Starting Diesels for short periods of time

   / Starting Diesels for short periods of time #1  

massey184ferguson

Bronze Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2013
Messages
52
Location
Atlantic Canada
Tractor
Massey Ferguson 184-4
Just wondering if anyone has heard that you aren't supposed to start diesel tractors unless you're going to put them to work. (Start, let idle, shut off).
Whats your opinion?
 
   / Starting Diesels for short periods of time #2  
Just wondering if anyone has heard that you aren't supposed to start diesel tractors unless you're going to put them to work. (Start, let idle, shut off).
Whats your opinion?

Why would you want to?

It's never a good thing for any engine to just be started and not brought up to operating temp and then shut off. Moisture builds up in the system and I've had a few diesel mechanics say that carbon can build up on the valves in a diesel. If the engine is warm letting it idle won't hurt anything. A lot of machinery in the winter in mines and over the road trucks in the past were idled all night.

I've even read studies that show as much as 90% of engine wear is on start up. It's not uncommon to get many thousand hours more on mining engines and generator sets than tractors. Setting doesn't seem to harm them much, it's not uncommon around here for a combine to set for 10 months if only used for corn.
 
   / Starting Diesels for short periods of time #3  
I'll bet there's a lot less of a problem with starting up and shutting down diesels cold vs. gasoline engines, especially when carburetors were still in use. A cold engine is a good way to get condensation of gasoline material and having it run down the cylinder walls such that the next start is a dry start. Whereas, any excess diesel fuel is less of a problem because it'll actually do a bit of lubrication.

Doubt this shutdown cold thing is much of a problem now with fuel injection in gasoline engines. There's no excess fuel around to condense. Of course, all diesels have been injected.

Ralph
 
   / Starting Diesels for short periods of time #4  
Letting them set for months is not a problem, just keep the battery charged to prevent it going bad. Not much difference in starting a cold engine that has been setting for a week vs one been setting for 10 months. Starting any engine just to "limber it up" frequently is not good and causes wear each time it is started. Many engines in industry are ran 24 hours per day none stop only to service and many have dual oil reservoirs so they can be switched and the oil changed with out stopping. These engines usually last decades without any problems.
Whenever you start it up, just use it long enough to get everything to operating temps. In severe cold weather, this may take 30 minutes of run at 1500 RPM just to get the radiator water hot before using it, then another 30 minutes of operation to get all the lubricants warmed up with the hydraulic oils being the last to get hot.
 
   / Starting Diesels for short periods of time #5  
+1

Starting engines, cold engines in particular is the primary cause of wear.

One of the reasons to use a block heater even if the engine will start without it.
 
   / Starting Diesels for short periods of time #6  
When UPS delivery trucks stop they have to shut the engine down and restart it.
 
   / Starting Diesels for short periods of time #7  
When UPS delivery trucks stop they have to shut the engine down and restart it.

But they are up to operating temp. I think op meant cold start w/o warming up, then shutting off.
 
   / Starting Diesels for short periods of time #9  
I'll bet there's a lot less of a problem with starting up and shutting down diesels cold vs. gasoline engines, especially when carburetors were still in use. A cold engine is a good way to get condensation of gasoline material and having it run down the cylinder walls such that the next start is a dry start. Whereas, any excess diesel fuel is less of a problem because it'll actually do a bit of lubrication.

Doubt this shutdown cold thing is much of a problem now with fuel injection in gasoline engines. There's no excess fuel around to condense. Of course, all diesels have been injected.

Ralph

Injection has nothing to do with it. All exhaust from combustion has water vapor as a by product. If the engine is not up to operating temp it condenses out and ends up in the oil and exhaust system. Does not matter if it is gas, diesel, propane, they all have water vapor in them. Also and engine that hasn't been up to temp won't boil/evaporate the water out of the oil and it becomes less effective. As and engine cools it will pull in moist air that once again moisture will condense out. Repeat the cycle with starting and idle and never getting the engine up to temp is not a good thing.

So much water in diesel exhaust that a company has created a device to harvest the water for drinking.
Water harvested from diesel exhaust - NBC News.com
 
   / Starting Diesels for short periods of time #10  
From my exsperience with all the vehicles I've ever owned the major components, being motor and tranny, are still in good shape by the time little things make me sell it, or trade it, so I figure I'll start it when needed and turn it off when done,most used things you see whether tractors or cars are traded in because people want it to start, lol so I figure unless I get to a point of not able to afford trading I'm not gonna worry about it, lol and as long as my wife lets me!!! Haha
 
 
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