Cold weather issue....

[Mulva]

Still in the northern cold snap (-30 and colder for the last two weeks) and have had a strange thing happen when the cruiser is turned off and not plugged in.

I can drive it for an hour and if I let it sit for 20 minutes there is nothing when I try and turn it over. I cycle through the glow plugs (no problems there), it takes five or six tries and then there seems to be a connection (the tic tic tic of the starter) and then it fires up with good oil pressure. I have mobile 1 10w30 synthetic oil in there. The batteries are strong too.

I have a feeling it could be the oil as when the vehicle is plugged in (in line heater and oil pan heater) it starts up without a problem.

Any suggestions?

 

[canucksafari]

I am guessing that the starter solinoid may be fouled with oil. Had it happen on a diesel Rabbit I owned back in 1989 - the last real cold winter I remember in Southern BC when it got down to -42 C. I took off the starter and cleaned the solinoid and the electrical contacts which were all coated in oil and road grunge. Put it all back together and it never caused me another problem. Then the rear wheel cylinders and brake lines went a few days later, so I parked it until it got up to the -20 C range.

 

[Big Blue 84BJ60]

x2 on the starer solinoid and try to wiggle the starter to see if its loose aswell this will cause the gears to bind and cause the symptoms you state (happend to me starter loosened off after a rebuild that i didnt do, but from now on im the only one to work on my truck)