My own 2 diesel Vanagons, plus any other Vanagon diesel I've driven, really
needed the cold start handle - it will start eventually without it, but it will
crank for at least 15 seconds, and the street will fill with smoke... I don't
really know why it's different on the passenger VW diesels.

Block heater or not, my Vanagons have always started promptly, at least when the
cold start handle is pulled.

Robin
90 Vanagon Atlantic TD
84 Westfalia Joker D (now sold)

Jay L Snyder wrote:

> My '89 Jetta diesel manual (do people read these things?) says not to pull
> the cold start handle until after it starts--it is just a fast idle control
> to eliminate the vibrations.  Maybe the Vanagon is different, but the Jetta
> cranks slower with the handle out and doesn't  want to start this way.  I
> understand the no. 1 cold start problem is crapped up injectors (assuming
> your glow plugs are working).  Having the correct oil viscosity helps it to
> crank faster.  Block heaters work, but what do you do when your car has to
> sit for 8 or 9 hours at work with no 110V to plug in the block heater?
>
>                                                    Jay

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