The DOT Number: contains very important information about your tire that most people do not know is there. However, the DOT number is often found on the axle side of your tires, meaning you have to crawl under your vehicle or put the vehicle on a lift to read it. Perhaps the most important information contained in the DOT number is the date of manufacture of your tire. Many U.S. and foreign tire companies are now warning consumers in Europe and Asia to discard even new appearing tires that are five or six years from the date of manufacture. This is because the rubber and other components in tires break down over time, making older tires potentially dangerous even if they look brand new. Although manufacturers do not give similar warnings in the United States, this is likely to change as lawmakers and watchdog groups including trial lawyers put additional pressure on tire companies to follow the same safety guidelines that are applied overseas.

To determine the age of your tire, find the last three or four numbers on the DOT code – these represent the week and year the tire was built. As an example, the last three numbers "089" might signify that the tire was born on the eighth week of 1999. Unfortunately, not all manufacturers supply the decade, so this tire might be a 1999 or a 1989 model. Fortunately, the government has seen fit to resolve this confusion in the new millennium, so tires being built now have four digits: two for the week and two for the year. Be sure you know the age of your tires, and don't risk your safety for the few dollars (relative to an accident) that a new set of tires will cost. This is especially true for your spare tire. Your spare may have been exposed to the sun, or may have been placed near the heat of your exhaust pipe. If so, it is likely that the rubber compounds in your spare have been substantially weakened even if the tire looks brand new, which could cause a catastrophic failure if you later place the spare into service. If your spare is more than 5 years old, consider replacing it when you buy a new set of tires, even if the spare has never been used.

The DOT number also tells you who manufactured your tire. Many tires display brand names like Sears or Pep Boys, but neither company makes tires. To determine the actual manufacturer, look at the first two numbers of the DOT code. They are the plant code where the tire was made, so you can determine not only the company which actually made your tire, but at which plant it was build. This information is critical in the event of a problem that may required a recall.

Congratulations, is that Powell Rivers new organic produce delivery van?

The most important thing in any forum like this is to read.

Seeing as how nobody actually aswered your first question, I thought I'd take a stab at it.

Turn the key, wait up to 10 seconds, at which time you should hear a 'click' - that's the glow plug solenoid shutting off. Since we don't have a glow plug indicator on the dash, you have to listen for the 'click'. Your glow plugs will have been on for those 10 seconds (or should have been), and there should now be sufficient heat to combust fuel. After starting (again, if it's like the Delica's system), you may hear repeated, rapid 'clicking' as the glow plugs fire momentarily to assist bringing up the temperature in the cylinders to burn the injected fuel completely.

A cold start is when you don't wait for the glow plugs and the engine is in fact cold. Turn the key and let the starter and battery (batteries if you got a dual setup) do the work. A diesel engine relies on compression and residual heat to combust the fuel, and the act of turning over the engine for a time is enough to build up enough heat in the cylinders and block to burn the fuel, unless of course it is retardedly cold outside, like Siberia cold. When it finally catches, there will probably be an Uncle-Buck-like cloud of smoke belched out the back end of your ride, but that is to be expected (too much unburnt fuel mixed with the air).

Of course, you can only do cold starts if your batteries are up to the task, your starter is still good (or the starter ring), the compression is still high enough (worn cylinders or sloppy pistons will affect compression), etc, etc, etc. If your ride starts fine in the summer, runs fine when it's warm, but is becoming a pig to start now that the weather is cooling, start with the electrical side of the process and go from there.

We bought a remote car starter/door unlocker from visions. it was on the clearance table. The unit itself was free and all we had to pay for was installation. We opted out of the starting feature and only went for the remote door lock and it cost us less than $75.



Andrei

This theory won't work for the OP.

L300 dual system uses 2X medium sized batteries installed "back to front".... as opposed to 1X Single Larger battery that installs "left to right" (hope this illustration makes sense). This is the stock set-up.

Like the other guy said... it will take some effort. Make sure to disconnect EVERYTHING in the battery compartment before you attempt to slide the dual batteries out. There is a mess of wiring under there. Do not try to bend 15+ year old cables. They may look OK afterwards but may be damaged or cut internally. I would also suggest changing the battery terminals as they are inexpensive (under $10) and can make a huge difference. One thing that Jesse didn't mention was the battery hold-down. The 2 versions are slightly different.

The one on my van is an over the counter version buy no model number.
I will be making one for my lwb royal and might start selling them based on this one but I have to see if the swb will be the same
looking at about $450

Might be interested if you could lower the price and arrange transport to Vancouver area. Let me know.

Calgary... will send a plow down the major streets a couple of days after a snow fall -- when everything is already polished to ice -- and leave snow banks all over. But in the 12 years I've lived here, a plow has come down my street exactly once, and gravel or sanding trucks come through maybe twice a year.