Converting old thermostart to electric

[bmaverick]

The hard parts to find are the tubing lines and little reservoirs.

Fredricks Equipment has them 'new'.

Tank, thermostart – HT-4460
Part Number: 124460-77802​

Tank, thermostart - HT-4460 - Fredricks Equipment Parts

Wow, they sure jumped up in price. And it's used on all the John Deere compacts too.

There are 2 types of these thermostart tanks. The link is for the type flowing from the fuel tank.


This one is for the stand alone reservoir. The normal price I'm use to seeing.

Thermostart tank – HT-1750​

Part Number: 121750-77800

Thermostart tank - HT-1750 - Fredricks Equipment Parts

Description: Thermostart tank Applications: 140, 147, 187, 220, 226, 250, 336, 1401, 1502, 1510, 1610, 1702, 1720, YMG1800, 1802, 1810, 1820, YMG2000, 2001, 2002, 2010, 2020, 2202, 2220, 2301, 2310, 2402, 2420, 2620, 2820, 3220, 3810, 4220, 4300, F16 Part Number: 121750-77800

fredricksequipment.com

 

[Strahwberry]

This is really great stuff and insight. Trying to answer some of the questions posed here back to me:
1. Does it have a decompression lever: Yes, have the decompression lever and I do use it
2. "If it isn't clapped out": I'm starting to wonder if it is. Hates to start cold, no matter if it's 90 or 0 degrees out. Once it's warmed up, it fires right up like a new motor.
3. Does the current thermostart work: yes with a caveat. it gets hot and smokes, so I'm assuming that means it's working. How I know this much, is it appears when the previous owner had the intake off, they didn't replace the gasket between the air filter/intake pipe and the engine. So there's a crack of daylight. (I have a gasket on order). Maybe that's the problem?
3. The power draw concern on the battery and alternator is an interesting concern. Do the newer tractors have much bigger batteries to handle the draw? Also, that seems like a huge amperage draw, when 1500 watt hairdryer on a 120v/10amp plug can have similar results.

My ops plan based on all the feedback, is to start with just spending the $20 on a new thermostart plug (if the old one ends up functioning just fine, perfect, the new one will go on the parts shelf for when/if it goes bad), an oil pan heater, and freeze plug heater. If that doesn't work, then I'll go more drastic with the electric conversion. Once I some testing done with the set-up, I'll post some end results.

Jon

 

[winston1]

I know your 155 has a 1" pipe plug upper center left hand side of block that can be removed. I am not certain your block will accept this heater. I think I would pull the plug and take a look inside before ordering. BLOCK HEATER - 400 WATT - SCREW IN - INCLUDES CORD

 

[bmaverick]

This is really great stuff and insight. Trying to answer some of the questions posed here back to me:
1. Does it have a decompression lever: Yes, have the decompression lever and I do use it
2. "If it isn't clapped out": I'm starting to wonder if it is. Hates to start cold, no matter if it's 90 or 0 degrees out. Once it's warmed up, it fires right up like a new motor.
3. Does the current thermostart work: yes with a caveat. it gets hot and smokes, so I'm assuming that means it's working. How I know this much, is it appears when the previous owner had the intake off, they didn't replace the gasket between the air filter/intake pipe and the engine. So there's a crack of daylight. (I have a gasket on order). Maybe that's the problem?
3. The power draw concern on the battery and alternator is an interesting concern. Do the newer tractors have much bigger batteries to handle the draw? Also, that seems like a huge amperage draw, when 1500 watt hairdryer on a 120v/10amp plug can have similar results.

My ops plan based on all the feedback, is to start with just spending the $20 on a new thermostart plug (if the old one ends up functioning just fine, perfect, the new one will go on the parts shelf for when/if it goes bad), an oil pan heater, and freeze plug heater. If that doesn't work, then I'll go more drastic with the electric conversion. Once I some testing done with the set-up, I'll post some end results.

Jon

Jon, Take good read at the attached.

 

[Jframe]

I've had a 1982 165d for about 25 years in a N. Pacific coastal climate that sometimes sees zero degrees F, or a little colder. The thermostart device worked the one time I tried it, but a block heater and a hair dryer seem to work too so that is what I use. I count to 20 using the decompression release. Here we have great fuel oil so that is what I burn in the Yanmar and in the Bobcat skid steer. Once warm the engine starts right up after lunch or after taking a phone call throughout the day. My garage is not heated.

