12 minutes to come up to temperature today - 15 to -17C this morning

Yep,

It was a tad chilly and frosty this morning in the old BRM jetta.

I had just reinstalled/added the pipe foam insulation to the front grill on my Mk5 Jetta last night... but even then, with the car sitting outside it was stone cold for the 1st 12 minutes of my drive to work...

It took 12 minutes, and 13km of rural driving for the temperature to hit noon on the temp gauge... I was able to keep the windshield clear, but it was chilly, even with the heated seats... I didn't feel heat in the seats for the 1st 5 minutes or so....

I was really hoping to get the auxiliary heater working... but no dice. I took it out again and refluxed and resoldered the resistors... It still won't stay on for more than a couple minutes.... I can get it to come on for about 600W, but once I get 1000W from it, it seems to want to shut down....

Car just started this morning, barely. Have a glow plug to change, or harness to fix, #2 isn't working. Never reached proper temp in 40 min drive to work, time for the cardboard in front of the rad. Only reached 75 deg.

Mine was a rough start as well. Did 2 cycles of glow plugs and the cranking felt slow, but it did go after a few seconds. Not sure if it would have started if it was 5C colder. Also not sure where to start looking to improve cold starting behaviour. Glow plugs and starter are < 2 years old. Battery is almost 4 years old (and spent a good chunk of that time sitting unused by previous owner) so maybe could start there.

Last night the coolant temp was only getting up to 77 deg while driving in the city and dropping even further when stopped at red lights.

This mornings drive it got up to 85 deg driving on the highway. I think I'll add the pipe insulation this year.

I've read a lot about the auxiliary heater but never actually paid enough attention to see if it's working on my car. I park in the garage as well so might not be needed as much.

I don't worry about using the block heater unless it gets to the -25 without windchill territory.

Worked nightshift, plugged the car in overnight. Started no problem, lots of heat.

drew80a said:

Worked nightshift, plugged the car in overnight. Started no problem, lots of heat.

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I don't have anywhere to plug in at work so she's gotta be trustworthy on her own in the cold!

My ML320 diesel fired up like it was summer! The Passat is on the hoist in a heated garage, I'm fixing the brakes so don't know how it would have started but it wouldn't have been as effortless as the Benz.

Princess Auto is selling electric battery blankets, saw them the other day. They have 3 models, 600W, 750W and 1000W. Can't remember the price but I might get one for the Passat.

McGuillicuddy said:

Mine was a rough start as well. Did 2 cycles of glow plugs and the cranking felt slow, but it did go after a few seconds. Not sure if it would have started if it was 5C colder. Also not sure where to start looking to improve cold starting behaviour. Glow plugs and starter are < 2 years old. Battery is almost 4 years old (and spent a good chunk of that time sitting unused by previous owner) so maybe could start there.

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Make sure you have thinner oil in the engine 0Wsomething. That helps a lot. Also, if you can put a battery blanket (just a regular non electric one) that would help retain the heat a little longer at night. Also, try to park the car nose first close to a wall, this helps prevent the blowing wind blast though the engine bay. Last option, keep the engine running all night! Did this when my starter went and couldn't get a replacement one until the following day.

5w40 all year for me, no issues if your glow plugs/battery/starter are in good order. Many people have worn, slower turning, high draw starters that cause cold starting issues. BTDT

2ManyKMfor1Tank said:

Never reached proper temp in 40 min drive to work, time for the cardboard in front of the rad. Only reached 75 deg.

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phantom1260 said:

Last night the coolant temp was only getting up to 77 deg while driving in the city and dropping even further when stopped at red lights.

This mornings drive it got up to 85 deg driving on the highway. I think I'll add the pipe insulation this year.

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I have similar symptoms with my dealer thermostat rated at 87C that I put in 5 years ago. The previous one (factory original) had the same symptoms. It's very common for these t-stats to become "lazy" and not reach the rated temp. I have my front grill blocked with pipe insulation, and a cheap scangauge plugged in, and it reports anywhere from 83C-88C depending upon the traffic condition and whether the cabin heat is on or not. I will be changing it to a 92C rated in the spring. The VW part number is 078-121-113G, and it's made by Mahle too, part # TX 30 92D.

Uberhare said:

5w40 all year for me, no issues if your glow plugs/battery/starter are in good order. Many people have worn, slower turning, high draw starters that cause cold starting issues. BTDT

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I agree, a worn starter makes a huge difference when it's really cold. When the starter rotor bushing wear out, the starter will need more current to spin. I've rebuilt mine years ago and it was a night and day difference when the temperature was around -20C.