How cold is to cold to start the bj60?

[haryv]

I dont know if this question has ever come up but is there a limit as to how cold you can have the 60 before it needs to be pluged into the wall for the block heater? I have two 900 CCA batteries installed in mine. Its not that cold yet and its a little tough to start. NEw glow plugs also. I will need to have the valves adjusted (way over due).Also it has never had a compression test so may order one just to see what the status of the cylinders compression is.

[Diesel Weasel]

Originally Posted by haryv

I dont know if this question has ever come up but is there a limit as to how cold you can have the 60 before it needs to be pluged into the wall for the block heater? I have two 900 CCA batteries installed in mine. Its not that cold yet and its a little tough to start. NEw glow plugs also. I will need to have the valves adjusted (way over due).Also it has never had a compression test so may order one just to see what the status of the cylinders compression is.

Well, it's all a matter of what breaks first.. My guess is that the fuel would gel before your batteries give out, but I dunno, I live in Victoria lol.. How tough is "tough to start".. I have noticed that my truck will crank slower as it gets cold, but there is still enough juice to get 'er going in no time (I also have dual 900 CCAs).

[brownbear]

well..... really I like to plug in around -10 to -15 as the starting to plug in time. But nothing wrong with plugging in below -5 IF you use a timer. Just have it come on for a couple hours prior to when you want to drive.


The fuel is good for -25 plus. Not really an issue. If you get colder than that you can cut it with kerosene to be closer to arctic diesel.


Oil is very important too. Start running thinner oil if your having issues. I noticed with my BJ in calgary 10w30 was a bear to start to below -5. SO I went to 0w40. Made a huge difference.


I've started diesels well into minus 30 and below. Some plugged in others not. If you have the right oil and good glow it should go.

Operating it in the -30 and below number also takes some better planning. You need the rad covered. You need to step up the idle when parking, or it will get colder.

[brownbear]

Oh it may also be time to "improve" your battery cables. I am upgrading to 2/0 wires soon. Let the juice flow. Stock wires are too thin and after this many years are slightly corroded.

It's a good time to replace the post connections too. It's amazing how much you lose just in dirty connections alone.

[toynut]

i started mine in williams lake at minus fourty i wilson switched it for about 60 seconds and it ran rougly but it was ok after about two or three minutes . the next day i found out that almost all hotels up north have plug ins !

[Wherlwind]

I usually plug in around -10 or 15C. I have had no problems in northern B.C. starting unplugged as low as -45 but it may take a bit more cranking. Haven't had any fuel problems at that temperature either but late fall I think most gas stations are starting to sell winter diesel. I'm not sure what the difference between winter and summer fuel but assume it has something added so it doesn't gel.

[60wagondiesel]

i usualy plug my 60 in under -10. a couple of winters ago i was visiting a friends cottage and ther was no electricity so i coulnd plug it in with only 3 glow plugs working it started had to glow a couple of times but it started

[MrMoMo]

I generally plug in if below 0°C, but on a timer and only for about 45 minutes before I start - cuts the glow time right down, and I get no smoke or chugging on startup. It's also nice to have heat coming out the vents that much sooner. I also tie in an in car heater (500W) that sits on my dash, this melts any snow or frost that is on my front window so I don't have to scrape it - and it doesn't re-frost before my engine heat kicks in. I have had to start some days at work when it was around -30°C and I was not plugged in. Usually I run the glow cycle twice as I am too lazy to install a willson switch.

I have also noticed that when I run some injector cleaner through it really helps on cold starts - I got my stuff at a shop that only does injector work - they reccomended trying it before an injector re-build. It was about $14 IIRC, enough to treat 250L or so, and it definately helped. (havn't had my injectors rebuilt yet!) I can't remember the name of the stuff but I can find it if you require...

[whistlercruiser]

Looking for any more advice on cold starts. My 82' BJ60 has been plugged in over night and still won't start. Sitting for 2 days now. I have changed oil, glow plugs, etc. Curious if there is any way of testing the block heater?

[M John Galt]

Originally Posted by whistlercruiser

Curious if there is any way of testing the block heater?

There are all sorts of electrical checks, or
the engine should feel warm to the touch after a couple of hours.

[M John Galt]

Originally Posted by Wherlwind

I'm not sure what the difference between winter and summer fuel but assume it has something added so it doesn't gel.

Winter diesel is summer diesel with the waxes which gel below freezing removed.
Arctic grade winter diesel is basically kerosene with lubricity additive.

