Cold weather start, with glow plugs and block heater. Why does my tractor not start at minus 20 C?

[Solution MF 4707]

H

 

[Roadworthy]

What's the condition of your battery? Have you cleaned the terminals and the cable connectors? Are the connectors good and tight? Follow the ground lead to the frame. Clean and tighten. From there you should make sure your glow plugs are getting voltage - nominal 10.5 volts at the glow plug. From there you can check to see if they're defective - usually open, though sometimes shorted. Do they heat at all? Perhaps you're not energizing them for a long enough time period. Is your air cleaner clean? Do you have fuel? Has it been winterized? These are the basic maintenance points in preparation for winter. From here we can go to troubleshooting.

 

[seville009]

Agree with roadworthy - I always start with the battery. In cold temps, what otherwise seems to be a good battery will quickly be too weak. I keep a good battery jump box handy to give the battery a strong boost for starting in the frigid temps; always works.

 

[oosik]

In the winter I keep the battery on a battery tender. That's all I use and it's never failed me.

 

[David Wayne]

Jelled fuel?

 

[ruffdog]

For a diesel to fire off, the fuel needs to get hot under compression in the combustion chamber. It will never do that on its own without help like glow plugs or intake heater. You may have to heat those longer than normal or even twice for the fuel to ignite. Also, a faster cranking engine will compress that air/fuel faster (and hotter) so anything to achieve that will help. Using a battery heater, winter grade synthetic oils, block heater, will help. Has your fuel been blended for those temps? How long do you heat the glow plugs? How long do you have the block heater plugged in?

 

[JWR]

Where are you? Is the fuel winterized or mixed with #2? As oosik says the battery is usually the key. I'd put the battery on a charger for a few hours and try to get heat around the tractor if feasible. Once you get it going you can sort out a longer term plan. Minus 20C is 4 below zero to us 48 staters. Is it that cold very often? Untreated diesel fluel will gel and stop the engine around 10 to 12 deg F. (around minus 11 deg C.) Do you have any winter additive in the fuel or know for sure it is winterized in your area? Certainly with a block heater and glow plugs working correctly you should have no problem starting it IF THE BATT is good.

 

[Mattsy Fergy]

Be a little more specific.
Does it crank? Slowly or normally?
Is there any smoke from exhaust? Color of smoke?

 

[Solution MF 4707]

Where are you? Is the fuel winterized or mixed with #2? As oosik says the battery is usually the key. I'd put the battery on a charger for a few hours and try to get heat around the tractor if feasible. Once you get it going you can sort out a longer term plan. Minus 20C is 4 below zero to us 48 staters. Is it that cold very often? Untreated diesel fluel will gel and stop the engine around 10 to 12 deg F. (around minus 11 deg C.) Do you have any winter additive in the fuel or know for sure it is winterized in your area? Certainly with a block heater and glow plugs working correctly you should have no problem starting it IF THE BATT is good.

Thanks, all good ideas. I am in Canada, Central interior. The tractor is fairly new, and yes, it has glow plugs. But at minus 20 (a few days ago minus 35!) it may be the battery and I will double-check how to get more out of it.

 

[Solution MF 4707]

Be a little more specific.
Does it crank? Slowly or normally?
Is there any smoke from exhaust? Color of smoke?

Well, that is just the problem, because at minus 20 (a few days ago minus 35) it is not turning over sufficiently. I will look into that.

 

[Solution MF 4707]

In the winter I keep the battery on a battery tender. That's all I use and it's never failed me.

Battery tender is a goo indiea. Thanks

 

[Solution MF 4707]

Agree with roadworthy - I always start with the battery. In cold temps, what otherwise seems to be a good battery will quickly be too weak. I keep a good battery jump box handy to give the battery a strong boost for starting in the frigid temps; always works.

Thanks. Yes, I will focus on the battery.

Agree with roadworthy - I always start with the battery. In cold temps, what otherwise seems to be a good battery will quickly be too weak. I keep a good battery jump box handy to give the battery a strong boost for starting in the frigid temps; always works.

