Any cold climate JSW TDIs?

[Heesman]

Good morning. I need a sanity check. I am in the frozen tundra of N. Minnesota and this morning it is currently -20 F (20 below zero). My 2012 JSW sits in a heated garage at 55 deg F.

My commute is 20 minutes at an average speed of 40 mph. During the commute I kept the manual transmission in no higher gear than 4th. What I noticed is the temperature gauge didn't budge from its cold position. I turned off the heater and it climbed a little but with the heat back on it went back to cold. Normal or not?

Years ago I had a Ford that had a similar issue and it had a stuck thermostat resulting in the same thing.

Thanks!

 

[UBR WGN]

I live up in Canada. This week we are in for quite a cold snap. It was near -40 C this morning. Car was plugged in(sittting outside) and it even though the glow plug light went off right away, the car didnt want to start on the first crank. Second crank it fired right up.

I have a 35 mile daily drive to work that is mostly highway. It took a good 20 minutes before it hit normal operating temp on the gauge.

 

[redbrick1]

Good morning. I need a sanity check. I am in the frozen tundra of N. Minnesota and this morning it is currently -20 F (20 below zero). My 2012 JSW sits in a heated garage at 55 deg F.

My commute is 20 minutes at an average speed of 40 mph. During the commute I kept the manual transmission in no higher gear than 4th. What I noticed is the temperature gauge didn't budge from its cold position. I turned off the heater and it climbed a little but with the heat back on it went back to cold. Normal or not?

Years ago I had a Ford that had a similar issue and it had a stuck thermostat resulting in the same thing.

Thanks!

Seems abnormal to me, but -20 is pretty cold. IF everything else is OK with the car, I'd see if the same issues occur once the temps moderate (I think this weekend). If it's +20F out, and still the same, then get it checked it.

 

[RomanL]

20 min commute, how many miles?
i dont have that much cold weather experience, but 20 in -20*C seems just about right on the border line of temp gauge going up if you kept driving any longer.

coldest i've been in in my TDI was - 32.5 *C (-26.5 *F)
temps that day ranged roughly from -15*F starting up after cold night out.
and remained in that range of -15 to - 26.5F for first 2 hours of the drive,
i dont remember exactly how long , but it took a while for engine temp to move up. and at one point i was going down a hill for maybe 2 miles and in that short time with foot of the gas temp gauge dropped significantly down.
so i wouldnt worry too much.
as a matter of a fact at -26.5F i had to have the heater on Max Heat and on setting 3 to 4 to keep cabin warm for me and 3 passengers.

 

[Heesman]

Thanks for the replies. My drive is right at 20 minutes so I probably am worrying for nothing. My drive home tonight will be interesting in that the car has been sitting outside all day.

Up until this cold snap I haven't noticed any odd behavior so I am guessing it is just too cold to keep heat in the engine.

 

[SpamJ]

If my 02 will start after a day at work your JSW should no issues.

 

[scdevon]

My coldest cold start ever was last week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming (ski trip). It was -22F and the car sat out overnight without any kind of plug in. It cranked kind of slow after the glow cycle, but it started up and actually warmed up to the center of the temp gauge after a long while.

There is Castrol LL03 5w30 in the crankcase and PS "White" in the fuel tank. I never had any jelling issues with the locally blended Diesel and the use of PS.

CR's are great cold weather starters. After a few minutes, I could feel the filter canister start to warm up with recirculated fuel.

 

[poweredbytdi]

5F this morning and evening. 18 Mile commute. Took much longer than normal to warm up. I could adjust the engine water temp by how much I was heating the cabin. From what I can tell from previous posts this is normal and blocking the front grills is the best way to help warm up without using a Frost Heater or a parking heater (more popular in Europe). Plenty of info on here about all three. Brrr...I mean good luck!

 

[GraniteRooster]

Heesman - I would not be worried at all, I have had quite a bit of cold weather driving here in NH and it takes a LONG time to build engine heat once the temperature starts to dip below 0 degrees. At -20, I would not be surprised at all if the engine temperature never reached normal temps, or even moved the temp gauge. I recall one drive that was 1.5 hours & 100 miles at highway speeds, and temp gauge got maybe about halfway to normal - lower-mid 100's or so...) might have been -10 to -15 degree range that morning. My feet in particular were freezing by the time I got where I was going, even with the 1000W aux. heater cranked all the way up.

