COLD winter questions. Kerosene as an additive? Whats winter diesel?

[Ilikeurtractor]

Here's what I've learned about timing and fuel settings regarding cold starts:

1.) In cold weather it is better to ****** the timing to a couple of degrees BTDC. Your heat-of-compression is max when the piston is at TDC and you want to inject the fuel at this point for the easiest starting since your engine isn't turning over that fast during startup. A lot of tractors run upwards of 26° BTDC for injection. Of course, you'll want the advanced timing for better engine performance at high speed so in reality you're probably not going to make any adjustments to it and variable-timing engines are not common in tractors yet that I'm aware of.

2.) Adding cold fuel tends to "snuff" out the heat during starting since you have to heat the fuel to its ignition point from ambient conditions. I've found that in many cases a diesel will more likely begin to burn the fuel with a lesser amount of fuel being injected (hence more available heat for the fuel that is injected) because of this reason. On the other hand, your governor is typically trying to add as much as it can on startup so you may not have much control over this.

Just some thoughts...

 

[buickanddeere]

My 2-53 is that way. More than 1/3 rack travel and it just makes white smoke. Too much fuel cooling the combustion chamber too low to ignite.

 

[Coyote machine]

Well thats just it, its already set at 900, I cant go any lower (that's the min throttle position). On a normal summer day it starts at 860-900 right off the bat. during winter it starts at 400-500 and sounds like crap and smokes a lot but only for a few minutes. I have the throttle set to 1500rpm on cold days (as per manual instructions) and it will slowly climb to 700-800 then quickly shoot to 1500 in a matter of a few seconds. Its exactly like in the video minus a few rpm with the super cold weather. The dealer said heating the oil or changing it to 0W-40 will make a world of difference. I will also add the 20% Kerosene as suggested in the owners manual, it might fire a bit better.


Thanks again to everyone for the loads of info, I'm really learning a lot more than I expected.

I'd do the oil and OEM filter change FIRST. Here's why. If doing the oil/filter changes the start pattern on cold days then you've likely solved the problem. If not, you still needed the 5W or zero weight oil for winter use and you're good to go on that front. Then you can further eliminate things like your fuel supply and glow plug circuit, etc. One step at a time, process of elimination. I'd just add fresh what's referred to as 'cut' fuel, (winterized) to what's already in your tank and just keep adding only cut fuel during winter and see what happens, after you do your oil change. If you could get a shelter to store the tractor in during the winter, that would likely help overall too. Shelter Logic makes decent ones of various sizes. Battery tender and block heater are good ideas too. Post back results of what you find.

 

[Piffin]

Use a synthetic oil in the crankcase to solve the cold viscosity problem.
winter deisle here is mixed about 50/50 with #1 already. Local practices may vary. I add a conditioner when I fuel up to prevent gelling.
Also be sure your fuel filter is clean. My manual rec is 500 hours but I need to change at about 350 hours

 

[Looking4new]

Esso, Husky, Shell and Petro-Canada all change over to 'winter fuel' on or about October 15. If you have fuel left over from the summer time in your tank, I would suggest filling up real soon.

 

[CurlyDave]

I talked to the dealer who is also a mechanic and he verified that the tractor shipped with 15w40 in the crank case. He also said that he runs all his machines (huge acreage) on 0W-40 to avoid this problem during the winter. I'm only 20 hours from my 50hr service. It should be no problem to log another 20 hours in the next couple weeks and at that point I'll switch to 0W-40. The inline cooler heater is working just not transferring enough heat to the oil pan...

There is no law that says you can't change oil early. It should not cause any problem with your warranty, but check with your dealer first.

 

[JimRB]

I have been running synthetic oils in my vehicles for the past 30 years. As far as I can tell the only slow cranking I have is because of battery capacity dropping when cold. I am sure the oil slows down the starting some but not as bad as dino oil. You should look for pour test videos. Then think about cold oil flowing around your engine or not. I prefer the thought that maybe the synthetic is offering more protection sooner. My diesels smoke when cold as it takes a bit of time to get some engine heat besides the glow plugs or manifold heater. On the other hand I do not live in the land of cold so I only see a few weeks of freezing temps.

Conventional Motor Oil Comparison video youtube - Bing Videos