> During my winter camping expeditions this year I have been
leaving my
> diesel Westfalia idling for three or four hours in the evening
while we
> cook dinner and watch a DVD on the laptop.  This is done to keep
the

Bret, because truckers like to stay warm in the winter and cool in
the summer (using a 300-500 hp engine to do this!), somehow
diesels have gotten the reputation of "needing" to idle. It is
very BAD for the engine to do this. The engine does not run hot
enough at idle, thus the rings and pistons contract, fuel leaks
past the rings into the oil and washes down the cylinders, your
oil becomes contaminated much quicker, combustion is not as
complete, etc. One of the reasons many drivers idle their trucks
higher (around 1000 rpms) for extended periods of time is to try
to raise the engine temperature. It never seemed to make much
difference in the several that I owned. Your smaller diesel
operates under the same set of rules. Shut it off and save your
engine (and our air).

Myron Lind
81 Westy
82 Westy diesel getting mechanical TDI