A month from now I have to get the car examined (registration), plus the time has come to replace the cam pulleys and belt. The water pump and coolant will also get replaced. Since the mechanic will have to drain the coolant and almost lift the engine, that will be the best moment to install the block heater, which I hope to order today. I just can't wait! Why oh why is this taking so long?
After having a good, long look at my engine and comparing it to all sorts of official documentation, I've noticed that the newer version has three extras:
- An air doser,
- An EGR cooler,
- A diesel particulate filter.
The newer version of my engine passes
EURO 4 emissions standards, while mine was designed for EURO 3.
Today I'll ask the mechanic if he can install an EGR/coolant heat exchanger from the newer model while he's fooling around with the engine. Hopefully, this will shorten warm-up times (when not using the block heater) while slightly cleaning up my emissions and reducing fuel consumption.
Installing an air doser is also on my list, but will take some time to figure out how to control it: it is usually controlled by the ECU in a very complicated way, to allow better warm-up, EGR and DPF use. My ECU was made for the non-doser version, and reprogramming it isn't an option.
Adding a DPF is out of the question, until a retrofit kit produced. Way too complicated, and way too many problems.
I am temped to ask the mechanic to replace my alternator with one with a field wire, but maybe next time...
I also found my crankshaft position sensor, opening the way to an engine kill switch (I was already looking for a 4-pole relay to kill the signal to all of the injectors).