 

[greengeeker]

I could adjust the engine water temp by how much I was heating the cabin.

Even with my winter front AND my radiator blocked today I was unable to run my fan on 3 without affecting the coolant temp. (-15F this morning)

20 mins at 40mph is only 13 miles. Especially given the low load you have during your short commute I'm not at all surprised you didn't get up to temp.

 

[bosa]

This morning in Qc city we have -33°C... my car is plugged in for 3h before I start it so no problem so far.... My only complain is handbrake... frozen last week at -30°C so I expect the same thing today and dealer didn't find any problem...

 

[Heesman]

My commute home yielded a nearly normal temp by the time I got home. I kept the tranny in 3rd most of the way so lack of load was the culprit yesterday morning.

I had a 6.0 Powerstroke in 2003 that bucked like a wild bronco when started at -20. I was surprised at how quiet and smooth the idle on the JSW when I started it last night.

Great cars!

 

[wolfen1960]

This morning in Qc city we have -33°C... my car is plugged in for 3h before I start it so no problem so far.... My only complain is handbrake... frozen last week at -30°C so I expect the same thing today and dealer didn't find any problem...

Here in Southern Alberta we often go from +10 to -25 or worse in a couple of hours. With the moisture at + temps I found many years ago NOT to use the hand brake. It freezes up so bad with our huge temp changes. I know...ease up on the tranny and use the brake, but I hate having my brakes frozen on too many occasions!

 

[Conrad -JSW]

As a comparison.


My car is kept in an unheated insulated garage. According to the car it was 15F inside the garage this morn when I started it. I let it idle for 2 mins, turned the temp dial to max with the fan set at 2 and I was off. The car reported that it was zero outside.


My commute is ~15 miles and ~15 minutes, 90% highway. My wife works 5 miles from the house and I drop her off first. The temp gauge showed halfway to 190 when I dropped her off and then after another 5 miles it was at ~190.

 

[ARGH]

we have instant heat plus the heated seats. why do you care what the engine temp is or if it drops?

do not idle the car. the auxilary heat engages only if rpm's are 1600 or higher so just start and drive away and keep rpm's high throughout the commute.

as long as the deisel does not gel and your battery is good, the tdi will always start regardless of how cold it is outside.

 

[glennco]

Question, where did you read that 1600 rpm number in relation to the aux electic heater?

 

[Conrad -JSW]

we have instant heat plus the heated seats. why do you care what the engine temp is or if it drops?

do not idle the car. the auxilary heat engages only if rpm's are 1600 or higher so just start and drive away and keep rpm's high throughout the commute.

as long as the deisel does not gel and your battery is good, the tdi will always start regardless of how cold it is outside.

That's not true. I can hear the relay kick in and feel some warm air coming from my vents while my car is idling.

 

[cd_booth]

That's not true. I can hear the relay kick in and feel some warm air coming from my vents while my car is idling.

A certain RPM level was always the initial thought. I believe it's a certain voltage level that cycles the electric heater though.

 

[vwfreak]

-27*C this morning in Ottawa, couldn't plug the car since I was over at my GF's house and no outside plug, ugh!! Car started no problem but took forever to reach operating temp, my commute is 30 minutes to work at a average of 40 mph... Can't wait for these cold temps to go away, my fuel mileage is taking a hit this week.

 

[Henrick]

Is the diesel engine making clatter and knocking sounds at those low temperatures? Doesn't it feel like the engine's going to fail in a few moments?

What about clutch & brake system, also how're the gears changing? That stuff should be way thick at those temperatures...

 

[vwfreak]

Is the diesel engine making clatter and knocking sounds at those low temperatures? Doesn't it feel like the engine's going to fail in a few moments?

What about clutch & brake system, also how're the gears changing? That stuff should be way thick at those temperatures...

Clatter, knocking, yes, engine going to fail maybe for the first 30 sec

Gear change is very stiff for the first 10-15 minutes of driving, braking feels about the same but holy creaks and cracks the cabin makes, so many rattles its crazy.

