How to start an engine in winter

I have an old 200tdi Disco here [ H 2 GAG ] no less, ready for a rebuild one day.

Anyway, the engine hasn't run since last summer, so now that an expert who knows how a fuel rail and a helical works has told us all how to start diesels, I thought would give it a go. I mean, what's to lose?


Well, first time I tried the key, nothing happened. Like NOTHING. The light didn't go out, probably because it didn't come on first. After re-reading Post #1, I decided perhaps fitting a battery might help. So I fitted a battery, and then this is what I did.


I turned the key till the dash lights lit up.
I counted to ten.
I turned the key a bit more and the starter operated.
Five seconds later the engine was running nicely.

That's what forums like this are for - I would never have managed all that without LZ.

CharlesY said:

I have an old 200tdi Disco here [ H 2 GAG ] no less, ready for a rebuild one day.

Anyway, the engine hasn't run since last summer, so now that an expert who knows how a fuel rail and a helical works has told us all how to start diesels, I thought would give it a go. I mean, what's to lose?


Well, first time I tried the key, nothing happened. Like NOTHING. The light didn't go out, probably because it didn't come on first. After re-reading Post #1, I decided perhaps fitting a battery might help. So I fitted a battery, and then this is what I did.


I turned the key till the dash lights lit up.
I counted to ten.
I turned the key a bit more and the starter operated.
Five seconds later the engine was running nicely.

That's what forums like this are for - I would never have managed all that without LZ.

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sarcastic ! never thought of you as being like that charlesY

buckshot said:

sarcastic ! never thought of you as being like that charlesY

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Sarcastic ????? Not me - sincerity oozes out of every pore.

I wonder if I could whip the whole TD5 engine and box out the Disco and shove in the 200 tdi ?

That 200 tdi started up better today than the TD5!

CharlesY said:

Sarcastic ????? Not me - sincerity oozes out of ever pore.

I wonder if I could whip the whole TD5 engine and box out the Disco and shove in the 200 tdi ?

That 200 tdi started up better today than the TD5!

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The TD5 possibly needs a blanket over the sparkplugs.

storm99 said:

The TD5 possibly needs a blanket over the sparkplugs.

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Nah you just need to tuck em in properly when they go to bed..

Hey, he never told us what is a "fuel rail and a helical".

Any ideas?

Well, Helical scanning was a logical progression beyond an earlier system (pioneered by Ampex) known as quadruplex recording, also referred to as transverse recording. In this scheme, the rotating head drum ran essentially perpendicular to a 2-inch-wide (51 mm) tape, and the slices recorded across the tape were nearly perpendicular to the tape's motion. U.S. quadruplex systems revolved the head drum at 14,400 revolutions per minute (240 revolutions per second) with four heads on the drum so that each television field was broken into sixteen stripes on the tape (which required appropriately complex head-switching logic). By comparison, the longer stripe recorded by a helical scan recorder usually contains an entire TV field and the two-headed head drum spins at the frame rate (half the field rate) of the TV system in use.

Hope this clears this up. I'm off to find out how to fit this to my 90. I may be some time.

Well I'm a bit of a noob and very ignorant so for me this was great advice.

I haven't had any trouble yet starting my '06 TD5 110, but after reading this post I thought better safe than sorry.

The wife is currently knitting a little jacket for the battery (with mittens on a string for when it's really cold), and luckily the dog bed is just the right size to fit over the engine. After all I've never had trouble starting the dog when it's cold so her bed must be good.

I printed out the post and nipped out for a test run. One thing I can't really get my head round is how to turn the key without touching anything. In the end I used a hanky to hold the key. Probably not ideal, but I'll keep working on that bit.

Next challenge was turning the engine over once the light went out. Finally managed it with a bit of help from a crow bar and the wife. Is it bad that all the oil poured out?

Anyway, I pushed in the clutch and heard some loud bangs and a few bits dropped off the open end of the gearbox.

So I turn the key and nothing happens. What am I doing wrong?

When do we get lesson two?

neilg said:

Well I'm a bit of a noob and very ignorant so for me this was great advice.

So I turn the key and nothing happens. What am I doing wrong?

When do we get lesson two?

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Oh God .... you mean there's MORE?

I've been wondering why Dave has not been on responding to all the stick!

Maybe it was his last line....."Hopefully some of this will help some of you. And i await the slaughter"

I still think we've been a bit hard on him.................Funny though

trucker5774 said:

I've been wondering why Dave has not been on responding to all the stick!

Maybe it was his last line....."Hopefully some of this will help some of you. And i await the slaughter"

I still think we've been a bit hard on him.................Funny though

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Naaahhhhh, anyone who sent a thread like that first one to a forum like this must have both a sense of humour and a thick skin.

I half-think he may have been winding us all up!

I mean, he can't have been serious can he? Surely not!

I still want to know what he means by a 'fuel rail and a helical'

The fuel rail is the train line that runs from Hamble Foreshore to Gatwick.

A helical is the atomic shape of the fuel molecule being transported by the fuel rail. (although technically thus should be just Helical, not A helical as it is a helix!)

I think it's just a spiral hanging storage system for fuel cans

or a canisterised storage system for spirals maybe?

Nah yer all wrong. I fink it's jest a posh name fer a slinkie

Hey, now that better weather is coming, maybe someone will tell us how to start our diesels in the spring.

CharlesY said:

Hey, now that better weather is coming, maybe someone will tell us how to start our diesels in the spring.

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Your engine is surrounded by a spring
Perhaps it's a Disco and it's doing the Pogo

a helical spring - maybe that's what he meant?

Oddies been the closest, Helical is a shape , Peeps who have dealt with old skool diesel engines should know that a fuel rail is that thing bolted to the side of the engine and sends fuel to the injectors, the helical differs the amount of fuel sent.

And yes i appoligise for saying plug not injectors, But tbh it shows how good LRs are that most of you have not had problems starting your wagons.

Some of you already have blankets effectively on your engine but have not relised as it does two jobs, and one is to cut down on noise.

And no none of that was copy and paste just 10yr ish of playing with diesels,.

Main reason i have not replied is cause i cant be arsed to argue with folk who just rip the **** out of people for litterally no reason.

dave18 said:

Oddies been the closest, Helical is a shape , Peeps who have dealt with old skool diesel engines should know that a fuel rail is that thing bolted to the side of the engine and sends fuel to the injectors, the helical differs the amount of fuel sent.

And yes i appoligise for saying plug not injectors, But tbh it shows how good LRs are that most of you have not had problems starting your wagons.

Some of you already have blankets effectively on your engine but have not relised as it does two jobs, and one is to cut down on noise.

And no none of that was copy and paste just 10yr ish of playing with diesels,.

Main reason i have not replied is cause i cant be arsed to argue with folk who just rip the **** out of people for litterally no reason.

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so you write a load old tosh that doesnt affect 99.9% of the lr owners on here and then you dont want to back up your statement