Our '99 turbodiesel has failed to start on the two below-freezing mornings that we have had so far.

The engine cranks well but just goes "phut phut" without starting. Both times I have been able to start once the sun came up, although once the battery ran down and I needed to jump it from my ever-faithful Mustang.

We took it to an independent mechanic to sit overnight, but it started right up for them the next morning; it didn't get cold that night. They checked the glow plugs and the relay and found no problems.

The engine starts fine when it is warm out, or when the engine itself is warm. I would expect hard starting on any morning if the glow plugs were not working, but when it starts it does so without hesitation.

Is there another possible cause, like a fuel solenoid sticking in the cold or some such? My other diesel was an older one and it was all mechanical, this one has lots of electrical stuff.

 

When it's real cold turn the key on let the glow plug light go off turn the key off thenback on then try and start it. This usealy helps start them, also make sure you're buying fuel from a reputable place that goes through a lot so it's treated as the temp drops