 

[ARGH]

That's not true. I can hear the relay kick in and feel some warm air coming from my vents while my car is idling.

it's true. test it for yourself since we are in same state. start it up and let it idle for a few mins in 10 degree temps. there will not be any warm air. then on another day start and drive off right away. there will be warm air starting to come on after 45 seconds. within 2 minutes i turn the heat to full blast since it's warmer than ambient temp.

in extreme cold, the trick is to recirculate the air so as not allow the cold outside air to affect the heat. then turn it off right when windows start to fog but by then you will be fully warm. this is also mentioned in the manual.

 

[ARGH]

-27*C this morning in Ottawa, couldn't plug the car since I was over at my GF's house and no outside plug, ugh!! Car started no problem but took forever to reach operating temp, my commute is 30 minutes to work at a average of 40 mph... Can't wait for these cold temps to go away, my fuel mileage is taking a hit this week.

but you were warm, right? so why you stressing over what temps the engine is at?

the tdi has instant heat! take advantage of it!

 

[Conrad -JSW]

it's true. test it for yourself since we are in same state. start it up and let it idle for a few mins in 10 degree temps. there will not be any warm air. then on another day start and drive off right away. there will be warm air starting to come on after 45 seconds. within 2 minutes i turn the heat to full blast since it's warmer than ambient temp.

in extreme cold, the trick is to recirculate the air so as not allow the cold outside air to affect the heat. then turn it off right when windows start to fog but by then you will be fully warm. this is also mentioned in the manual.

No, it isn't true. If while idling after a cold start I turn the temp dial to med and then to high I can hear the relay click and in a moment I can feel warm air blowing from the vents. If I don't turn the dial to med first it won't work. Test it yourself.

Edit to add, this is with a fan setting of 2. I don't know if that makes any difference or not.

 

[vwfreak]

but you were warm, right? so why you stressing over what temps the engine is at?

the tdi has instant heat! take advantage of it!

With the heated seat my butt and back were, the cabin not so much...

It's still better on startup anyways when it's plugged, less stress on engine components.

 

[Dadskier]

I get about 1/2 way to 190 in about 5 minutes of driving (even in the single digits this morning) and then it quickly goes to temp. Never seem to get heat until it's warmed up however. I'll try turning the heat down and back tomorrow to see if it will kick on the aux heater.

 

[fastball]

Well, here in NW Ontario, it's been -35 C to -40 these last 3 mornings...and my '11 JSW sits and shivers in the driveway. It's been plugged in, though - and it took two attempts the other morning, but she fired up and ran OK.
My commute is about 10km, and takes about 15 minutes....but the temp gauge needle barely budges during that time.
I'm not sure if this is a American/Canadian model thing - but I've never heard of "instant heat" in our cars. And I can guaran-damn-tee you that there's no "instant heat" coming out of those vents for at least 10 minutes at -35C.
Heated seats are a god-send, but they still take 5-odd minutes to be noticeable.

 

[Henrick]

How about shock absorbers performance at those temperatures? Doesn't it feel like you don't have ones? There's mineral oil inside so I guess it's thick as honey.

 

[Conrad -JSW]

Well, here in NW Ontario, it's been -35 C to -40 these last 3 mornings...and my '11 JSW sits and shivers in the driveway. It's been plugged in, though - and it took two attempts the other morning, but she fired up and ran OK.
My commute is about 10km, and takes about 15 minutes....but the temp gauge needle barely budges during that time.
I'm not sure if this is a American/Canadian model thing - but I've never heard of "instant heat" in our cars. And I can guaran-damn-tee you that there's no "instant heat" coming out of those vents for at least 10 minutes at -35C.
Heated seats are a god-send, but they still take 5-odd minutes to be noticeable.

'Instant' is a relative term.

 

[fastball]

How about shock absorbers performance at those temperatures? Doesn't it feel like you don't have ones? There's mineral oil inside so I guess it's thick as honey.

They're bad...but not quite as bad as the square tires that you have to drive on for the first mile or two. You know it's cold when the liquid crystal display on the radio just fades in and out.