TDI engine fails in cold weather, why?

Hi,

I'm new here and I've read in several posts that mine isn't the only TDI with extreme starting problems after a cold start in freezing temperatures. Once, I was trying to get out of the parking space in the morning when it was barely -6 degrees, and I had barely managed to get out because there was about 5 cm of solid snow in front of the wheels...

Does anyone here know why this is the case? The long-life oil shouldn't get so thick when it freezes, right?!

Thank you for your answers,
Greetings,
Flo

That's strange, I actually have the feeling that the performance (or torque) increases at low temperatures?!
Do you perhaps not have a cold-resistant diesel (e.g., a gas station or the last fueling was very long ago) or have you filled up with biodiesel?

No, it's probably not the diesel.

It's probably only the first few hundred meters, until the combustion chambers are warm... is that possible?

It is due to the lack of exhaust temperature. These cold exhaust gases barely manage to drive the turbine side of the turbocharger.

This phenomenon occurs most strongly with wastegate-type turbos.

But after a few hundred meters, it should have disappeared!

Greetings

Manuel

Hello everyone
At -10 degrees, my PD also seems to be a bit sluggish
I believe that the electronics limit the power to prevent damage.
With our tractors equipped with the VP44 engine, it's always like this.

Best regards, Chrigu

It could still be due to the diesel, as the fuel gets warm during driving. Most of the diesel that is pumped forward also flows back into the tank!