Difficulty starting DK45SE in cooler weather (40's F)

[ritcheyvs]

Recommend you check your thermostat to ensure your engine reaches the required operating temperature. The hot (normally top) radiator hose should be about the same temp as the thermostat rating after the engine reaches operating temp. Non contact thermostats (cheap from Harbor Freight) are great for these kind of readings.

It sounds like your glow plugs had lots of carbon and that can be a symptom of a head that's running too cold. Excess carbon in the pre-chamber can produce premature glow plug failure because the carbon insulates the glow element so it can't dissipate heat to the fuel/air mixture. Did your mechanic indicate the condition of the other plugs or the reason one broke?

 

[Coyote machine]

Update: Tractor is coming home on Tues next week -- cost $800+ to get it fixed. Maybe I didn't work it hard enough and the glow plugs did get all carboned up. It's been to the dealer twice in the past 6 mos for electrical problems. The last $800 repair was for a shorted wiring harness under one of the rear fenders. At that time they found loose frame bolts and FEL bolts and tightened them. This time, with the broken glow plugs, they found loose FEL and frame bolts again. Locktite'd again. Should I be going around checking every bolt periodically? The friend who is bringing home my tractor bought the same DK45HST as I have. (In fact, that's how we met -- at the dealer's when he was picking it up.) He's a little frustrated because he feels the grill guard was weak (smashed within hours), and the step ladder welds broke. Then again, I don't know how he treats his tractor... Until now I had really liked my tractor.

Marcus

YES! You should check ALL loader bolts, and the LOADER to frame bolts for looseness until you consistently find no loose bolts. Also look at the frame to loader plates to see if there is any movement showing via the paint under the plates. I found various bolts from the loader plates to the frame were consistently loose and eventually replaced them with LONGER bolts since the plates had moved and caused the frame holes to elongate. The original bolts were not long enough; and by using a dial indicator I was able to determine exactly how long the bolts could/SHOULD be and locktited them in RED Locktite, and now check them regularly.
Spoke to selling dealer and they said they run into this issue a LOT.
They said they had just completed a loader frame removal and drilled out to use over-sized studs since the holes were stripped; and you can't do that with the loader frame on the tractor. :confused2:
Don't give up, but do try to do the electrical work yourself before bringing it to your dealer. Come here first- we/TBN members, can walk most through just about any repair.... Saves lots of dough!

So, I'm not sure you said what exactly they did to repair your tractor, aside from removing the head to fetch a glow plug end?!

 

[schweizer]

Don't give up, but do try to do the electrical work yourself before bringing it to your dealer. Come here first- we/TBN members, can walk most through just about any repair.... Saves lots of dough!

Oh, I'm not afraid of doing the work myself, but there're too many projects sometimes. Remember, I did remove the timer relay box and preheat controller box, took them in to the dealer, but they said they had no way of testing them. They thought the controller box failed and led me to buy it. I should have investigated further when the glow plugs appeared shorted even after switching out the preheat controller.

So, I'm not sure you said what exactly they did to repair your tractor, aside from removing the head to fetch a glow plug end?!

Did your mechanic indicate the condition of the other plugs or the reason one broke?

I'm not totally sure myself, but there was machine shop time involved, too. I can't read the receipt -- worse than doctors handwriting. A friend picked it up for me at the dealer w/ his trailer because I don't have a truck or trailer capable. I talked to the dealer on the phone for a few minutes when it was finished, and they just indicated a carbonized plug caused a short. My guess is that when they couldn't get the plug out because of the carbon deposits, it broke inside the head and they had to take the whole head down to the machine shop to get it out. Plausible? When it was repaired I didn't want to talk to the dealership anymore because of the cost and amount of time it took. No, they didn't mention the other plugs. Hopefully they used the updated head gaskets....

Marcus