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Home > Expedition & Overland > Nordkapp 2012 - Experiences 2 Diesel, Power and Lights
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SteveS



Member Since: 05 Oct 2010
Location: Devon & Berkshire
Posts: 388
England 2009 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 USW Santorini Black
Nordkapp 2012 - Experiences 2 Diesel, Power and Lights
Second in the series.......

Diesel and Power
We had no trouble with diesel waxing as the fuel is already treated. On the coldest mornings (-35 to -40C) I felt that there was a little lumpiness at start up but this quickly cleared. I recommend that you fill any long range tanks only once you are well into Norway. Generally there are plenty of petrol stations. My Webasto engine block and air heater (Thermotop) fired up every time. A Webasto (or similar BLOCK HEATER) is a necessity in my view as one of the TDCi s failed to start at -35C as the engine could not be spun fast enough to get a compression. Put some oil in your freezer – you will shock yourself how slow it ‘pours’. On very cold mornings the gearbox and diff oils provide a noticeable drag that make it feel like the handbrake is on.

My twin Odyssey battery set up worked fine and was sufficient on single main battery (I can boost both batteries across the starter if I need to) to crank and fire the engine first time with at least 1 hour of Webasto (1.5 hours if very cold) before start-up. [The freezing point of battery is -46C-check]. If you do not plan to fit a Webasto or similar then you will need to leave your engine running all night AND you will get bloody cold in the cab when stopping for 20 mins or more. The Webasto (and heater matrix) uses the second battery when the main system is not live and thus will need to be in good condition, particularly if you intend to run the Webasto for extended periods overnight.

Lighting
Particularly on the exposed northern most stretches you will need to have good lighting. The locals almost without exception have 3 or 4 240 sized spots mounted to the front of their vehicles for spotting reindeer and moose. I had a 40” LED light bar which proved very effective. The locals used clear or blue lenses (note not yellow). I found the lights invaluable to also work out the road conditions when trying to think 200m or so ahead. Much of your driving will be in the dark or twi-light
Post #125713 21st Feb 2012 8:08pm
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