Temperature range for glow plugs to be active on NH 54D

[W8BYA]

Went out this morning to grade some gravel with the new to me 54D and 7' rear blade (It is a 2017 with about 50 hrs and was a "dealer training model". The glow plug console light did not come on even with it being 48-50F. As a matter of fact I have yet to see the light come on at any temperature.

Having owned a NH 25D with glow plugs I am very familiar with how and when to use them on a simpler tractor w/o so much circuitry & bells & whistles but I find it weird that I have never seen them come on regardless of the temperature.

I believe this tractor may monitor the outside temperature and it decides whether or not to engage the plugs but I am not certain. The manual does not mention this but swear I read it someplace. I have no way to manually engage them like I did on my old 25D.

Does anyone know if there is in fact a temperature range where a tractor such as this will automatically disable the plug circuitry if it considers it warm enough?

As it stands, it takes about 5 seconds of cranking for the engine to start. This is regardless if it is 50F like today or 70-80F like we had several weeks ago.

 

[Texasmark]

I'd say it isn't cold enough to activate it. 5 seconds is a pretty good while for a new tractor with a freshly charged battery. My Bransons are auto engage. They will start with the light on or I can wait for it to go off and start. Roll time on either is a second or two if I've used the tractor fairly recently. If it's cold and I wait out the light, they will still kick right off.

Do not know the temps nor each mfgrs. designed value. A good hot battery that can roll the engine fast enough to generate the heat required to explode the diesel mist has a direct impact on starting speed.

 

[W8BYA]

I'd say it isn't cold enough to activate it. 5 seconds is a pretty good while for a new tractor with a freshly charged battery. My Bransons are auto engage. They will start with the light on or I can wait for it to go off and start. Roll time on either is a second or two if I've used the tractor fairly recently. If it's cold and I wait out the light, they will still kick right off.

Do not know the temps nor each mfgrs. designed value. A good hot battery that can roll the engine fast enough to generate the heat required to explode the diesel mist has a direct impact on starting speed.

Thank you for your input. The console LCD shows that the battery is about 12.6 VDC which is where it should be when the alternator is not charging it and the engine cranks at a steady, quick and strong rate so I suspect the battery is ok. I have not formally load tested it however. I am just a little bugged by the long crank times regardless of temperature even when it is warm outside. Have seen countless videos and have demo'ed tons of diesels where, like yours they just fire up in 1-2 seconds like a gas engine. Will have to talk more with my NH service guy about this.

 

[LouNY]

It sounds like your heater controller is not working, it should have been lighting the indicator and heaters.

 

[W8BYA]

It sounds like your heater controller is not working, it should have been lighting the indicator and heaters.

I was wondering the same thing. Last night I found the module in my service manuals, not sure about their replacement cost. As an experiment, this AM it was about 47F so I ran outside to see how the tractor would start. For the first time I saw the glow plug light come on (for abt 3 seconds) and when I cranked the engine it still took about 6 seconds to start. I was kind of hoping it was the lack of glow plugs but now, maybe not.

 

[thepumpguysc]

Ask the service dept about THE TIMER RELAY.. that's what tells the gp how long to stay on.. I don't know where it gets its info from tho.
Being a 2017 model isn't it under warranty??
IF your going to start replacing relays on your own.. get originals.. about 12.00 if I remember correctly.
The P# is stamped on them.. BUT in most cases, there is a cluster of them w/ the same P# & u can just start swapin'm.. to test..

 

[W8BYA]

Ask the service dept about THE TIMER RELAY.. that's what tells the gp how long to stay on.. I don't know where it gets its info from tho.
Being a 2017 model isn't it under warranty??
IF your going to start replacing relays on your own.. get originals.. about 12.00 if I remember correctly.
The P# is stamped on them.. BUT in most cases, there is a cluster of them w/ the same P# & u can just start swapin'm.. to test..

Hi there and thank you very much for your reply. As a follow up to my previous post I went outside last night when the temps were around 36F and I saw the glow plug light come on for 2-3 seconds before I actually cranked the engine. The glow plugs stay on (someplace I read) anywhere from a few seconds to up to 15 sec depending on outside temps. Anyway, last night after the glow plug light went out I cranked the engine and it started after about 5 sec of cranking.

This was an important test as I was wondering if it would start up quicker IF I could get the glow plugs to come on. Up until now it has been too warm for the glow plug module to enable the plugs.

I did speak with a service tech yesterday (who worked on my tractor last week) and he said this new breed of engine (this being unlike any of their older models) require a very high fuel pressure to build up before the engine will fire-up and that can take longer then what we are used to. It was also very informative but he said the control module for the plugs senses TWO temperatures to determine if the glow plugs will even be used and how long they stay on. Two conditions MUST be met before the plugs are enabled. He said the engine coolant temp AND the air intake temp together are used to make that determination.

What I would like to do is to find another Boomer 46D or 54D (TIER-4) engine and see how long it takes to start up. The problem is there are so few of them around and my dealer does not have one on the lot to test for me. If another machine is taking as long as this one I will feel better knowing it is not just mine but if another one cranks and starts up in 1-2 seconds then it will definitely be going back to the shop during a slow time for me and them.

Oh, everything is controlled by that glow plug module, I will have to look again to see if there is a separate relay between the module and the plugs themselves. I think however that the "relay", if there is one, may be a moot point as I have now confirmed that a console glow plug light does come on but more significant is that the engine will crank for around 5 seconds even on warm (70-80F days) when the glow plugs would be off. The tech said something about a temp range below 40-50 degrees required before the light will even come on.

 

[LouNY]

With it being a common rail injection I wonder if waiting a few seconds after turning the switch to run before going to crank would let it start easier. I know my pickup will not crank for a couple of seconds at least after turning key to start. I can hear the fuel pumps run for a bit before the truck will crank.

 

[W8BYA]

With it being a common rail injection I wonder if waiting a few seconds after turning the switch to run before going to crank would let it start easier. I know my pickup will not crank for a couple of seconds at least after turning key to start. I can hear the fuel pumps run for a bit before the truck will crank.

That is an awesome observation and idea ! I will try that out and report back. Thank you !

 

[Newtocvt]

I have a 54d. I can start mine and let you know how long it takes.