Hard starting in cold weather

[Joxor889]

Anybody else Roxor hard to start in the cold? I noticed this last year, replaced the battery but it still does it. Gonna run anti gel in the diesel this winter to see if it helps. Any other suggestions?

 

[Samyguy]

Did you try turning the key to on, wait 30 seconds, and then crank the motor over.
That's giving the grid heater time to warm up .

 

[Joxor889]

Yeah I usually do that a couple of times on cold mornings. I’m thinking I may need a block heater.

 

[OffRoad709]

Yeah I usually do that a couple of times on cold mornings. I’m thinking I may need a block heater.

A block heater will make a world of difference ! Are you also running synthetic oil ?

 

[motormd]

This will warm it up. I use one of these under my Mahindra tractor.
Uses the same diesel you put in the Roxor, and can be run off the rox battery. Puts out about 27,000 btus and burns less than a quart of diesel per hour. Usually 1 hour is enough to make the motor compartment nice and toasty.

 

[WY_ROX]

A block heater will make a world of difference ! Are you also running synthetic oil ?

I will likely get a stick on oil pan heater for the winter. I don't think a true block heater is available.

 

[Colderweather86]

Is you grid heater working?

 

[WY_ROX]

Grid heater works, I also have a DF stage tune 2, so the grid heater turns on every time the key is turned. I have had no issues starting my roxor yet. But assume when its -30 here in WY, it might be tough. We will see tho!

 

[Colderweather86]

My question was for the OP

 

[Kake America]

Mine used to be hard starting in the cold, put a red top battery in and it made no difference. Pulled the starter and found out it was all rusty, changed it out and haven’t had a problem since

 

[1BB]

Yeah I usually do that a couple of times on cold mornings. I’m thinking I may need a block heater.

Well, after living most of my life in Northern Wisconsin on the farm, and spending 367 long cold days at the South Pole in Antarctica, I've got a pretty good working knowledge of starting all kinds of vehicles in extremely cold weather.

If I were you, I'd wouldn't put in a block heater. They do work great, but I've always hated the fact you have to compromise a core plug to install one, and most of the time you need to take half the stuff off your engine to have room to install one, and then making SURE the surface area in that core plug hole is VERY clean so you get a good seal, and finally put everything back together.

Instead, google MAGNETIC BLOCK HEATER and get one that's made by KAT'S and around 300 watts. Stick that at the bottom of the block near the oil pan and it will heat up your engine, and warm up your oil at the same time, and all without compromising anything on your engine, and it takes just a little longer to install than a refrigerator magnet.

The other thing I would do, is install an 80 watt battery blanket wrapped around your battery. Again get a KAT'S made wrap as they are the best and made here in the USA.

Then put both of these items on a timer on an outlet, and set it to kick in 3 to 4 hours before you need to start your vehicle. That's all you really need to warm it up for easy starting. Any longer and your wasting electricity and also shortening the life of the heaters. Doing it for just a few hours, they will last several winters.

I also would not put one on the bottom of my oil pan. Most heaters are around 150 watts or more, and what I have seen is the standing oil in the pan that's right on top of where the nichrome heating wire is, that oil tends to sit there and cook and get VERY hot. I've taken apart engines, and you can see in the bottom of the oil pan exactly where the heat was applied by crusty black burnt oil. If you have to have one, put it on a timer too for just an hour or so, but really between the block and battery heaters, you'll be fine for the winter, and come spring, you can take them off if you want.

I wouldn't go messing with the diesel fuel and start adding things. They've got that pretty well figured out with the winter blends for your location. When you start adding in things like anti gel, you run the risk of losing some lube properties of the fuel and start to damage injectors and pumps.

When I was at the South Pole, diesel fuel there would pour like water when it was 90 below zero, BUT the injectors and pumps were shot after just one season, and all had to be replaced or rebuilt. They just didn't have enough lube in the diesel fuel. It was a tradeoff, have fuel with good lube qualities, but flowed like grease, or thin it out and lose lube qualities, but you're able to start an engine. It's a *hit sandwich, take a bite or starve.

 

[TomRox]

What is the definition of cold?
my Roxor fired right up at 9d F this morning, my 250k mile Cummins stumbled but eventually started

 

[WY_ROX]

its been around 0 here the past few mornings, and has fired right up, and warmed up fairly quickly.

 

[Roxasuras]

Always been a fan of block heaters