by strokethis69

any diesel will start right up if it is plugged in if it dosnt then it is junk and has no compression.

How can you assume that it's low compression, if his truck was running fine during warm temps but doesn't in the cold then is most likely not a compression problem?

How about some of these:

-Low/Old Batteries causing slow cranking speed, which will cause low combustion temperatures for firing fuel
-Gelled Fuel (he's talking about -34 degrees)
-Bad GPR or GP
-Oil does flow very well at -34 degrees to fire a HEUI system, even if he is using a lesser weight
-The list goes on

I would rule out the simple stuff before I started to look at compression

When is the last time you heard someone talking about loosing compression on a PSD, that's what they are built for, to make compression, has you seen the compression rings on these things? Plenty of 7.3 going around with 200,300 even above 500k with little to no loss of compression.

[Gebby]

I went out this morning and it was -22. With the additive from Napa that I put in yesterday it ran like a champ! Now I can concentrate on the glow plug issue. BTW....I think redstoker is suffering from diesel envy! I really appreciate all of the input. I will try the simple stuff first. My boss has a 6.0 diesel that starts fine up here. He swears by the 5w-40 rotella synthetic. I will make that my next change and then move on to the Glow Plug Relay if it still starts hard!

Thanks!!

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Last edited by Gebby : 01-22-2008 at 01:55 PM.

[Barrie in Maine]

Welcome to the ORG, glad to see another Mainer.

[Gebby]

Thanks for the welcome. I'm still learning how to navigate the site but should be up to speed soon!