Good question Delta

My A6 failed to start, as did several others in my street towards the middle end of last week. During the night in Cumbernauld, in the portion where I live which sits particularly low, I'm reliably informed we hit -21 degrees.
I 'm guessing that the diesel had started to thicken at least if not freeze.

The wife's VW Passat stuttered but kicked into life fairly well

 

Re. cold weather and diesel fuel problems: This problem is well known to refiners and has been for a long time. In very cold weather, the diesel fuel in the main filter goes waxy and won't move through the system. In the old days with wagons, the filters were heated, and often drivers turned the exhaust pipe so it played on the diesel fuel tank thusly heating it somewhat. Sometimes drivers would add one gallon of paraffin/kerosene in ten of diesel to help.
Nowadays, the refineries blend the diesel appropriately for cold weather, and no doubt put in additives to help, but they won't of course tell you exactly what! Usually starting problems are engine related, but of course the current Hdi direct injection jobbies start much more readily than the older indirect injection (car) ones, needing much more glow-plug time. Only one o/c glow-plug would make them impossible to start.
BTW, never, but never attempt to run a modern Hdi diesel engine on anything but the proper stuff, especially red-diesel. You might get away with it on old engines, but not the current crop. If anyone wants to know more, just flag me.
Leedsman.
p.s. My S-type 2.7D starts just the same in the UK cold weather recently -- and commiseration with the US midwest on your heavy snowfall; we're due another dose of it this w/e.

 

I have found and subsequently read that the best way to start is to turn the key at the exact moment the glow plug light goes out on the dash. If that does not work, turn the key to the position where the glow plug comes on once and then again immediately and then start as soon as it goes out. That way you have the most warmth in the cylinder.

 

Lol....thats one of my tips / tricks too Delta
In the "Old" days, didn't they just used to light fires under the fuel tanks / fuel lines to get them moving?

Those were the days !!!

 

No problems in mine and would suspect it wont be a problem as they put additives in the diesel for all sorts of things.
Starting the car wasnt the problem the problem is couldnt drive it for 3 weeks due to snowfalls here (temp was -18*C).
Sunday was the first time in 3 weeks I could get it off the drive.

 

-21 we had here at times Buck......It was so cold I nearly had to put a long sleeve shirt on

 

Re. lighting fires under diesel tanks in cold weather -- I've never encountered that one, but it was common to heat the inlet air for the engine in some very crude fashions. I've used a blowlamp in the past, playing it down the air intake and it worked great, instant start even in black ice weather. I've seen old movies where the army boys had to start the diesel generators for the WW2 searchlights in frosty weather. They lit a paraffiny rag in the air intake while three to four men hand-cranked this massive machine with an 18:1 compression, sweating and swearing. The man responsible for the valve-lifters during cranking got some language if he didn't do it at the right time. Each arc lamp was about 10Kwatts and there would be 5 or more lamps for a genny. I still have some searchlight carbons, they are about 1" thick.
Leedsman.

 

Well no, unless things have changed actually the best way bearing in mind the gp light is only an indicator, is to keep the key turned until you hear the gp relay click by which time the gps are fully heated and then start the engine.

 

very interesting stuff, I own a 3diesel vehicles, on e just sold ,a 1948 GMC bus)X greyhound), i had a 6 cyl inline GM engine, factory manual said it would get between 9-11 MPG US, gal. after 7yrs owning it did average 10MPG.

now my newer bus-motorhome 2001 6 cyl inline gets 7-8MPG diesel.

MY question is what technology has changed to a lesser efficient vehicle?? my newer unit is actually lighter weight.

i quess this is CALLED PROGRESS.

IMPO it is the fuel not the engine, it does not contain the levels of BTUs, as older fuels.

NOW THEY WOULDNT MAKE A FUEL THAT BURNS MORE, AND GIVES LESS,, would they???

OH, almost forgot gotta save the planet. you know!! LOL, LOL

 

HI, Leedsman,, my older OPEL-ISUZU 1.8L turbo runs great on a blend of used cookin oils, crankcase drainings, and a dash of diesel fuel, mixed and puored into tank, been 2 1/2 yrs 15,000 miles no probs , cost me average $10. per month to operate, 42mpg us gal.

it loves 100*F ambient, starts hard in cold , but runs perfect when warm.

makes one wonder about old tech VS new tech??

 

Re. fuel-efficiency and diesels, there hasn't been much improvement in this factor, excepting that the indirect injection ones were about 20% worse than direct, this due to the heat losses to cyl. head in the swirl chambers.
The big improvements have been to the specific power output, e.g. in the 1970s a 1500cc. diesel engine I put in a petrol car (a clone of a Morris Oxford) made only 40horse at 4000rpm, but a Renault 1500cc. HDi today makes 85horse or over 100horse in it's highest output version. My S-type 2.7D makes 207horse in standard non-remapped form. These power and torque improvements take place around the mid-range revs., making acceleration better than the equivalent petrol engine just where it's needed, for overtaking.
In regard of using old vegetable oil for operating a diesel engine, it's essential to get all the muck and dissolved/mixed water out of the oil, otherwise trouble. The viscosity gets to be a problem at low temperatures so it usually has to be heated before being fed to the first filter. Non-industrial or backyard cleanup methods won't be good enough for the very high pressure of common-rail systems which averages 25,000lbs/sq". This is around ten times the pressure driving old passive injectors.
Red diesel made for burning in boilers contains all sorts of natural residue and a poor cetane rating, again too risky for common-rail diesels. Because of the high-precision engineering of the parts, they are hugely expensive if damaged, negating any savings that might be made. But I have heard that some old diesels, partic. old Mercedes ones seem to run quite happily on veggie oil instead of the usual stuff, but in hot countries.
Leedsman.

 

Ironic then that great big adverts keep appearing for red diesel on the site!

 

Re. red diesel in UK -- if you are caught on the public roads using red to power your vehicle's engine, the vehicle will be confiscated by the customs and you will be fined thousands of pounds.
For the relatively tiny savings and possible damage, don't do it!
Leedsman.

 

And made to pay back duty on the calculated useage.
But there are loads who are using it and prepared to take the risk (I`m not one of them)
One of the many stories is about a local gentleman who never used anything but `cherry` in his 100k+mile Merc from brand new and boasted it must`ve saved him £?ks

 

wouldnt be nice to live in a FREE country!! LOL,LOL

 

diesel fuel in usa, is the same ,green or red, green is for roadway and hiways, red is for off road , like farm equipment , construction rigs, marine use .

they just color it so as to identfy it.

reason green costs more is the added road TAX, about 20% more.

like i said earlier DF used to be 50% cheaper than petrol, about 30yrs now.

as long as people eat deep fried oil foods my OPEL will be fine.

 

question; do Jag diesel cars have a house current plug in to heat a block heater, as standard OEM.

most USA diesel vehicles do,for the cold start,probs.
course we dont get many passenger vehicles in states, but lot of trucks, medium size.

for some reason unknown to me, people drive ,as daily go to work, transportation , medium duty trucks. very common, and dont haul anything in them.!

 

let me add , lots of VW TDIs everywhere, a few MBs, and thats about it.

darn;; i wish they would sell Jag diesels here.

 

Maybe start a petition ronbros

 

My 2007 Jag Sovereign Auto. 2.7 TTD on a decent run returnsbetter than 45 MPG (UK) around town about 26 MPG (UK)