Diesel No start in cold weather

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decoco

decoco

10 Year
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Oct 5, 2015
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Hello Folks, I am trying to trouble shoot a PZJ engine that is not starting in cold weather.
Temperature this week has been around -28.
The block heater is plugged in, new batteries, but it just won't crank.

Any trouble shooting procedures or tips please let me know.
 
If the engine does not crank at all, I would begin by looking at starter and starter connections. You can measure voltage at the starter wires and also verifying (with a multi-meter) that you have power on the smaller starter-wire when you hit the ignition key.

Once you get it to crank, we should be able to troubleshoot anything else that comes down the line :)

Did the starter show signs of wear prior to this no-crank condition?

Good luck and keep us posted.

-Alberto
 
Last edited:
I would also double check battery connections to make sure they are all tight and clean. Confirm that the batteries are good even though new. What type of oil are you running?
 
AlbertoSD said:
If the engine does not crank at all, I would begin by looking at starter and starter connections. You can measure voltage at the starter wires and also verifying (with a multi-meter) that you have power on the smaller starter-wire when you hit the ignition key.

Once you get it to crank, we should be able to troubleshoot anything else that comes down the line :)

Did the starter show signs of wear prior to this no-crank condition?

Good luck and keep us posted.

-Alberto
Click to expand...

Thank you Alberto!
I should clarify- early morning post.
Engine seems to crank but won't turn. I will try measuring as suggested.
The starter did not show signs of wear prior, in fact it was starting fine at other below zero temperatures/ just not this extreme.
 
Oil is shell rotella 15 - 40 non synthetic.

I'll check the battery connections and report as well.


Eco 45 said:
I would also double check battery connections to make sure they are all tight and clean. Confirm that the batteries are good even though new. What type of oil are you running?
Click to expand...
 
after it has been plugged in for a while can you feel any warmth on the block/water hoses and such? Sounds like your block heater might not be working. To clarify, it cranks but does not start? Check glow plugs, at those temps if one or two are bad it will have a hard time to start.
Any chance of using a thinner oil during winter? 5-40W ?
 
coldtaco said:
after it has been plugged in for a while can you feel any warmth on the block/water hoses and such? Sounds like your block heater might not be working. To clarify, it cranks but does not start? Check glow plugs, at those temps if one or two are bad it will have a hard time to start.
Any chance of using a thinner oil during winter? 5-40W ?
Click to expand...

It cranks but doesn't start, starter seems to be working fine (but will check), based on the current draw on the dash, batteries seem to be doing their. glow plug light turns off in a reasonable time period- but yes.

coldtaco said:
Any chance of using a thinner oil during winter? 5-40W ?
Click to expand...
- I could, that's just what was in it, and I thought it would have been good enough. I will say however, I don't hear sloshing when the engine is attempting to run, of the type one can hear when the oil is very cold.

If my terminology is confusing ask me to clarify as I'm both juggling new terms and translations from terms I know.

I thought it could be a winter diesel issue as well, but seeing how it had been driven to almost empty in October, and pumped a few times in November with the Diesel available, this is probably not the issue.



I guess methodology is as follows:

A) check if block heater is doing it's job
B) check battery connections
C) check voltage at glow plugs
D) check voltage at starter
 
Eco 45 said:
I would also double check battery connections to make sure they are all tight and clean. Confirm that the batteries are good even though new. What type of oil are you running?
Click to expand...

would you recommend switching batteries, placing a in slot b and b in slot a?
 
I would check voltage (and length of glow if you can) at glow plugs. Also, you could pull the glow plugs and check if they are within specs (I believe the FSM indicates a resistance range where glow plugs should fall within for proper operation. If you haven't replaced the glow plugs yet, it might be a good time to do so for base-lining the engine.

I had the same thing happen to the 3B on my 70 and I decided to do the Wilson switch mod to help nurse it when cold-starts. My 3B wasn't too happy starting when temperatures outside were below 25F.

decoco said:
would you recommend switching batteries, placing a in slot b and b in slot a?
Click to expand...

If the engine is cranking strong, then you could move ahead with the other diagnostics. Batteries and starter should be working properly if you are getting a healthy crank. My bet would be faulty glow plugs or faulty connections at the glow plugs.

Keep us posted,

-Alberto
 
John Galt said:
Where in the world is the truck located? This recent cold is unusual for most of the US where they don't actually produce a winter diesel for those temperatures. I would suspect 'slushy' fuel where the paraffin drops out and clogs screens and filters. One can add up to 10% premium petrol to the fuel to help with cold starts.
Click to expand...

"slushy feel" tbh the Slush sound I am referring to has not been heard on this vehicle or engine, but has been my experience with a different vehicle at even more extreme temperatures, it was a gasser though. The GAS V6 would turn on but at around -30 to -40 would sound a bit like it's slushy, once warm, no issue w/ synthetic.

The reason why I am discarding an issue or question with it being a winter diesel issue are as follows:
a) recent fill ups with what i presume were winter diesel mixes due to the time of year, mid and end november in a city that expects very cold winters.
b) truck is not turning on anyway, diagnosis lines itself up more closely to it being a block heater not working, more than 1 glow plug needing replacement or a battery issue, it's not really giving clear symptoms of it being a fuel issue at this point.

it was more of a side item I threw out there.

I can be lengthy with words, and inexperienced when it comes to this stuff, so I appreciate the advice of adding petrol to the mix for it to turn on.
 
more on this later as I'm at the office and unable to look into things. thanks to all for your comments, advice is always welcome.
I may post a video to help with diagnosis.
 
I'm trying to understand the symptoms, its a bit confusing.
Does the starter motor turn/crank the engine normally?
 
where is Carabobo?
sounds more like the block heater is not working and/or one or more glow plugs are not working. If you have good batteries if you crank it long enough you will eventually get it to start, just risky about draining your batteries before it starts. Makes a lot of smoke too :-)
 
Is it cranking slower than normal?
 
John Galt said:
Where in the world is the truck actually located? I rather doubt that Venezuela gets -28 temps F or C.

I stated "slushy fuel" , not 'slushy feel' When the cold congealed paraffin settles out of diesel fuel it makes no sound.

Malfunctioning block heater is easy to diagnose -- is it getting warm when plugged in for a few hours?

"recent fill ups with what i presume were winter diesel" could be a very inaccurate presumption.
Click to expand...

I appreciate you're trying to help, but I'm not sure about the tone of your response.
 
If the truck is turning over fine but will not fire...then there is a fuel issue. Not sure if your are operating in C or F but fuel stations in the USA often have two grades of winter fuel for diesel engine in really cold areas. If you got the middle grade then your fuel filter has likely gelled up and not allowing any fuel to your engine...regardless of whether your block heater is working. Easy check is to pull the fuel filter and look inside---see a lot of white thick slime this is your problem. You will need to add treatment directly to the fuel filter and your fuel tank. In cold temps never trust the gas station to keep you running always good insurance to buy some additive.
 
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