Excess blowby, hard starting on a B2100

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Ok, I have done several searches and think I know the answer, but would like to get some opinions. Recently purchased a B2100 with about 600 hrs. Looks and runs good but has a lot of blowby at lower speeds and idle, the end of the tube is wet with oil when I shut it off, and it will fog up the barn if it sits and idles for long. Was told to run it hard and would possibly clear up, and it doesn't seem to be losing any oil. Now that the weather has cooled off it is very hard to start, it chugs like it wants to start but just wont. Have to crank it for quit awhile to start, then it smokes like it is flooded. Again, once it starts and "clears it's throat" it seems to run good. I don't think it'll clear up by itself.
I'm thinking bad rings, low compression= blowby and hard starting? Any thoughts? And what can I expect to pay to have fixed? Thanks!

 

[638]

6oo hours is no time on that engine if it has been cared for. Check the glow plugs first. Then run a compresson check. When you say it fogs up the barn, is it with blue smoke or black smoke?

ron

 

[alchemysa]

Are your glowplugs heating up? 600hrs is barely run-in.

Just a side comment about blowby. I have a V6 4x4 thats done about 300,000ks and was starting to puff a lot of smoke. I tried adding the pint bottles of 'stop smoke' additive and it worked some but not great, and smelled bad. Then I fully changed to oil madefor older cars that smoke. This made a big difference. Very little smoke now, doesn't smell, and its no dearer than ordinary oil.

 

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I checked glow plugs with a test light held to terminals of each plug and it lights up when switch is on. I agree 600 hrs is low, one of the reasons I bought it, but don't really know past maintenance of tractor as I've only put a few hours on it myself. I would say smoke from blowby is more blue than black; the smoke when it finally starts cold is of course black. I've done a lot of gas engine work, but the diesels are new to me, not sure how to do compression check on these. I've ordered a shop manual, but not recieved it yet. Thanks.

 

[nickmech]

One bad glow plug can make a diesel hard to start. They will crank a long time before starting and then smoke because fuel was being injected all that time. How are you checking them? Here's a quick easy way. I've done this on lot of older 7.3 Fords. Remove the 12V. power wire for the glow plugs and the jumper strip across the plugs if it has one. Hook alligator clip to top of a plug and touch test light to positive at battery. If it lights that's a good plug. Or use an ohm meter. Should be less than one ohm. You can remove each plug if you want. 10mm. I think. Hook ground wire to body of plug and 12V. to top terminal. They will turn hot orange in a few seconds. Sometimes you have to grab them with pliers and pull. If one won't come out it's swelled up and bad news. You check compression at the glow plug hole. Takes an adapter for that size threads. Don't know the spec but probably around 300-350psi. I'm just guessing. You could find it easy enough in a manual. That being said, how does it run once up to temperature? Does exhaust smoke bad? How much blowby you got? 600hrs. but maybe it was overheated and hurt the engine. Hope it works out. These engines are not hard to work on.

 

[Egon]

My B7100 Kubota smokes on start up and has blow by. Its been like this from new. It's also a hard starter when cold. In fact at -20C it will not start unless the inline heater is plugged in for an hour or so. It now has 2800 hours on it.

For starting try leaving your glow plugs on for a longer period of time. 30 seconds is forever when you sit waiting.

If its not using any oil I'd would not worry about the blow by.

I'm pretty sure that your and my engine are very similar.

 

[rpraymond]

If the glowplugs check out OK, instead of a compression check do a cylinder leakdown check. That will not only tell you if there are worn rings and or valves but the overall condition of each cylinder. A leakdown of up to 8% is OK, 8 - 12% is a bit worn, and over 12% is not good. 600 hours is too low to have worn rings/valves unless it was abused or there was something defective from new.
Good luck.

 

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Thanks for the information, I'll give it a try. Like I said it seems to run good once started, just a lot of blowby. I'm thinking that sometimes in the past it was overheated and stuck the rings, was hoping to wait till spring to get into this, oh well.
I had a B7100 years ago, it too was a hard starter, but it did start and it ran great. Never did anything to it but change filters and fluids.