-25c My Tractor Won't Start After Being Plugged in. Help please

[v8only]

I need to plug in my tractor for atleast 6 hours.

When you charged the battery over night was the block heater still plugged in? Buy yourself an insulated tarp and wrap the engine while the heater is plugged in.

its gonna be a cold few days I still have to clear Wednesdays snowfall I hope she starts tomorrow.

 

[Coyote machine]

Look at Shelterlogic for the buildings you referred to. I have one for miscellaneous storage, 12'h x 12'w x 30' l. If you get one first thing is use a zipper lube to make sure the zippers last and don't jamb. A common problem with this type of structure.

I'm pretty confident you have a fuel gelling problem at your filter location. You could CAREFULLY try a hair dryer to thaw it out depending on if you have a glass or plastic bowl. If you see water or ice in the fuel bowl then you are on the right track and must solve that issue first, before anything else. If there is gelling or water present you will have to replace the filter and add some Redline or other water dispersal fuel catalyst to your tank to mitigate the fuel issues.

 

[MHarryE]

Check to make sure your block heater is working. The block heater on our JD6230 failed during the first winter so failures are not out of the question. Has it been starting okay up to today? I'm in Northern Minnesota and where we had -17F when I first looked at the thermometer this morning and assume you were around the same - I see Winnipeg had a -11F low today which is going to make it pretty hard starting an unsheltered diesel even with a block heater in the wind we have had. We have a heavy duty battery charger with boost functing that will supply a lot of extra starting power for starting on the coldest days even though we have the 6230 in an unheated building. Gelling is always a possibility if you have summer fuel even with additive - our supplier switches to winter diesel good to -40 starting October 15 so we never have had a gelling problem. You should be getting some smoke if diesel is getting injected while it is turning over.

 

[Fred Barbour]

Need some help getting my 1990 Ford 545C diesel started in the cold. I plugged in the block heater and battery blanket for about 3 hours this morning and went to start it. Cold and slow cranking but no start. I tried the thermostart button as per the operators manual but it still wouldn't start. I could smell fuel so assume the fuel is ok (I added winter additive to the fuel a month ago so assume the fuel hasn't gelled).

Next I brought battery indoors and charged it for 4 hours until the charger indicated the battery was fully charged. Tried again and although lots of cranking for a few minutes, no start. I checked the block heater and it is good and hot.

I brought the battery back indoors for charging overnight.

What next? The engine should be warm and with a fully charged battery, I would think it should go. Is it possible that by using the thermostart button that I "flooded" the engine? I don't know much about diesels so not even sure this is possible. Can I use ether on a diesel?

I would hate to go out and buy another battery when the problem could be elsewhere.

Appreciate any help you can offer.

Thanks

I found that my 2009 Bobcat CT235 was also hard to start when plugged in.

In normal warm situations you turn the key to the right, the glow plug indicater lights, you wait 20 seconds it goes out and you then start the tractor. I found in cold weather and when plugged in and when you turn the key the the right the glow plug light does not illuminate indicating the tractor engine is warm and you can start the tractor. In this instance I found the tractor very hard to start but once it did you could tell the block heater was working because the engine was in fact warm and running smooth.

To remedy my situation when the tractor is plugged in I turn the ignition key to the left to manually start the glow plugs hold it for 20 seconds and the tractor fires up immediatly.

My thought it this, the sensor that tells the glow plugs to come on must be situated near the block heater or somewhere not near the glow plugs so the tractor engine oil is warm but you still have to heat the glow plugs to ensure immediate combustion to start the tractor.

Does any of this make sense? In any event that is what I do all the time. When the tractor is plugged in I manually fire the glow plugs for 20 seconds an immediate start.

Fred

 

[grm61]

I found that my 2009 Bobcat CT235 was also hard to start when plugged in.

In normal warm situations you turn the key to the right, the glow plug indicater lights, you wait 20 seconds it goes out and you then start the tractor. I found in cold weather and when plugged in and when you turn the key the the right the glow plug light does not illuminate indicating the tractor engine is warm and you can start the tractor. In this instance I found the tractor very hard to start but once it did you could tell the block heater was working because the engine was in fact warm and running smooth.

To remedy my situation when the tractor is plugged in I turn the ignition key to the left to manually start the glow plugs hold it for 20 seconds and the tractor fires up immediatly.

My thought it this, the sensor that tells the glow plugs to come on must be situated near the block heater or somewhere not near the glow plugs so the tractor engine oil is warm but you still have to heat the glow plugs to ensure immediate combustion to start the tractor.

