Why modern diesel cars are easily turned on even in the cold

That’s why in winter, modern diesel cars are better than old ones.

Owning a diesel car in Russia is certainly an unusual experience. Especially considering frequent to non-network stations of low-quality diesel fuel, summer diesel fuel, when it’s -20 degrees (quite normal when some filling why forget that in Russia there was winter), and the appetites of servicemen who believe that owners of diesel cars just have to pay for the efficiency of its iron horses.

Of course, with the advent of winter, owners of diesel cars try to get around the questionable refueling party (unless, of course, in the region of residence possible), preferring to visit well-known network of gas stations, getting there premium diesel fuel. This is especially true of Northern regions of Russia, where the winter daytime temperature is -30 degrees is by local standards “Tashkent”.

But owners of diesel cars start in the winter? Especially when it’s bitter cold? In principle, most owners of modern diesel cars do it, like all those who own petrol cars.

That is, run diesel engines without any problems, if the car is serviceable, and the battery is in good health. But what about the view that in the winter diesel car cannot start? In fact, it has long been an old myth, which, unfortunately, is not sunk into oblivion. And this myth is definitely true for old diesel cars, but does not apply to modern cars.

Modern diesel vehicles are so high-tech that don’t have any problems at engine start even at significantly low temperatures on the street. Ask any owner of a modern diesel car, and they will confirm this. Believe me, most of the respondents will tell you that it has no problems starting the car in extreme cold.

But modern diesel cars are much better to start in the cold than their predecessors, which were often capricious even in weak frost, refusing to start?

 Wavy icon next to the bulb “Check engine” refers to glow plugs.

First, it’s all about modern, higher-quality diesel fuel. Second, modern diesel engines use high-tech glow plugs, which are electronically operated. Speaking of which, glow plugs owners of diesel cars can read on the dashboard, where it first appears the glow plug warning the driver that the engine may start.

The glow plug is not just heated the candles. This kind of heaters for cylinders of the diesel engine. Through the glow plugs the cylinders of the power unit become so warm that the start of the diesel engine even in the bitter cold is no different from starting the petrol engine.

For example, many Volkswagen diesel engines glow plugs are located inside the cylinders and are powered from the battery.

However, do not confuse the spark plugs by spark plugs in gasoline engines. It’s not the same. The spark plugs used in gasoline engines for ignition of gasoline vapors mixed with oxygen. Glow plugs just heat the compression chamber and sprayed diesel fuel, resulting in compression of diesel oil almost instantaneously.

Glow plug for diesel engine

By the way, the glow plugs start to operate before the fuel is fed into the compression chamber of the diesel engine when the spark plug in gasoline engines begin to operate only when the combustion chamber is supplied air-fuel mixture is compressed.

Recall that diesel engines do not use spark for ignition of the fuel. Instead, the engine ignites the diesel by compression of air in the cylinders of the engine (air is heated).

Further, in the compression chamber, where the already present heated oxygen is injected diesel where the compression of the oxygen and diesel fuel is the ignition, thereby the diesel engine is started. Thus despite the fact that glow plugs are important to run the diesel engine, they do not play exactly the same role as the spark plugs in petrol cars.

It should be noted that the glow plugs are in the automotive industry since the late 1920-ies, but only in the 1970’s, automakers began to use them in diesel engines.

Glow plugs in the 70’s produced is actually a revolution in diesel engines, making the process of running a diesel powertrain is more simple. By the way, first in a diesel car with glow plugs before starting the engine you had to wait at least 17 seconds until the glow plug warms the engine cylinders. But then technology got better and better.

With the advent of turbo-diesel engines automakers managed to move the glow plug close to the engine cylinders that made the process run even shorter. In modern diesel engines, where usually the glow plugs are directly inside the cylinders of the engine, the onboard computer can determine how hot the steel candles.

As soon as the candle is warmed up, the computer displays on the car dashboard icon, saying that you can run the motor. Modern cars allow you to start diesel engines after a short delay, it warms up the candle.

So, if you are the owner of a modern diesel vehicle in good condition, which is dressed with quality diesel fuel forget about the problems of cold start of diesel engines. And thanks to modern glow plugs that perform in the winter time a huge role to make the process of owning a diesel car in extreme cold comfortable and convenient. And of course, thank brands that do not stand still, and keep up with the times, improving the design of diesel engines.