No glow plugs - heater

[Boeing]

Can someone advise me on buying a DIESEL GENERATOR? I've seen several from manufacturers or on E-bay. None have Glow Plugs. If I have no AC to run a heater WITHOUT the generator is it going to start at 15-20 degrees or so? (I leave if it gets colder than that....):laughing:

 

[brokenot]

I don't think shooting warm air into the intake will do anything.

It actually does make a huge difference. With a diesel, you're relying on the engine's compression cycle to build sufficient heat in the cylinder as the piston comes up in order to light off the fuel. Any temperature rise you can create in the intake tract is going to be beneficial.

The best illustration I can offer here is one we see daily on our towable equipment like gensets and air compressors. While sitting outside in the cold, (zero or below), and using no starting aids, they'll fire while cranking....but not start.

Since they're towable and easy to move around, we'll push one in the shop. With no other changes being made, (i.e. battery boosting, ether, etc.), they'll start within a minute or two of being indoors. The coolant/block/engine oil/hydraulic fluid/etc. doesn't have time to come up to the ambient temp within the couple of minutes we're talking about here.

The only thing that has changed is that the engine is now pulling in ambient air that is 50/60/70 degrees warmer than it was while sitting outside a few minutes earlier. That means that the temp rise occurring in the cylinders is building faster and to a higher level than it would be if the engine were outside and trying to squeeze air at 10 below zero to a point where ignition can occur effectively.

 

[oliver28472]

Some older diesel tractors have factory installed intake manifold heaters as a starting aid without anything else.

 

[Egon]

Until I fix the glow plug issue, I was planning on just draping a sheet over the front of the tractor and cranking up a 1500W ceramic heater/fan that blows heat under it. There is no fire hazard, so don't worry about that. I figure 15 minutes of that should have the motor toasty. Any comments?

This method will work well. Might take more like an hour or two though. Note that the hydraulics etc. will be warm and maybe even the tractor seat!:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[JB4310]

This works in 10 minutes!

Note that the hydraulics etc. will be warm and maybe even the tractor seat!:thumbsup::thumbsup:

That's why I tried the sali heater, even though I have the lower rad hose heater.
I just wanted to test and see how the forced hot air would work in a pinch, if I forgot to plug in block heater or extreme cold, fuel gelling etc.

This heats the whole package in probably the shortest amount of time. Including entire fuel system.

Yes and even the seat, which on this machine is like sitting on a rock when it's cold, especialy when it absorbed some water and froze solid

JB.