Does any of this make sense? In any event that is what I do all the time. When the tractor is plugged in I manually fire the glow plugs for 20 seconds an immediate start.

Fred

Yes, in my owners book for my DK 45, it states that if the coolant is over, I can't remember if it was 83 or 88 degrees, the glow plugs don't come on when the key is turned to the right.

I don't have a block heater so I haven't had to use the manual preheat yet.

 

[sd455dan]

I would have to disagree with the last two posts- if that Ford is like the earlier Ford tractors- it is a direct injection diesel but does not have glow plugs. It is the 201cubic inch 3 cylinder big brother to my 175 cubic inch 3 cylinder- engine designed by Ford with some Perkins input... what I am not sure about- is whether it utilizes the Simms injection pump or the CAV unit, ( Ford installed both types depending on model)

Since the OP said It does have a factory thermo-start in the intake manifold I will try to help hoping it is like my 3000 and has an inline Simms injection pump, it will also have a cold weather fuel enrichment feature that can be activated by
1) opening throttle -wide open
2) push in the excess fuel button - this is actually the shaft - on the injection pump-that the throttle (speed control cable is attached to)
3) reduce throttle to 1/2 and activate the thermo-start as normal- ( turn key to the Left one position for about 25 seconds and then full Left) if engine starts the engine speed should be reduced as soon as possible- the shaft will pop back out to its normal position
It will be very obvious that the excess fuel button works because the engine will run rich and produce more black smoke during start up.
4) To check for water - most Fords have drain screws at the bottom of the metal fuel filter housings and IIRC turning them clockwise will drain the water first and once diesel flows clear just tighten back up
5) Good luck - I know when it gets as cold as the temp you listed mine will require a fully charged battery , the large in line coolant heater to be on for a t least 3 hours - engine block is above room temp to the touch this is using a cover to keep the heat in. normally I just use the thermo- start but on extreme occasions have employed the excess fuel button

I also agree that a hair dryer used on the fuel filter canisters and injection pump with some heat directed at the air intake can also help a lot...
Hope you get the Ford started , once again Good Luck

 

[Tx Jim]

sd455dan
I own and have several Ford diesel tractors and have never seen one that one turns the ign switch to the "left for starting" as you described. On my Fords one needs to turn key clockwise(right) to energize starter I also seriously doubt at -25C that if any water is present in filter will drip out if bleed screw is opened but I could be wrong. Fuel enrichment and Thermo-start that you referred to actually increase compression with the extra fuel added.

 

[Agvg]

How old is your battery?
Do you have engine oil that works good i such low temperature?
Did you hear the thermostart kick in? Often you can hear it starts burn the diesel.
Check all wires between battery, starter and ground.

 

[thatguy]

In my opinion - at -25*c (-13*f for those not wanting to do the math) three hours of running the block heater probably isnt long enough..

I would put it on a timer and set it to come up 6 to 8 hours before you want to use it..

Are you running synthetic oil?


brian

 

[grm61]

Need some help getting my 1990 Ford 545C diesel started in the cold. I plugged in the block heater and battery blanket for about 3 hours this morning and went to start it. Cold and slow cranking but no start. I tried the thermostart button as per the operators manual but it still wouldn't start. I could smell fuel so assume the fuel is ok (I added winter additive to the fuel a month ago so assume the fuel hasn't gelled).

Next I brought battery indoors and charged it for 4 hours until the charger indicated the battery was fully charged. Tried again and although lots of cranking for a few minutes, no start. I checked the block heater and it is good and hot.

I brought the battery back indoors for charging overnight.

What next? The engine should be warm and with a fully charged battery, I would think it should go. Is it possible that by using the thermostart button that I "flooded" the engine? I don't know much about diesels so not even sure this is possible. Can I use ether on a diesel?

I would hate to go out and buy another battery when the problem could be elsewhere.

Appreciate any help you can offer.

Thanks

What weight oil do you have in it?
15-40 in cold temps is hard to pump.
A synthetic like Rotella 5W40 will make the motor much easier to crank, and to stay running once it starts.
Thick oil puts a huge drag on things.
Your hyd pump is also pumping cold hyd oil so they need all the help they can get.

Also while I'm thinking about it what position is your three point in?
If it is down, and the lever is in the up position, it will be trying to raise it while starting, make sure nothing is going to load the hydraulics.

Also clutch in, even in neutral, that way your not trying to spin the transmission in cold oil, another huge drag, slowly let it out after it has run for a couple minutes.