Is it too cold to start my tractor?

   / Is it too cold to start my tractor? #62  
that makes sense except for why cycling the plugs multiple times works better than just letting them glow once.

What is this 'cycling the plugs'? On all diesel engines in cars, tractor and boats I have dealt with you glow the engine for 20 - 30 seconds (max), and then start up. If it doesn't start you leave it a couple of minute, and have another go. In the cars there's generally a light that goes out when the glow plug is heated, and it's ready for cranking. Here's shown the difference between direct and indirect injection, also showing the glow plug:
Diesel - Direct and Indirect - V2.jpg Sorry for double-posting (though not very).
 
   / Is it too cold to start my tractor? #63  
Dose anyone have a picture of a head from a diesel engine that has glow plugs looking at it from the pistons point of view. IE looking up from the block? We should see; intake and exhaust valves plus a fuel injector port or nozzle and the glow plug end with whatever pre combustion chamber is around it. I cant imagine this pre combustion chamber being very large as that would take away from the compression ratio.

Instead of a bowl in the piston and a flat head. There is a flat piston and a port in the head leading to a small bowl with the fuel injector and the glow plug. Direct vs indirect.
 
   / Is it too cold to start my tractor? #64  
that makes sense except for why cycling the plugs multiple times works better than just letting them glow once.

What is this 'cycling the plugs'? On all diesel engines in cars, tractor and boats I have dealt with you glow the engine for 20 - 30 seconds (max), and then start up. If it doesn't start you leave it a couple of minute, and have another go. In the cars there's generally a light that goes out when the glow plug is heated, and it's ready for cranking. Here's shown the difference between direct and indirect injection, also showing the glow plug:
View attachment 414184
On modern cars (like to the left) the glow plug is more or less parallel to the injector.
 
   / Is it too cold to start my tractor? #65  
What is this 'cycling the plugs'?


cycling the glow plugs:

many/most new tractors have the glow plugs on timers...in my case 10 seconds...and then they shut off and you move the switch to the start position.

Letting them run thru a 10 second cycle, turning off the switch and immediately turning the switch back on will cause them to run another 10 seconds, and so on.

Most tractors will start much more easily in extreme cold by this cycling method.

I sounds like your glow time is manual, rather than on a timer like most here.
 
   / Is it too cold to start my tractor? #66  
cycling the glow plugs:

many/most new tractors have the glow plugs on timers...in my case 10 seconds...and then they shut off and you move the switch to the start position.

Letting them run thru a 10 second cycle, turning off the switch and immediately turning the switch back on will cause them to run another 10 seconds, and so on.

Most tractors will start much more easily in extreme cold by this cycling method.

I sounds like your glow time is manual, rather than on a timer like most here.
Have never come across that. But sounds like one of the many modern ideas to make thing 'idiot-proof' which end up being mostly annoying.
On the Ford 3000 I would glow for up to 40 seconds on cold days. The Foton generally needs only 15 to 20, and in summer no glowing at all.
 
   / Is it too cold to start my tractor? #67  
Dose anyone have a picture of a head from a diesel engine that has glow plugs looking at it from the pistons point of view. IE looking up from the block? We should see; intake and exhaust valves plus a fuel injector port or nozzle and the glow plug end with whatever pre combustion chamber is around it. I cant imagine this pre combustion chamber being very large as that would take away from the compression ratio.
 
   / Is it too cold to start my tractor? #68  
Have never come across that. But sounds like one of the many modern ideas to make thing 'idiot-proof' which end up being mostly annoying.
On the Ford 3000 I would glow for up to 40 seconds on cold days. The Foton generally needs only 15 to 20, and in summer no glowing at all.

there's a thread here somewhere that discusses the way to change the glow time from 5 seconds to 10.
 
   / Is it too cold to start my tractor? #69  
there's a thread here somewhere that discusses the way to change the glow time from 5 seconds to 10.
Could have something to do with the quality or size of the glow plug, that it simply would burn out?
 
   / Is it too cold to start my tractor? #70  
It's zero again here this morning. I don't know about the tractor but it is too cold for ME to start. :grumpy:
 

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