Guys: I know this is not your typical AC discussion but thought I would tap into your vast and sage wisdom on Cold Weather Diesel Battery Maintenance. Maybe, just maybe the answers we share here could help in starting up our old AC Diesel crawler and dozers as well. Here' the deal.....
I purchased a 1990 VW Diesel Jetta. Excellent Motor in this machine. I will be using it for a 14 mile commute to work this winter. Given that scenario, I expect to encounter some extreme cold days when the temp will drop down to 0 or below. I would like to add a DC battery maintainer to keep the Cold Cranking Amps as high as possible.
While the car is home I can plug in 1 hour before work and the VW Diesel will light right off no problem. In advance of the coming cold weather I approached the folks that manage the garage where I park the car about paying for some small electrical usage only a really cold days to plug the diesel in for about 1 hour before leaving work. Answer I got was no way we cannot provide any exceptions for Diesel owners.
I was thinking is there a way a guy could use a battery maintainer on the battery under the hood and wire it to run off DC to a good known remote battery say on the floor of the back seat?
I am looking for remote power options that I can supply myself to aide in severe cold weather starting since I am unable to use the power supply. In extreme cold situations I normally go out during lunch and start up the Diesel to keep the block from getting cold soaked. So far that system has worked well with my Diesel 3/4 ton - not sure if I can get away solely with that approach on Jetta Diesel so am looking for good options to induce this little engine in severe cold. I just took ownership of this Jetta and trying to plan in advance before things begin to really ice up here.
Any thoughts and comments are very much appreciated. Take care guys! Orangeman
|