My truck has plug-in pre heaters in the lower rad hose, around the batteries, fuel filter and over the injectors.
It's controlled with a programmable timer: 1 hour for every ten degrees F below freezing seems to be adequate.

[cruiser_guy]

I've got mine going in Prince George about 10 years ago when it was -27 and I had only 2 good glow plugs and a bad block heater!

I changed out the block heater (heater hose type) at -27 out in the hotel parking lot, BRRRRRR, and put the plugs in either 1 and 3 or 2 and 4 and glowed it a couple of times. It coughed and bucked but it did eventually start. I got a lead on two more plugs in Williams Lake and the truck was left running till I was able to pick those up.

You need GOOD batteries, GOOD glow plugs and a GOOD block heater and possibly and oil pan heater and battery blanket.

I've also gone winter camping where there was no place to plug in though it only got to -10 or so.

[brownbear]

Originally Posted by whistlercruiser

Looking for any more advice on cold starts. My 82' BJ60 has been plugged in over night and still won't start. Sitting for 2 days now. I have changed oil, glow plugs, etc. Curious if there is any way of testing the block heater?

c-tire sell a block heater tester. It plug in and lets you know if it's working. 10 bucks maybe.

A lower rad hose heater may be a good idea too.

Try cycling the glow plugs a few times, and use a good boost when trying to start.

[canucksafari]

Originally Posted by brownbear

c-tire sell a block heater tester. It plug in and lets you know if it's working. 10 bucks maybe.

A lower rad hose heater may be a good idea too.

Try cycling the glow plugs a few times, and use a good boost when trying to start.

Good to know this, but you can usually tell if it isn't working. It just doesn't get warm. The block heater I picked up at Lordco worked for two weeks before burning out. I went with the inline heater last winter and it worked just fine. I tried it this week and got no heat. Still it is not cold enough to really need it. Just hope I don't have to pull the lower rad hose again.

[JohnnyBoy]

i've got an espar so starting is not usualy a problem, however i have a 3/4 tank of b100 in there right now and its about -20. i guess she will be sitting for a while. i drasticly overestimated my driving. ive been on the same tank for about 4 months now. now because i rode my bike in the fall i will have to peddle through the winter.

[earabadj]

Maybe related to the cold start topic; in a dual batteries 12 Volts system, what does the Ammeter/Voltmeter read in the cluster/dash board?
Mine with two brand new red top Optima batteries (around 690 CCA each), is still below "10" line!
Is that normal?

[cruiser_guy]

Originally Posted by earabadj

Maybe related to the cold start topic; in a dual batteries 12 Volts system, what does the Ammeter/Voltmeter read in the cluster/dash board?
Mine with two brand new red top Optima batteries (around 690 CCA each), is still below "10" line!
Is that normal?

Are you talking about at the glow stage or after the engine is running? At "Glow" the volts will be down because of the amp draw. Once started and the altenator has recovered then you should see approximately 14v.

[earabadj]

CruiserGuy, thank you this answers my question precisely. Indeed, it goes through the repertoire as you described it. So, does that mean that theoretically, if left alone, it should recover without start up?


Thanks.

[T.Stanford]

Where I live it rarely goes below minus 10 but being a skier, my truck has often sat for days unplugged in ski hill parking lots at -15/-20 with no problem starting. My batteries have always been in good shape and I hate to admit it but I never have used anything but 15-40 in the engine. I'm sure that if I LIVED in a very cold place I would change the oil out for 0-40. As was said earlier the BJ definitely cranks slower as the temperature drops (especially with the 15-40) but my BJ at least has never had a starting problem in any temperature more than -20. Tony

[MrMoMo]

Correct me if'n I'm wrong..

A block heater is a heater element.

A heater element is a very long wire.

Wire has resistance, therefore a block heater will have a measureable resistance.

Set your volt meter to Ohms (or continuity) and meter across the Hot and Neutral prongs on the cord of your block heater. (NOT PLUGGED IN!)

IF your block heater is good, you will get a resistance reading, you MAY get a continuity tone. If your meter reads O/L your block heater is open circuit and will not work.

Again, correct me if I am wrong.

I suppose if we knew the wattage of the block heater we could do some fancy math to determine what the resistance SHOULD be....

[ohrly?]

Well are u 12v or 24v? check ur manual, I think my 40 starts -15 to around -18, i believe i read that in my manual, and i am 24v