Max 25 hst hard starting cold

[garye5007]

Having trouble starting when cold.. not real cold 40 degrees or so. Fully charger battery. Warmed it with a salamander started right up. New mahindra glow plugs last year because of same problem. Seemed to fix problem. Block heater? Bills tractor lists for $675 is there an after market OR something else making it hard starting? Took off fuel filter no water there. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[RjCorazza]

Having trouble starting when cold.. not real cold 40 degrees or so. Fully charger battery. Warmed it with a salamander started right up. New mahindra glow plugs last year because of same problem. Seemed to fix problem. Block heater? Bills tractor lists for $675 is there an after market OR something else making it hard starting? Took off fuel filter no water there. Any advice would be appreciated!

If it had previous glow plug starting problems I guess I would start by testing them.
If they are operational and you are correctly cycling them ( not familiar with how yours are activated) then a block heater will help.

I have a freeze plug type heater that I installed when my machine was new, and I generally use it for 3-4 hours prior to use when temps are around freezing. That's really not necessary in my case, but diesels just start and warm up so much easier when pre heated. I wouldn't spend $675 on an engine heater. The freeze plug heaters should be in the range of $40-50.
For easier starting, If you don't want to mess with block heaters, you could also just get heated air into the intake with a heat gun or hair dryer. Amazing how pre heated air will improve a temperamental diesel.

 

[Sergei1]

You might try giving the engine extra throttle while starting as diesel engines require an overich fuel mixture which should be built into the injection pump so that it delivers excess fuel during starting. You might have low fuel pressure, you checked for water, have you checked it for being plugged.
At 40 degrees you should be able to start it without glow plug, I give my tractor extra throttle and it fires right off.

 

[Roadworthy]

A fully charged battery IS a good start but you should determine the condition of your battery. Monitor the voltage when you engage the starter. If it drops to, say, ten volts at a minimum you should have it load tested. Clean the terminals and inside the connectors. Replace and tighten securely. Follow ground lead to frame. Clean and tighten. Check to see how much voltage your glow plugs are getting. It should be around ten volts. Do they get hot when active? Have you checked to see if they're bad?

 

[seville009]

Having trouble starting when cold.. not real cold 40 degrees or so. Fully charger battery. Warmed it with a salamander started right up. New mahindra glow plugs last year because of same problem. Seemed to fix problem. Block heater? Bills tractor lists for $675 is there an after market OR something else making it hard starting? Took off fuel filter no water there. Any advice would be appreciated!

What’s the trouble you’re having? Does it crank a long time? Does it start and die?

 

[doneill127]

I’d check/clean the connection to the glow plug buss. Seems to be a fairly common source of problems on Mahindras with the MHI engines. Also recently learned from another member that the connector is also a fusible link.

 

[garye5007]

Well.. this morning it started right up @ 28 degrees.. thank you very much for the advice! If I have any more trouble I now know the things I have to look for. I think I’m going to look into a freeze plug type heater as this is my main snow removal and it lives outside. Thanks again and I will start it often to be sure.

 

[arrow]

Well.. this morning it started right up @ 28 degrees.. thank you very much for the advice! If I have any more trouble I now know the things I have to look for. I think I’m going to look into a freeze plug type heater as this is my main snow removal and it lives outside. Thanks again and I will start it often to be sure.

donneil127 gives good advice. Corrrosion and break-off in this area creates many a starting problem.

 

[garye5007]

Good advice about the glow plug buss and pretty easy to check. Thanks

 

[doneill127]

Pretty sure your Max has a Mitsubishi S3L engine in it. Fairly common motor for industrial applications. Might want to check with local diesel shops or online for freeze plug style block heaters.

My max 22 sits outside and I was considering getting one until I switched from Mahindras owners manual starting procedure to the MHI Service manual. No problems starting down to -10F so far. I posted the difference a while ago, I’ll try and find it