help! too cold to start! need real time advice if possible

[delicioso!]

hi guys. im at the train station lot here and delica will crank forever but cant seem to turn over. trying to avoid caa. can i bring n the land cruiser over and use the little 75w inverter i have in it and plug in the block heater of delica with to warm it up? ! what kind of juice does the block heater in these use up? any suggestions? !

please n thanks! -20 sh here in Ontario.

[Big-Bird]

Most block heaters are 1000w or higher and need 110 v at about 5-10 amps.

Your little inverter will do nothing.

Grab a set of battery cables and hook up your yota to your delica and get your Deli's battery (batteries) up to full charge.

If your beast is a diesel Your glow plugs are probably kaput but your delica will start after the compression cycles warm the cylinders a bit.

It will pop, fart, puff all manner of smokey blackness but it should start. Even at -20C and blown plugs my Delica 2.8 will start and it runs horrible!!!! Not a nice thing to do to a diesel......sigh.

Contact Right Drive Parts in Toronto, he should have glow plugs on the shelf or can get em quickly for you.

If you have a gas unit...could be electrical, could be fuel related. You might have to call CAA.

[delicioso!]

thanks big bird! figured that with he little inverter. -15 to almost -20 is where she can still start after a few tries and cycling the plugs. guess it just got too cold. we've got a deep freeze happening. just towed it home and plugged her in. battery was starting to drain so hopefully there's some juice left after its warm enough. these l400s are no use on heir own in 20+ below freezing. lol.

[delicioso!]

by the way, whats an adequate amount of time to plug the block heater in and can the heating element get too warm (and besides wasting electricity)

[Big-Bird]

1-2 hrs is the normal window for a blockheater to get an engine warm to fight off -20c temps.

Delicas are fine in very cold temps when everything is running properly and yours needs a touch of TLC.....get some new glow plugs and you will see a big difference.

[delicioso!]

looks like one hour was just about enough. she fired up with some coaxing on tired batteries.

im sure new plugs will help too, good call. and maybe a wilson switch? thanks again big bird!

[Big-Bird]

http://www.rightdriveparts.com/6-mitsubishi I don't know if he has the good sets or not.

I deal with the parts guys in the Vancouver and Vancouver Island areas and these are in order of preference. Rising Sun Imports, Maximum Overdrive, Amazing Auto, Rocky Mountain Imports, CVI and Commbs Country Auto.

What's the wilson switch for? Holding power at the glow plugs pre-heat cycle longer than the computer does? If so its not a recommended option by some....and others swear by it. My stock system works fine when the glow plugs function properly but it really matters which ones you buy.

Expect to pay around $200 for a decent set. The 40$ sets on ebay are crap...I learned that lesson the hard way when temps dropped to well below -35 the first winter I had my L400. Even plugged in it had a hard time starting. A quick swap to an OE set and we had ignition.

Another good idea for winter is to use synthetic oil 0W30. It helps the engine keep spin speed at startups where traditional oil would cause drag from its thicker consistency when cold.

[philmeup1]

If it's any concelation, my '93 L300 would barely start this morning too. I have 2 new batteries, new glow plugs, synthetic oil in it, and I plugged it in all night right after I brought it home and it was already warmed up. I really thought it was just not going to start and I'd have to miss work. I guess the old magnetic oil pan block heater isn't enough when it's minus Fu#k this sh^T outside!!!!

Explain to me again why didn't canada buy Turks & Caicos???

[macro]

With my manual glow plug switch and some throttle coaxing I got the 'ol girl fired up this morning in Toronto. It usually takes about 3 or 4 tries before it catches and idles. VERY roughly. Left it running for about 20 minutes before I went anywhere.

[delicioso!]

thanks for the replies fellas. guessing bottom line, these rigs are just not built for 20 below and colder. my diesel hdj81 land cruiser, albeit with a 12V system and 24V start has never had any problems (which is why when it's extra cold, the wife takes this to work).

i mean, what would one do if the van was left out with in the middle of a parking lot after hours at 20 below (and colder).

i know a lot of the cruiser guys have wilson switches, and maybe it's easier on the older one wire diesel engines? i've seen them work on a test bench with thermometer and they definitely get hotter and can stay hotter while the engine is cranking, makes perfect sense. hmm, maybe adding a webasto inside with an engine jet blast of hot air pointed at the block would help too! but those aren't cheap.

thanks for those suppliers big bird! i usually go with rocky mountain imports. this might be our last week of minus Fu#k this sh^T outside! lol. so we'll just limit the use of the l400 and just keep it when it's 15 below or warmer. both rigs run on full amsoil synthetic and they usually run nice in the cold.

[macro]

Give Daryl at RIghtDrive a shot next time you're ordering parts. He's been super helpful getting weird little parts for me. Tracked down a used centre gauge pod for me etc etc. They're at Keele and Hwy 7.

[islander20]

I just went through the same issues with my L400. Turned out it was the glow plug relay that needed replacing. Also one glowplug was toast. As a temporary measure I carried around some very long extension cords lol.

I got some Hyundai glowplugs and was later scolded for it by CCautos. Sounds like it is worth it to pay a little more for the OEM green tops. Live and learn I guess. No need for a wilson switch if your ECU is working correctly. If the van is warm does it try and cycle the glowplugs? If not your ECU and temp. sensor should be fine.

[delicioso!]

nice, good to know islander. i've always just figured that the glow plug/light not going was due to the engine being warm enough, so nice to know it's a normal thing (on my cruiser, it always goes on, but if warm, it'll go on/off quicker than when cold). guessing that my plugs are probably jus not getting hot enough for the really cold starts. we had -25 this morning and even the cruiser outside hesitated a tad. the l400, in the garage, started fine with some sputtering.

so, just for giggles, would carrying say one deep cycle battery with an inverter (1000w) hooked up to it and using a short cord (say in a milk crate in the back) to plug into the block heater actually work then? that should last for at least an hour, enough to power a block heater yeah? plus you've got a spare battery for jumps too.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/group ... OFPkCl3t2Q

+

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/motom ... OFOoCl3t2Q

[macro]

-40 with windchill at home this morning. Not plugged in, manual glow plug switch, took about 5 tries to get it going.

Usually it turns over, catches, dies. Turns over, catches, dies. Finally I'll be able to give it some throttle and it'll catch for good.

So, even without being plugged in, if your glow plugs are working properly it will catch eventually. To make sure I don't overheat the plugs I usually only push the button for as long at the glow plug lamp is illuminated on the dash, sometimes I have to do that a few times though.