Preparing for cold winter. Need advice

Hello everyone.
I live in Ohio, and last year, it was an extreemly cold winter for us. We had a few weeks straight that the real temp never went over 10F, wind chill was always -10F or lower. I know that some people are use to colder than that, but here we are not, and I have never owned a diesel in the winter.

I did not own my Jetta last year, but my girlfriend did. She did not drive it all winter, so I'm not sure how it will fair. I have bought a Frostheater, and will be installing it this week.

I will be running the frostheater before work. My concern is that while I am at work for 8 hours, how cold will my engine get? There is no where for me to plug it in while I am at work. Is there something I can do to help hold in the heat for those 8 hours, or am I just S.O.L?

millere5815 said:

My concern is that while I am at work for 8 hours, how cold will my engine get?

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what is the coldest weather your tdi started?
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=231504

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You'll be fine

I am from northwest ohio, even down at -15 last year started first crank. Just keep a good additive in it. You'll be fine.

The car will be fully stone cold after 8 hours at work.
As mentioned above- make sure everything (glow plug system) is in good working order, and keep a good fuel additive in it (every tank).
The frost heater will make a huge difference on the way in to work in the mornings- it will start like summer and you'll get an instant burst of heat from the get-go.
From my experience, the trip home will be different... bring a decent set of gloves and hat that you feel comfortable wearing while driving.

I was dealing with -40s last winter and I just needed to do a little adaptation to the glow plugs then it started right up every time. with no hesitation.

Corsair said:

The car will be fully stone cold after 8 hours at work.
As mentioned above- make sure everything (glow plug system) is in good working order, and keep a good fuel additive in it (every tank).
The frost heater will make a huge difference on the way in to work in the mornings- it will start like summer and you'll get an instant burst of heat from the get-go.
From my experience, the trip home will be different... bring a decent set of gloves and hat that you feel comfortable wearing while driving.

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A properly maintained TDI has no problem starting in any cold weather without being pluged in.
Of course pluging them in does help.

A few tips that I find important for trouble free winter starting and running....
1) all 4 glow plugs working properly
2) large healthy battery with clean tight terminals (i use group49's)
3) injection timing properly set with vcds, slightly advanced helps easy starting
4) a new feul filter every fall
5) make sure that you have no feul restriction in your feul pickup in the tank, (research tdiclub)
6) 4 good snow tires, hakapalita R are excellent
7) make sure your thermostat is working properly(90c, 190f)
8) proper synthetic 5-40 or 0-30 oil

happy motoring

Even after sitting for 8 hours at work it generally will start better than if it sat for a few days. Make sure your GP system has no issues, check the timing graph (advanced timing makes for better cold starts than retarded timing) and adjust it needed, and of course the battery/starter system has to be at the top of their game. I have extended the GP duration on my "winter" Jetta, but I don't think it makes a lot of difference. I have a starting ritual when it's cold. Since the GP preheat cycle can be rather long, I turn off all electrical loads (heater fan, heated seats/mirrors, radio, etc) and set the parking brake to disable the DRL during preglow cycle. All these are disabled during the "Start/Crank" key position, but during preglow they are all drawing power. Save all the juice you can for the cranking series.
When it's really cold (in excess of -20F during the day) I have sometimes went out at mid day and started it up and let it idle for 20 minutes of so. It starts like summer time at the end of the day then, but extended idle probably isn't recommended, but when it's wicked cold you do what you need to do.
Hope you have heated seats. Heated fabric is my choice for the cold time of year rather than the leather. The '01 will about set your clothes on fire in a few minutes. Anything over about setting "3" is too hot.
Cover the entire radiator with coroplast type sign board material for better warmup times and less coolant temp loss during coast or low load driving. Anything below freezing temps won't overheat with the radiator covered.
TDIs run great in the cold weather temps.
I see in the OPs sig line it's an automatic. That's getting rather dismall fuel mileage.

this also works very well in extreme cold to help warm the interior.....

How to block your front grill with pipe insulation
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=160835

Make sure your battery is up to snuff too. Mine started at -30 but I had to use my Jump and Carry Booster because my batter wasn't up to snuff. It sounded like I was shaking a tin can full of rocks for the first few seconds, but that is to be expected at those temps.

how are your starter and battery cables ? You want nice clean, snug connections. In the cold, you'll want your starter to spin the engine fast. Over time (11 years), my starter slowed but never died. I didn't noticed until I installed a new starter.

If your starter is original, put it on the list to check/watch.

I used to live in MN now I am in Indianapolis and I never plug my Frostheater in. In MN I had the Frostheater on a timer to turn on 3 hours before I left for work when the temperatures was below -15. It always started at the end of the day.

