starting in the cold...new parts, still no luck

so I have had issues starting the van in the cold, its got fresh oil change, brand new glow plugs, and I use additive for fuel to not gel up
replaced the battery as well 3 days ago, so thats brand new.
My scan gauge 2 was showing temp of 8F and wouldn't start, today it "warmed up" to 21 (showing 13F on scan gauge) and it started up.
so what gives? it sits outside and I have no way to plug it in on trickle charger or battery heater, but is this normal or what? or did I perhaps get a bad battery?

how cold is too cold I guess?
I could have sworn new battery would start it in 10 degrees (tho at night it did get a lot colder than that)

2009 cargo van btw

Never had issues with starting my van's even at -15 degrees. They always start at the first turn of the key as well. There's something not rite with your van that needs further diagnostics.

How is the quality of the diesel fuel. Sometimes its not enough to add an additive if you had some really bad diesel to begin with.

djomlas said:

so I have had issues starting the van in the cold, its got fresh oil change, brand new glow plugs, and I use additive for fuel to not gel up
replaced the battery as well 3 days ago, so thats brand new.
My scan gauge 2 was showing temp of 8F and wouldn't start, today it "warmed up" to 21 (showing 13F on scan gauge) and it started up.
so what gives? it sits outside and I have no way to plug it in on trickle charger or battery heater, but is this normal or what? or did I perhaps get a bad battery?

how cold is too cold I guess?
I could have sworn new battery would start it in 10 degrees (tho at night it did get a lot colder than that)

2009 cargo van btw

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Never had problem with mine. Are you using regular diesel? Or you running on BIO?

Let me know if you need good mechanic in Chicagoland.

Can you say a little more about it not starting? Does it crank at all? Does in crank slowly? Does it crank at a normal speed? Does something else happen?

Given the age of your van, looking into the Y cable would be reasonable. Once running, do you get 14.1 volts at the battery? How about at the alternator? If there's a significant difference between the two, the Y cable would be suspect.

The ground cable between the engine and chassis should also get an inspection. I think it is found at the port side motor mount. Corrosion there can lead to starting or charging issues.

ptheland said:

Can you say a little more about it not starting? Does it crank at all? Does in crank slowly? Does it crank at a normal speed? Does something else happen?

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Yup- this.

Describe the symptoms of your Complaint. What are you seeing, hearing, smelling, and/or feeling that is causing you concern?

Thanks for the reply guys
Usually when its warm the van cranks and starts
When its cold the cranks seem to sound the same, just never enough to turn it over
Nothing abnormal thats why its strange
When i get it going and drive, just did 120 miles, at cruising speed volts sit at about 12.1-2 or so
Id appreciate any info on the y cable or ground and what/how to check
Van just turned 503k miles

If your diesel is biodiesel, you need to add 2x the recommended amount of anti-gel additive. The biodiesel raises the cloud point of the fuel. In my area, most stations do not specify a fixed percentage of biodiesel- only a range.

I have seen the "use 2x recommended amount for use with biodiesel" language on the bottle.

This is assuming that the engine in your van is turning over like normal, but not starting. Just a logical guess that doesn't cost much to try out.

The mileage and a loss of compression is a more expensive problem...

djomlas said:

at cruising speed volts sit at about 12.1-2 or so

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Where EXACTLY are you measuring that voltage?

djomlas said:

Id appreciate any info on the y cable or ground and what/how to check

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The Y cable runs from the alternator to the starter and then on to the battery. The cables on 2007 to about 2010 model years have a habit of corroding inside the insulation where you can't see it. The cable went through a few revisions over the years and is now much better.

There are descriptions of the Y cable all over this forum.

To test the cable, start the van and get a helper to hold it at a high idle (1000 - 1500 RPM is fine). Check the voltage at the alternator's output terminals and again directly at the battery. (You'll have to remove the battery cover before starting the test. And you'll have to work around the helper's feet to test at the battery.) The alternator should measure 14.1 volts. The battery can be 14.0. If the the difference between the alternator and battery is more than a couple tenths of a volt, the Y cable is probably going bad. If both voltages are very close to each other, but both are low, that's probably the alternator.

The ground cable between the engine and chassis is near the left (port) side motor mount. Give the cable a visual inspection. There should be no corrosion at the connecting bolts or the cable. If you see some, remove the cable and clean off the corrosion. Then reassemble. If you can't clean the cable, replace it.

In Chicago (with its road salt) and on a 2009 van, I'd probably just replace the Y-cable. The design has been updated several times and you likely have an old one.

sorry for not providing full info, the voltage im reading from scangauge2

sprint2freedom said:

In Chicago (with its road salt) and on a 2009 van, I'd probably just replace the Y-cable. The design has been updated several times and you likely have an old one.

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yeah the age I can see, but van has only been in chicago this winter, hasn't seen snow or salt before (already noticing signs of rust in all sorts of places, grrr)

djomlas said:

sorry for not providing full info, the voltage im reading from scangauge2

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You should be seeing 13.9-14.1 volts on the scangauge, when running.
The Y cable is a good place to start, but you should measure the running voltage at the alternator. If it is normal (14 volts) it is likely the cable. If it is 12-12.5, you have an alternator problem.

djomlas said:

When its cold the cranks seem to sound the same, just never enough to turn it over

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Cranking and turning over are the same thing.

Can you post a video of your vehicle demonstrating the concern or something, so that we can distill this down into an articulable Complaint?

The Grand Tour said:

Cranking and turning over are the same thing.

Can you post a video of your vehicle demonstrating the concern or something, so that we can distill this down into an articulable Complaint?

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its not cold enough now not to start haha.
but basically its just cranking and cranking and that it. when its a bit warmer it cranks for a second or so and then starts. not really sure how else to describe it

OO wow! 500k mileage.. How many on injectors? If you loosen oil cap with engine idling, will it try to dance around & blow off? Excessive blow-by can make for harder starting in cold weather to be sure. Worn injectors or leaky injector seals make a difference also. Will your scan guage stream live engine data? If so, streaming injector flow data ("smooth engine running" in DAS, not sure about others) in PCM can reveal a poorly sealed or otherwise leaky injector, especially under load. When starter is turning it over does sound stay even or gallop as if skipping a cylinder? @500k, worn rings can't be excluded from consideration. Fuel gelling as mentioned previously as well.