what does this do?

[Westy End]

it is by the steering column. it looks like a choke but my van is a westfalia turbo diesel. havent tried it with the engine on but cant see any wire moving when i push it in or out. as far as i can tell it goes towards the rear of the van.

[wigg1]

cold start { choke }

[Westy End]

groovy - thanks. i just thought that diesels didnt need chokes - learn something new.....

[Simon Baxter]

It's not a choke, a choke reduces the amount of air that the engine will draw in, this doesn't do that (i.e, choke, or strangle).
It's the cold start lever, when pulled it will advance the injection pump timing by a couple of degrees to obtain a smooth idle when the engine is cold.
Once the engine is starting to warm up it should be pushed back in.
You shouldn't need it until the ambient temp is around freezing.
if you do need it then you have problems.

[Westy End]

thanks simon. that clears things up. fortunately i dont need to use it and when the temperature is approaching freezing i will not be camping!

[Rozzo]

thanks simon. that clears things up. fortunately i dont need to use it and when the temperature is approaching freezing i will not be camping!

lightweight

[kevtherev]

seconded