Sluggish When Cold?

[freestyle]

So as my first diesel, this could be just something i'm not used too.

In the current cold mornings im noticing that the t180 is sluggish and lacks power until i've done a few miles and its warmed up.

Is this what it should be like?

[igormus]

So as my first diesel, this could be just something i'm not used too.

In the current cold mornings im noticing that the t180 is sluggish and lacks power until i've done a few miles and its warmed up.

Is this what it should be like?

hello mate

how the engine is started?

any vibrations available after have started?

Cheers/Igor

[freestyle]

hello mate

how the engine is started?

any vibrations available after have started?

Cheers/Igor

The engine starts fine and there are no unusual vibrations that i've noticed.

It just seems to lack any oomph until warmed up and as there is a very busy 50mph road i have to pull onto, it can be a bit buttock-clenching.

[anchorman]

It shouldn't make any difference what temp the engine is. It should normally be unnoticeable.

Might be worth checking if there are any DTCs stored.

[freestyle]

I was worried you might say that anchorman!

Did do a bit of googling on diesel engines when cold, but was left on the fence with some people saying its correct and some saying its not.

Although i did find a post on rav4world and in the avensis forums here, that the engine management on toyotas reduces power until the correct engine temp is reached to prevent abuse to engines?!?!

Excuse my ignorance but what are DTCs? and how would i go about finding them out?

[anchorman]

Hmmm, well my RAV doesn't protect the engine and niether did that red'n so theirs must be special

DTCs = diagnostic trouble codes. These are the codes that the engine management system collects if it detects a fault. You will have seen several posts taliking about OBD (on board diagnostics) code readers. You can get one for less that £30 off eBay or as me and the one and only Big Kev found out on Saturday you can get one from Halfords for £130

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/U480-Diagnostic-Scanner-CAN-OBD2-EOBDII-Code-Reader-NEW-/150403709077?pt=UK_Diagnostic_Tools_Equipment&hash=item2304c27895

A code reader can be kept for any other car but they sometimes only point you in the right direction rather than right at the fault. We will get an idea though.

[freestyle]

Thanks for the link anchorman.

Will look into buying one and report back

[freestyle]

Anchorman,

code reader arrived today, where does it plug in?

[shcm]

While he takes a short break from the keyboard, the DLC connector is right by the drivers door, at the bottom of the dash. The one in the diagram below marked E16 with a red ring around it.

It looks a bit like this:

[local hero]

So as my first diesel, this could be just something i'm not used too.

In the current cold mornings im noticing that the t180 is sluggish and lacks power until i've done a few miles and its warmed up.

Is this what it should be like?

Well TBH mines not a T180, but i would say just the opposite, mine when its cold seems nippier, almost like an old petrol engine used to do on choke, and the tickover is faster as well, i am pretty sure that Kingo has said that some of these very cheap performance "chips" that you can buy on flea-bay just trick the ecu in to thinking that the engines running cold all the time which would seem to bare this out, Stew