X2 on starter, battery, glow plugs, and additive like Power Service or Stanadyne.

Thank you everyone. I do need to do some work on the charging system. The Alternator seems to not work correctly. I usually sits between 12.4 and 13.4, but last night with the heater on low sitting at idle, I watch the numbers jump back and forth, and you could hear the blower motor speed changing with the voltage change.

Just bought a new thermostat from my local guru yesterday, so that will be changed soon.

millere5815 said:

Hello everyone.
I live in Ohio, and last year, it was an extreemly cold winter for us. We had a few weeks straight that the real temp never went over 10F, wind chill was always -10F or lower.

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Yes, I was in Michigan last winter with my first ever diesel car, 2013 Passat TDI SE. It was extremely cold and record snowfall for us.

millere5815 said:

I will be running the frostheater before work. My concern is that while I am at work for 8 hours, how cold will my engine get? There is no where for me to plug it in while I am at work. Is there something I can do to help hold in the heat for those 8 hours, or am I just S.O.L?

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You won't have a problem with your car sitting all day at work.

I went all winter without a Frost Heater on my car, ever. The car started up perfectly all winter long. On those extremely cold days, -10F, I would just cycle the glow plugs 2 or 3 times before I turned my key. My car is also outside in the street, it's never parked in a garage.

millere5815 said:

Just bought a new thermostat from my local guru yesterday, so that will be changed soon.

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Did he say anything about changing it? From what I've read, the plastic housing you need to remove is fragile and can often times break. I bought a new housing when I got my thermostat just in case.

/I could be wrong, I have yet to change it, just what I've heard around here. Hate to you have down and out over a $5 part.

belome, He did, and made sure that I got a new thermostat case/housing. He said that the old one would fit fine, until you take it off, then it tends to not go back on the same way it came off.

Parks, thanks for the info. I know you guys got hits the same as we did last year, so im glad your car made it. Mine is a little older, but I hope can do the same.

Andrew 179 said:

how are your starter and battery cables ? You want nice clean, snug connections. In the cold, you'll want your starter to spin the engine fast. Over time (11 years), my starter slowed but never died. I didn't noticed until I installed a new starter.

If your starter is original, put it on the list to check/watch.

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This is common for these older TDIs. You don't notice the reduced starter speed until you replace it with a new or properly refurbished unit.
Good advice.

Bought my first TDI (and VW) last November. Installed a Frost Heater a month later and snow tires. Later bought the winter front from IDparts. I mostly used the upper part of the winter front and was able to plug in at work, sometimes.

Winter front helped warm up faster and hold heat longer once parked keeping the cold wind off it.

On days I had neither, it started fine. Just don't like dealing with a diesel at those temps without some help.

x2 on installing the plastic in front of the radiator. it really does help warm your car in the winter. i put the pipe insulation and the plastic on mine during the winter.

also, make sure you have all your splash guards on too. and you might also want to invest in a aluminum skid plate for when you hit those ice chunks. you dont want a busted oil pan when its -10 degrees outside!!

pparks1 said:

On those extremely cold days, -10F, I would just cycle the glow plugs 2 or 3 times before I turned my key.

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Is cycling the glow plugs even necessary when afterglow is automatic with every start, hot or cold?

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I just wait for the indicator to go out, then start the car. just like the owners manual says. (including at ten below. gets driven further north to ski and visit)

I know plenty of folks like to cycle a couple times, but I am not convinced this is a good idea. seems just a good way to suck a few more watts from the battery before asking it to turn over the engine.

str8t six said:

you might also want to invest in a aluminum skid plate for when you hit those ice chunks. you dont want a busted oil pan when its -10 degrees outside!!

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I'd put the interest level at higher than "might want to". Especially if you drive on well-traveled roads (Interstates, etc.) with trucks and where you live is subject to thaw-during-the-day-and-refreeze-overnight, it's a matter of time until you hit something you wish you hadn't. These cars are pretty low to the ground. It's cheaper to get a skidplate than it is to replace an oil pan (and the aftermath of it being empty).

Thanks again everyone. I will start looking for a metal skid plate. Does anyone have a cheaper priced one in mind? I would like to get a heavy duty style, but can't really afford $250 or more for one.

I know the starter is only a year or two old, as it went out on my girlfriend.

A real skid plate is an excellent suggestion and should be a must have.
The Panzer Plate is a bit spendy perhaps, but I wouldn't drive in the winter here w/o it. It's saved an oil pan (and probably more) several times as well as assisting with snow drift busting that would break the plastic belly cover. I prefer the PP aluminum vs a steel one for the ease of removal at oil change time. It's quicker than the OEM one to remove and is light enough to handle. I still prefer to do my oil changes from below and give everything underneath the once over look.

