Tips for starting a diesel car in cold weather: Small things that many drivers are confused about

Diesel cars are often difficult to start in cold weather.

Why is it difficult for diesel engines to start in cold weather?

The starting principle of diesel engines itself makes diesel vehicles very difficult to start in winter or when it is cold. Unlike gasoline vehicles, diesel vehicles do not use spark plugs to ignite the mixture of gasoline and air, but use heat from compressed air to burn oil when oil is pumped into the combustion chamber. This means that the higher the air temperature, the easier the engine is to start and vice versa.

Cold air will make the oil easy to freeze. The freezing point of diesel according to TCVN standard is less than or equal to 6 degrees Celsius, but in reality at about 8-9 degrees Celsius, the diesel layer precipitates on the surface of the oil filter, forming a film, covering the entire filter surface, reducing the amount of fuel supplied to the combustion chamber, leading to the engine stalling immediately even if it starts. This is the main, common reason why the car is difficult to start.

Low temperatures also make the lubricating oil thicker, reducing its lubricating ability, increasing resistance, causing a lot of effort to start. In many cases, the vehicle is difficult to start, or cannot be started because the engine has not reached the required rotation speed, the battery is out of power.

How to treat the disease

By understanding the cause of the phenomenon of diesel motorbikes being difficult to start in cold weather, you can easily find a solution yourself without having to take it to the garage.

The first thing that anyone can do is to turn on the ignition several times to heat the air. Insert the key into the ignition, turn the key to the ON position, wait for the heating indicator light (yellow spring) to turn off, then turn the ignition key to OFF. Do the same about 4 to 5 times depending on how cold it is, then start the engine immediately, the engine will start easier.

Once the engine has started, do not step on the gas immediately, let it idle for a while, then gradually increase the gas before starting.

For vehicles that are not equipped with a fuel heater, you can cover the oil tank with a thick cotton cloth and pour hot water over it to heat the fuel inside. However, this method is often not feasible because the amount of hot water needed to heat the oil tank is very large and is not easy to obtain when the weather temperature is too low.

Using low viscosity lubricants or adding antifreeze to the coolant or using diesel fuel specifically for winter, etc. are also some of the methods to help the car start easier. However, these measures require the user to have knowledge about fuel issues.

It is best not to park your car for too long in areas with low temperatures. If you must park for a long time, you should let the car run or start the engine every 30 minutes or 1 hour (depending on the weather conditions) and turn it off.