Running a diesel in sub zero temperatures

[Paul Rossmo]

I'm going to drive my D90 200 Tdi to Tuktoyuktuk in December/January.
The average temperature is -25C with nights dropping to -30C does anyone have any experience running a diesel at such low temperatures?
Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Paul

[HeadDamage]

Well, I live in Yellowknife right now and I did have my RRC 200tdi up here for the first couple of years. It runs and starts well down to below -30c, I've had it start at -34c without being plugged in but I wouldn't count on this. I run 0w40 oil in the winter and have the biggest battery that will fit in the standard spot. The problem with it here was the heater sucks.... I even fitted a webasto diesel heater to the RRC and totally took the stock heater apart but it can not keep up at the low temps we have up here. At -30c the inside of the RRC might get up to -10c, the 200tdi just can't seem to put out much heat when driving slowly around a northern town. You may have better luck with the defender version, Red90 has his modified for cold weather and gets lots of heat.

[red90]

- Make sure the door and vent seals are as good as possible.
- Make sure everything is as well insulated as possible.
- Make sure the heater is working at 100%. At those temperatures, it is marginal. I have a heater that is 3 times the stock output. Worth considering, but a fair bit of work.
- Run a 0W40 or 5W40 synthetic engine oil.
- Synthetic ATF for the power steering is a good plan as well.

- A webasto coolant heater is a godsend. Both for starting and for getting heat to the heater when the engine is not being worked hard.

[HeadDamage]

I should add that you will want to use a good lubricity additive to go with the winter diesel fuel.

[red90]

If coming from Victoria, fill up somewhere that gets cold weather as soon as possible. The island fuel is not suitably winterized. I've got that t-shirt...

[HeadDamage]

Don't be surprised if you motor sounds like something is wrong when you first fill up with northern winter diesel. When I filled up in Whitehorse while driving to Inuvik back in 1999 I though my injection pump was screwed, took it to a local mechanic that started to look at it then asked if I just filled up in town and said that was the issue and it was normal. The winter diesel up north is mostly kerosene and is much thinner than what is used down South.

[VA7ZD]

When I worked in the far north ( a while ago now) we had canvas tarps fitted from the bottom of the rad, under the engine back all the way to the end of the transmission, the idea being to keep as much heat in as possible. Make sure and keep it away from the exhaust or you might get some unwanted heat. We would also canvas the grill off but the canvas was made so you could open it in sections thus as it got warmer you can let the rad could get some air. If you cover the grill it is imperative that you keep a close eye on the temp. gauge for obvious reasons.
These minor mods will make a huge difference.
Good luck
Ian

[VA7ZD]

One more thing I might add is to fit your engine with a hand throttle. At an low idle a diesel burns so little fuel it barely makes any heat. In -25 and colder this becomes a real problem. If you are warming your truck up and want any heat at all you need to get the rpm up (1000-1200 is plenty)
In todays engine with computer controlled injection , they mess with the timing and it works very well. Pretty hard to do this with mechanical and early electronic injection.
Ian

[red90]

Do not cold idle the engine. That will kill it. It will not warm up and you will coke the rings.

[rainman101]

The only other bit of advice is to block off a lot of airflow through the radiator

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

[rayhyland]

When I was running my 200tdi 110 in -30-ish weather I ran 0W40, antifreeze certified for that temp, synthetic lubricants everywhere, and covered the rad with a thick pad hold in place by bungies. The heater never warmed up. I just wore my outside-gear inside the truck whenever I was driving. Once you get used to shifting in big Baffin boots it's not a problem. Oh, and put the hood of your parka down before you shoulder-check.

:-)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[red90]

If the heater did not warm up something was broken. You should never need a rad cover and it can be a bad thing for someone that does not know what they are doing. -30 should be no problem.

[rayhyland]

My heater is just not very good. With the rad cover my truck runs at correct temp at -30. Without the cover it runs cold. My truck was a tropical truck before, it lived on the equator. And my heater is out of a Ford Lazer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[red90]

The engine should not run cold. Your thermostat is leaking. Radiator covers are a bandaid for the most part. If the thermostat is working properly, no coolant will flow into the radiator until the engine is at normal temperature. The cover should not affect much. I've been running my truck in Calgary for 16 years and never had any reason to use a cover.

The heater should be as good as any other car. It needs an overhaul. The flaps need resealing by the time they are old enough to be imported to Canada and many times the matrix is full of mud.

[rayhyland]

Well my heater rusted through so I stuck a half-sized one out of a Malaysian junk yard. That may be part of the problem.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[VA7ZD]

That's a good one, comparing Calgary in the winter to the far north in the winter. I take it you have never been there in the dead of winter 'cause if you had you wouldn't say things like that.
Winter fronts and belly tarts help a great deal and you would do well to employ them in the far north. I know I've used them and as a long time field mechanic appreciate the need for them.
Ian

[obalme]

I would recommend an oil heater along with the coolant heater, if you are not going to spend a few minutes warming up your engine. Even 0 w 40 gets thick at -40C. Oil does need a little warnth to perform properly.

Also, I would oil up your door latches so they do not freeze as bad.

Just my two cents, Oliver

[HeadDamage]

Having lived in Calgary and Yellowknife I can say that it can get just as cold in Southern Alberta just not as often. Some people in Yellowknife do the tarp covering the front and belly of their vehicles but not very many, newer vehicles seem to operate alright without this.

However, my 200tdi did run much better with a webasto preheater running all the time while driving and with the fan removed from the engine and the rad blocked off. The speed limit is mostly 45kph in Yellowknife and the distances are very short.

My Duramax needs the rad blocked and the air filter housing cover removed to run here when it is very cold. The reason for this is not engine heat but the intake air temp is too low and it causes the intake air pressure sensor to ice over (it is also quite humid here when cold which is different than in Calgary) and this results in the computer going into limp mod which limits the engine power and speed to 20kph. You then have to pull over and shut down and allow the ice to melt. By blocking the rad and opening the air box more warm air from the engine compartment is drawn in and prevents this ice up. In short GM managed to build sophisticated electronically controlled truck that mimics a 1960's carburetor that is prone to icing.

[Christopher Lang]

We drove our 300 tdi defender from here on the island back home to beautiful Buffalo Lake this Christmas, wasn't true north cold, but -25 Celsius.

Having run my old 2.5 diesel in Calgary for years... Before we left I put in the 0-40 oil, an aux rear heater (fed from engine coolant). We have a webasto coolant heater, and dual batteries, no dramas starting the truck, but it wasn't hot inside, I can tell you that much.

Now our truck has the sliding windows, which leak cold air. I must have been tougher when I was younger!

A rad muff is a good thing, keeps the air seeping through the firewall warmer!

[Revor]

Aftermarket heated seat covers... Make a cold truck just a little more bareable and don't draw too much power (~3A).

Sounds like a fun trip!

Ryan

[Low-Range]

I've used an inline coolant heater and magnetic oil pan heater for morning starts..makes quite a difference...an interior 120v heater inside cab is also nice.

[Tony4921]

Fit a Webasto block heater, they cost about $1500, but work great. Its even a factory option. Get it with the digital timer and you can set it to start an hour or so before start up. You can even route the exhaust from the Webasto towards the oil pan and pre heat the oil.