I was thinking of the Panzer plate as well. I drive 100+ miles per day for work regardless of weather. I am an auto insurance appraiser.. My thinking is this. If I hit a large chunk of ice and put a hole in my oil pan, worse case scenario is I pay my $500.00 deductible and the insurance company puts a motor in my car. Done deal. Same as if you hit any other debris in the road and had to file an insurance claim. Road bed collision.

MichVW said:

I was thinking of the Panzer plate as well. I drive 100+ miles per day for work regardless of weather. I am an auto insurance appraiser.. My thinking is this. If I hit a large chunk of ice and put a hole in my oil pan, worse case scenario is I pay my $500.00 deductible and the insurance company puts a motor in my car. Done deal. Same as if you hit any other debris in the road and had to file an insurance claim. Road bed collision.

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Perhaps, but I only carry liability on both of mine. Doesn't pay to carry full coverage on vehicles of that sort of value (to me amyways). So I have to protect what I can.
Anyways, the biggest factor is safety. I drive a lot of rural hiways, some w/o cell service and rather remote. Being disabled at -25F in the dark (even with cold weather gear on board) can be life/death issue. I prefer to stay running if I can.

jettawreck said:

Perhaps, but I only carry liability on both of mine. Doesn't pay to carry full coverage on vehicles of that sort of value (to me amyways). So I have to protect what I can.
Anyways, the biggest factor is safety. I drive a lot of rural hiways, some w/o cell service and rather remote. Being disabled at -25F in the dark (even with cold weather gear on board) can be life/death issue. I prefer to stay running if I can.

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Very good points.. I agree!

I've driven 25 years in Michigan winters, and I've never once had a car damaged on the underside during winters due to hitting a chunk of ice or otherwise. So, I'm more than willing to take my chances and save the money that would have been spent on a skid plate.

Unsure if there is any benefit to cycling the glow plugs when it's colder outside. I saw tons of videos on YouTube from people doing that over the years, so I just did it myself. I'm not concerned with a few watts of power being pulled from my battery. If you are that close on your battery to make that a showstopper, you needed to change your battery anyway.

pparks1 said:

I've driven 25 years in Michigan winters, and I've never once had a car damaged on the underside during winters due to hitting a chunk of ice or otherwise. So, I'm more than willing to take my chances and save the money that would have been spent on a skid plate.

Unsure if there is any benefit to cycling the glow plugs when it's colder outside. I saw tons of videos on YouTube from people doing that over the years, so I just did it myself. I'm not concerned with a few watts of power being pulled from my battery. If you are that close on your battery to make that a showstopper, you needed to change your battery anyway.

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You've been fortunate, or haven't driven VW TDI (very low slung aluminum oil pan) in rural Mn roads, I guess. I'm certain the Panzer has saved it more than once. Once would/could be one too many.
Winter is getting closer. Leaves are falling fast now.

OP, you'll have no problems, even without the Frost Heater.

While I do not live in Ohio now, I grew up there, and my parents lived there all their lives. One Christmas (2002 or 2003, I think) we drove our 2001 TDI up from Virginia to visit them over the holidays, into the teeth of a serious cold snap. I made sure to run almost empty on fuel from down south, then tanked up on diesel in Columbus, adding a dose of Power Service anti-gel additive before driving the last hour to their home. It got down to -33 that night, so I was interested the next morning in seeing how the TDI (with no block heater) started up. It did take much longer than I was used to for the glow plug light to go out, but it cranked over and fired up immediately on the first try.

As long as you pay attention to making sure you keep it filled with local diesel (which should be properly winterized by the distributor), with maybe a shot of PS anti-gel for grins and giggles, you should have no problems at all due to the relatively balmy temperatures of +10 degrees.

jettawreck said:

pparks1 said:

I've driven 25 years in Michigan winters, and I've never once had a car damaged on the underside during winters due to hitting a chunk of ice or otherwise.

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You've been fortunate, or haven't driven VW TDI (very low slung aluminum oil pan) in rural Mn roads, I guess. I'm certain the Panzer has saved it more than once. Once would/could be one too many.

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+1. I went without a skidplate for a few years and still remember the moments of panic when I could not avoid driving over a chunk of frozen whatever, hoping everything still was intact underneath. I get that $250 is real money. But it's cheaper than the alternative. And eventually I quit feeling lucky.

OP, I'll guess your insurance deductible is at least $250. Beyond disabling the vehicle for a while and possibly damaging it far beyond $250 and/or getting stuck when it's crappy outside, a skidplate really is cheap insurance. It's not invincible. But it's a big help.