Diesel. How to shoot in the cold?

The popularity of diesel cars in our country in recent years remains at a very high level. There are a lot of cars on Polish roads, especially those that are several years old and older with diesel engines. The coming winter may especially affect the owners of these cars.

So that the winter morning does not turn into a fight between a car with a diesel engine and its owner, it is worthwhile to ensure that the systems responsible for starting the engine are in good condition before the onset of frost. The main element of each car, which allows you to start it, is the battery. The voltage that will be generated during the ignition test depends on it. If a car battery is more than three years old, its efficiency can be even 40% lower than a new component. During start-up, it is worth checking if the lights on the dashboard go out and if such a situation occurs, you should think about purchasing a new battery.

Some drivers underestimate the condition of their glow plugs. When starting the car, they heat the combustion chamber to a temperature of about 600 ° C, which should cause self-ignition of the diesel engine. There is no initiating factor in a diesel, which is a spark in a gasoline engine. That's why it's so important to keep the glow plugs that keep the engine running.

Car manufacturers do not provide for the periodic replacement of glow plugs, as is the case with spark plugs. However, it is assumed that they should be enough for about 15 thousand. start cycles.  

The editors recommend:

Are new cars safe?

Probation period for drivers. This is what you need to know

Ways to Get Cheaper Third Party Liability Insurance

Another element to consider is the quality of the diesel fuel used and the condition of the fuel filters in the vehicle. When frost sets in outside, it is advisable to use fuel containing special additives, due to which its properties will not change, despite very low temperatures. Measures are also provided for fuel enrichment, the so-called. depressant additives designed to lower the cloud point of the fuel, which helps to prevent clogging of the filter and, as a result, cutting off the fuel supply. However, remember that pour point depressants must be added to the fuel before wax crystal settling problems occur. Otherwise, their use will not bring the desired results. However, such a solution may be more expensive than refueling with special, good quality seasonal fuel. Another danger is sedimentation and water deposition on the filter surface, which in case of frost can lead to the formation of an ice plug. Then an effective way to improve this is to warm up the car in the garage or change the filter.

If there are ignition problems, an electric parking heater may be the solution. Due to this, the temperature rises and is about 30 percent. higher than outside. On the other hand, we strongly advise against upgrading diesel fuel yourself by adding low-octane gasoline, kerosene or denatured alcohol to it. Thus, we can damage the injection system, the repair of which, especially the replacement of unit injectors, can be very expensive, explains Petr Janta from Auto Partner SA.

If the driver has taken care of the condition of the diesel ignition system components, but still cannot start the car, the solution may be to use jumper cables to borrow electricity from another car. To connect the cables correctly, first connect the battery positive of the working vehicle to the positive of the vehicle you want to start, and then the negative of the working battery to the ground of the laid-up vehicle, such as the engine block. We will not try to start the car on the so-called. arrogance, as in the case of new generation diesel engines, this can lead to damage.