Many years ago a buddy and I went hunting with a fellow on his 25 foot sailboat. This fellow and his wife had taken the sailboat on trips of thousands of miles. When I looked at the engine it looked exactly like my 165d, 2-cylinder engine. He said that when he used synthetic motor oil, and his battery was dead he could get that Yanmar diesel going by hand; but if he wasn't using synthetic oil he was not nearly strong enough to get it started. That was important when he was hundreds of miles from land in the N. Pacific and the Yanmar was his only source of electricity for radios, etc.

As a teenager I sometimes lived back in woods shacks logging with a provided log skidder, working on a piece rate pay system. Winter temperatures reached an honest minus 30 degrees F. The skidders of various makes would never start unless I brought the motor oil into the cabin every night to heat it on the sheet metal stove beginning long before daylight. With heated oil the skidders always started very well. That same stove cooked all the food.

 

[etpm]

I've had a 1982 165d for about 25 years in a N. Pacific coastal climate that sometimes sees zero degrees F, or a little colder. The thermostart device worked the one time I tried it, but a block heater and a hair dryer seem to work too so that is what I use. I count to 20 using the decompression release. Here we have great fuel oil so that is what I burn in the Yanmar and in the Bobcat skid steer. Once warm the engine starts right up after lunch or after taking a phone call throughout the day. My garage is not heated.

Many years ago a buddy and I went hunting with a fellow on his 25 foot sailboat. This fellow and his wife had taken the sailboat on trips of thousands of miles. When I looked at the engine it looked exactly like my 165d, 2-cylinder engine. He said that when he used synthetic motor oil, and his battery was dead he could get that Yanmar diesel going by hand; but if he wasn't using synthetic oil he was not nearly strong enough to get it started. That was important when he was hundreds of miles from land in the N. Pacific and the Yanmar was his only source of electricity for radios, etc.

As a teenager I sometimes lived back in woods shacks logging with a provided log skidder, working on a piece rate pay system. Winter temperatures reached an honest minus 30 degrees F. The skidders of various makes would never start unless I brought the motor oil into the cabin every night to heat it on the sheet metal stove beginning long before daylight. With heated oil the skidders always started very well. That same stove cooked all the food.

I don't understand the counting to twenty when using the decompression feature. Maybe I'm missing something. I thought using the decompression feature was just to get the engine spinning easier so life is easier for the starter. At least that's what the manual for my YM2310 implies. Does spinning the engine longer and then letting go of the decompression knob help the engine start easier? Right now I use the thermostart and it certainly helps in cold weather. In warm weather the machine starts right up.
Thanks,
Eric

 

[thepumpguysc]

A 20 count is excessive.. I think the most I’ve gone is 6 1000..
The decomp is to heat the cylinders..
Don’t u count when using your thermostart.??

 

[ponytug]

Once you have the engine spinning at full crank speed, I think that you are good to go. If you really wanted to wait a little longer to get some oil higher up in the engine, go for it. Personally, I just wait until the engine is at crank speed and then release the decompression. Most diesels are pretty good at igniting at that point unless the engine and air are both pretty cold and the fuel is heavy, hence the thermostart, or intake heaters, or glow plugs, or pony motors to heat the main engine by compression heating, which doesn't happen with decompression.

All the best,

Peter

 

[bmaverick]

I don't understand the counting to twenty when using the decompression feature. Maybe I'm missing something. I thought using the decompression feature was just to get the engine spinning easier so life is easier for the starter. At least that's what the manual for my YM2310 implies. Does spinning the engine longer and then letting go of the decompression knob help the engine start easier? Right now I use the thermostart and it certainly helps in cold weather. In warm weather the machine starts right up.
Thanks,
Eric

Its turn or pull for decompression, then turn the key for thermostart and count to 20, 1000s.

I use decompression in the summer, it's just a pull on my machine and crank while pushing it in. No thermostart needed then.

 

[etpm]

Its turn or pull for decompression, then turn the key for thermostart and count to 20, 1000s.

I use decompression in the summer, it's just a pull on my machine and crank while pushing it in. No thermostart needed then.

OK, I see. From your post it seemed like you cranked the engine for 20 seconds with the decompression knob pulled.
Eric