Hard starting

[lakroy]

I just purchased a used 1300D and am very new to tractors so any advice would be much appreciated. The tractor seems to run strong. The problem is that it is very hard to start without giving it a shot of something like ether. I try to start by cranking for a few seconds with decompression lever pulled and then let it go but it won't start by itself. It starts right away with a small shot of something volatile. Am I doing something wrong? Can compression be bad? Fuel may be old - not sure - should I replace fuel. How do you test compression? Any help appreciated.

Thanks

 

[kenmac]

Don't use ether. If ether has been used.(not just by you but the previous owner) It could be that the tractor is now addicted to it. If it won't start find the problem & make the repairs. If it has good compression,good fuel, strong battery it should start.Most if not all Diesel engines start using high compression with (in cool weather some assistance) ie grid heater, glow plugs ,or thermo start.. Preform a compression test if fuel & filter, battery are good..

Just remember... High compression engine & ether don't mix. Big explosion inside the engine. It isn't a good idea


O' welcome to the Forum:thumbsup:

 

[Smoody]

Has the tractor ever ran hot or did the owner not say? Bad head gasket can cause hard starting I had same issue with a ym2210 I had. Could there be water in the fuel? Also have you checked the fuel filter, it could be plugged.

 

[winston1]

These little diesels like a fast spin on start up. Are you confident your starting system is doing that?

Any smoke once shes running?

Does it crank without the ether once it is warmed up?

 

[clemsonfor]

wd-40 is better to start the engine on, but still should not have to use anything!!

Make sure the battery is strong like others have said. Hook jumper cables to your truck if you have to while starting to give it a boost and see if that helps.

You are following the starting procedures?

Its something like this, paraphrased from the manual.

Pull throttle to wide open
Use thermostart for 20 seconds if you have it and want it or need it
Pull decompression lever and spin it up then let it close and keep cranking.
Once caught push throttle back to half and then maintain a speed no higher than either 1200 or 1300 rpm (dotn remember which)for warm up.
The longer you crank with the decomp open the more heat you will make and ease starting.

 

[California]

Just a minor note - But only if you have an old can of WD40. They changed the ingredients a few years ago when glue-sniffing became a fad. The present version of WD40 no longer contains the volatiles that help starting.

 

[lakroy]

Thanks for all of the advice. It is much appreciated. I don't know too much about its history. He said he bought it a few years ago from a dealer and it was mechanically reconditioned when he bought it and had about 130 hours since then. When we went to see it he said it hadn't been started in a while and gave it a shot of something (not sure what) to get it going. It seemed to run fine and I didn't think any more about it. When we got it home it wouldn't start so we gave it a shot of brake cleaner which was all we had and it started right up.

Based on the advice here, I think it may be the battery or connections. It turns over but not real fast and maybe it needs a little more speed on the cranking. I'll try jumping it. I'll also check out the fuel filter but it looks OK. Thanks for the starting procedure. I did crank for a while with the decompression lever out but maybe not long enough. The crank speed slowed considerably after only 20 seconds or so at full compression so I think it just may need a new battery.

I'll let you know what I find and thanks again for all the great advice. This is a really great forum.

 

[Smoody]

I don't think its good for the starter to spin it for that long even with the decompression open, could be wrong but I generally do it a few times for about 8 seconds at a time.

 

[clemsonfor]

I don't think its good for the starter to spin it for that long even with the decompression open, could be wrong but I generally do it a few times for about 8 seconds at a time.

Yea its not great for it. You really will build more heat with the lever closed but if your battery slows after 20 seconds of it open it will slow after maybe 5 seconds cranking with it closed. There is little resistance with it closed. If the starter of wires are too hot to touch you should let it cool down for a few mins before resuming. Make sure all connections are clean and shiny as well, dirty ones can cause resistance.

Word just so you know, the amazing part about a deisel is that they "store" much better than a gas motor. That is the brilliant part about them weather it was one month one week or one year as long as the battery is good and everything else it should start the same each time. deisels that have been sitting 10 or 20 years have been started just normally by just putting new batteries and fuel in them.

Hopefully that was just his ignorance and he was not trying to cover up a larger problem with the tractor with that story to an unsuspecting buyer. But sounds as if your ok. Speed is what you need to start these things, and a bad batter dosent get you there. The decomp lever helps but cant oveer come a really weak battery.

 

[Gramps in NM]

Basic stuff, do NOT use either.
check condition of fuel, then check for fuel flow
see if your injector pump has oil in it, either way drain and refill since it's been sitting.
check battery condition (load test), (diesels need a lot of power to turn over due to high compression rate) then check all electrical connections especially main ground and battery connections.
check for glow plugs, you may or may not have them. If you have them and they are working they should draw about 24-28 amps (3 cylinder) watch your ammeter.
if you are in a cold area you may need to add some supplementary heat to aid in starting.
engine needs lots of air, check air filter. you may have a heater in air inlet.

That's enough for now, try it you may like it.
Gramps