[Vwdiesel] Too cold

[lbaird119 at aol.com]

-----Original Message-----
From: Doyt W. Echelberger <doyt at buckeye-express.com>
To: Vwdiesel <Vwdiesel at vwfans.com>
Sent: Sun, Feb 9, 2014 2:21 pm
Subject: [Vwdiesel] Too cold


-----Original Message-----
From: Doyt W. Echelberger <doyt at buckeye-express.com>
To: Vwdiesel <Vwdiesel at vwfans.com>
Sent: Sun, Feb 9, 2014 2:21 pm
Subject: [Vwdiesel] Too cold






I examined the old glow plugs. The best one was severely pitted at 
he tip, and the worst one was covered with thick black soot and 
robably didn't heat at all. The other two were more pitted, 
lackened, and soot covered. These were the original glow plugs that 
ame with the new car delivered in 1989.
  Depending on what you're seeing as pitting, might indicate to take 
a look at your injectors.  If the tip is blown off of one, it means 
your injector is shooting a stream.  I wonder if pitting is  just wear
related or bad spray pattern related?

I appreciate the many recent list stories about the TDI's, and will 
e cautious about acquiring one that has to operate reliably without 
eing garaged, in these extreme Ohio winters. And I'll extend that 
aution to the hybrids coming on the market. All kinds of 
onventional hybrid electric batteries show sharp and dramatic 
oltage drops in the range of -20 to -30 Centigrade.....approaching 
he extremely low temps that are occurring in northern Ohio this 
inter. (Minus 20 C = minus 4 F  and minus 30 C = minus 22 F.)  If my 
ars lived in garages, low temps would be far less important.

  I woldn't be too worried about a TDI starting in the cold.  Dad's had no glow plug, so it seems, pretty much all winter and it's started all but the coldest day.  It did start later, after it got closer to the teens than zero.  Takes some cranking but...
   On cranking;  We have 4 orchard Apes that originally were Onan powered.  One is now Kohler and one had the engine replaced (neither probably needed it after doing work on the other two, with original engines).  Those are all from the mid 70's and sometimes they get cranked a minute or so straight.  Starters are still going strong.  Only one that's had an issue is one where it stuck on, while running. It made it several hundred yards before it quit in a cloud of smoke.  :-P
     Loren