minus 10 here

emmemm · 25-12-2009 11:54am #1

...and am having problems starting my diesel.. googled a bit and came across an oil pan heater which attaches by way of a magnet to the sump. anyone used one of these and , if so, where can they be bought?

peasant · 25-12-2009 11:59am

Won't do you any good. What you (most likely) need is new glowplugs

itarumaa · 25-12-2009 12:13pm

Most likely the problem is that diesel starts slowly freeze when it gets under zero.

You should start to use winter diesel now but I don't think you can find that anywhere in Ireland,

normal diesel can be used maybe -5 max, winter -30 and artic -40, but of course I don't think you find anywhere winter diesel in Ireland.

And when it gets over -40 in Nordic countries, then petrol is king because diesel cannot handle anymore those temperatures, even artic one. It just starts to freeze believe or not, and you cannot get it trough the fuel system anymore. Therefore if it gets so cold, all the busses etc are run 24h a day, because if you turn them off for the night lets say when it is -40 you cannot start them in the morning.

Seweryn · 25-12-2009 12:21pm

peasant wrote: »

Won't do you any good. What you (most likely) need is new glowplugs

Not necessary. We do not even know if the starter is turning the engine, so it may be a battery problem, weak cable connections, faulty starter motor, etc. Next thing would be the glow plugs, but it would be unlikely they all are gone - usually one gets burnt and the engine starts anyway on 3, 4 or 5 cylinders (depending how many cylinders are in that engine). Another thing is the fuel - here in Ireland they do not sell winter Diesel during winter, because there is no winter, so if it gets really cold then your Diesel fuel gets paraffined. Next thing you can check is your fuel filter (filters), which may be blocked and the last thing I can think of, may be the ice blocking your fuel - if you usually do not fill your tank full and keep it low then you get condensation in your tank and in result - ice-blocked fuel lines.