How to fix a Diesel that’s hard to Start Cold?

Cold weather starting becomes increasingly more difficult as engine deposits build up over time. Types of operation, such as excessive idling, short run time, light work and city type driving, all contribute to deposit formation which can result in poor cold start. All these operating conditions do not allow efficient diesel combustion. In addition, poor maintenance and general age will also contribute to deposit build up.

Have you noticed your vehicle taking longer and longer to start in cold weather?  Is it winding over and over and wont start at all?

When it finally turns over its blowing white diesel smoke out the exhaust and runs quite rough until it’s warm?  White diesel smoke at time of start is an obvious sign that things aren’t quite right, and  if left untreated can become a much bigger problem.

Why won’t my vehicle start in cold weather?

There can be many reasons for a vehicle not starting in cold weather and some can be as simple as a weak battery that needs replacing.

Other problem causing factors are a bit more complex but can be easily fixed or avoided.

• Worn injectors not atomizing correctly
• Excess carbon around glow plugs or spark plugs
• Old petrol or diesel not combusting correctly

Other more serious issues can be compression related

• Engine oil sludge or stuck rings
• Excessive carbon build-up
• Increased cranking resistance

How does FTC Decarbonizer fix a diesel that’s hard to start cold?

FTC Decarbonizer acts as a combustion catalyst to enable fuel to burn FASTER and CLEANER. At start-up, the active component in the FTC Decarbonizer ignites before the fuel, which in turn catalyses the fuel burn, which results in faster cold starts.

Typically, deposits build up in several critical regions…

• Injector tips.This prevents optimum fuel spray atomization, as well as distorting the spray pattern.
• Cylinder glaze. This is a fine build up which fills the cylinder cross hatching with fine carbon, making the bore glassy smooth, and reducing cylinder compression and increasing blow by. Good compression is essential for cold starts.
• Piston ring deposits. This also reduces crucial cylinder compression.
• Combustion and exhaust deposits. Carbon build up in combustion spaces, esp on piston crowns interferes with efficient mixing of the fuel spray with the air. Exhaust deposits reduce the engine’s ability to breathe efficiently.
• Sludge and gummy piston rings. Apart from increasing internal drag, which adversely affects cold cranking and efficient lubrication, loss of compression can be quite severe.

Rather than carrying out expensive mechanical work to physically remove, clean and replace affected parts (or effectively overhaul) engines and fuel systems, all of the above mentioned deposit types can be removed by safe chemical means, and with minimal downtime. In fact, much of the clean up occurs during actual, normal driving.

The products below are well proven, and recommended.

• FTC Decarbonizer. This product is unique! It acts as a combustion catalyst to ignite fuel much easier during cold starts. It also burns off carbon from combustion and exhaust spaces at much lower temperatures than otherwise possible. So, even during adverse engine operating conditions, it burns off deposits such as cylinder glaze, combustion and exhaust deposits, even turbocharger deposits.
• Cleanpower Fuel Treatment.Employing specific fuel system detergents, Cleanpower restores full cleanliness to fuel pumps, lines and injectors to restore distorted fuel spray patterns, and provide optimal fuel misting.
• Flushing Oil Concentrate. Based on detergents suitable for heavy deposits (rather than solvents), pristine cleanliness can be restored to the whole oil wetted side of the engine. It removes stubborn sludge, hard damaging carbon type deposits, to restore full available compression, and clean efficient lubrication to the engine.
• AW10 Antiwear. This is suitable to add to the engine oil, when restored to clean condition. It does reduce frictional drag throughout all lubricated mating parts of the engine, and as such will reduce the battery’s cold cranking demand.

For more information on a diesel that’s hard to start give the team a call on +61 7 3376 6188

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