What's the condition of your battery? Have you cleaned the terminals and the cable connectors? Are the connectors good and tight? Follow the ground lead to the frame. Clean and tighten. From there you should make sure your glow plugs are getting voltage - nominal 10.5 volts at the glow plug. From there you can check to see if they're defective - usually open, though sometimes shorted. Do they heat at all? Perhaps you're not energizing them for a long enough time period. Is your air cleaner clean? Do you have fuel? Has it been winterized? These are the basic maintenance points in preparation for winter. From here we can go to troubleshooting.

Yes, it is a new Massey Ferguson 4707 and it all should work just fine. But it does not turn over well enough. So I will focus on the battery and get a jump box, whatever that is. I have not heard that expression before.

 

[JWR]

The OP said: So I will focus on the battery and get a jump box, whatever that is. I have not heard that expression before.

A "jump box" is just a nickname for a portable high current capacity battery (often a Litium ion fairly small battery) and cable set that you can jumper to your existing battery as if getting a jump start from another vehicle.

On Amazon an $80 example is

NOCO Boost Plus GB40 1000 Amp 12-Volt UltraSafe Lithium Jump Starter Box, Car Battery Booster Pack, Portable Power Bank Charger, and Jumper Cables​

I am not necessarily agreeing that you even need one but that is what it is. One nice thing about such a unit is that it can provide additive boost above and beyond your basic installed battery to help start a vehicle even when the installed battery is in bad shape, etc. Kind of a quick end-run for the moment around any battery problem you might have.
These things are small and you can just take it to the nearest outlet and recharge it. Much different than lugging around a spare lead acid battery.

 

[irvingj]

If it's any consolation -- when temp here in NH hits -20F (-28C), there's not much I can do to get my tractor running unless I:

1) Apply block heater for 3-4 hrs
2) Put a blanket over the whole hood & vent screens to keep heat in
3) Hook up a battery charger
4) Apply glow plugs at least twice before cranking, holding glow plugs on for 60 sec. each time

There have even been times when I've had to apply a heat gun to the intake manifold.

When it's REALLY cold, it can take some time --and a lot of help-- to get a diesel running. Having a normal cranking speed (not weak/slow) does indeed make a big difference.

 

[RalphVa]

What oil is in the crankcase? If using 15w40, almost any other oil will allow much faster cranking speed. For instance, if it cranks at 100 rpm (barely enough to start it), it will crank at 160 rpm with 10w40 oil and 170 rpm with 10w30 and 180 or more with 0w30.

 

[Egon]

Just as an extra look into the fuel tank.

 

[LouNY]

Newer tractor cranking slow, replace the oil.
Put in a Synthetic 5W-40 or even a 0W-30 or 0W-40.

 

[5030]

Battery terminals clean and bright? Clamps tight? HF makes a dandy terminal cleaner for 3 bucks. Good investment.

 

[Mattsy Fergy]

Yeah, that's a bit nippy!
Is the tractor inside a shed or barn? That would help.
Did you switch to a lower weight synthetic oil for those temps?
Do you treat your fuel?
If outside, you could cover it with a tarp.
You may need an oil pan warmer.
As suggested, a battery tender would help, plus insulating the battery.

 

[CobyRupert]

IMHO, determining if it’s battery or fuel or something else is the question.
Does it crank a normal speed or slower?
If slower, is this battery or cold oil? Both? Heavy oil?
Do you have any block or coolant heater to warm oil and block prior to attempt?

Is fuel jelled. Was it treated? Does any white smoke come out of exhaust when cranking? (That is, smoke indicates fuel is getting to cylinder (good), but just not igniting, because cylinder is too cold, not cranking fast enough, etc..)
If not much smoke, what does fuel look like in fuel filter? In a pinch, when I didn’t feel like removing filter and was afraid I’d have to re-prime system, I’ve aimed a blow dryer heater at filter to “un-jell” it, and been on my way.