BX glowplugs cold weather

carver4591 · Jan 24, 2005

Ive been holding my glowplug key on for 20 seconds or more in very cold weather. Does it harm the tractor to do this? Can i hold it on for 30 seconds without harm? I dont have a block heater yet but im installing one when it warms up. Brad

boustany · Jan 24, 2005

I do not believe it hurts the tractor (besides ultimately draining the battery). I don't recall any warnings to that effect in either my BX2200 or L3010 manual.

Cranking for a prolonged period could cook the starter, though.

In the olden days of cars with points, I believe you could fry the coil if you left the ignition in the run position and the phases of the moon were wrong. I don't think even that is an issue in the days of electronic ignition.

Poppa · Jan 25, 2005

I do it too. Just assumed it was the right thing to do. Since my diesel truck always tells me to wait to start I just carried the habit over to the tractor. The colder it is the longer I wait.

I don't have a block heater and don't plan on getting one. My truck, which does have the heater, has started without using the heater when the temp has been in the low single digits. The tractor has started just fine in the low teens. Colder than that I can't vouch for since I can't see a reason to get on a tractor with no cab when the temp is that cold.
/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Mike

rbarker · Jan 25, 2005

( Colder than that I can't vouch for since I can't see a reason to get on a tractor with no cab when the temp is that cold.
/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
)

How about 2 feet of snow and you have to get out to go to work! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

frank_f15 · Jan 25, 2005

the temps here (up till today) have not been above 10 deg, lows at night -2 . i just go out to the garage , 10 to 15 sec on glow plugs and my tractor fires right up, no block heater and 5 year old battery. don't think you would do any harm but not sure if more than 10 sec will heat the glow pugs any hotter. but as usual i might be wrong. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Henro · Jan 25, 2005

I remember reading here at TBN more than once the comment that glow plugs almost never fail. I decided to believe it. Don't know if it is true or not.

Personally, I would not worry about holding the glow plugs on for a minute if it was real cold. I can't imagine doing it though, a minute is a REALLY long time when I am waiting...but I would without any qualms at all if I thought I needed to.

I was surprised the other day with my BX though. I had the block heaters on for the same amount of time and my B2910 started up easily, but the BX struggled and I wondered what was going on...Everything else was the same, same fuel, same amount of Power Service conditioner, and so on. Just real hard starting on the BX and easy starting on the B...

So I would add the question: Are BX tractors generally harder to start when cold than other Kubota tractors?

Junkman · Jan 25, 2005

In my 40 years of owning diesel cars, I have never replaced a glow plug ever. As for the BX being harder to start, even though you "perceive" that all is equal, it might not be the same. There are too many variables. I left my tractor outside after the last snow storm so the sun would melt the snow off of it. After staying outside for 2 days, I plugged in the heater and a half an hour later, the tractor started quickly and without the usual clanging banging that is associated with a cold engine. One thing that I have replaced many of is block heaters. They do go bad if you leave them plugged in for many hours. I had mine at the old house set up on a timer and limited it to no more than 45 minutes at a time. After that, no more burned out heaters. With the BX, I just plug it in right before I am going to use it and go back in the house to finish the coffee and wait. 30 minutes is all that mine requires. If you want to check your heater, put a ohm meter across the plug ends (remove the power first) and if you get a reading, it is good. If no reading, then it is burned out and needs to be replaced.

Av8r3400 · Jan 25, 2005

( In my 40 years of owning diesel cars, I have never replaced a glow plug ever. )

You are a lucky guy!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif My 6.2 GM boat anchors went through them like water. Just had to replace one on my '86 VW Jetta last week, the set in that car were 2 years old (40k miles). I don't know why they go bad, but they do. They either work of they don't, like a light bulb. I don't know if they have a life of a certain amount of "burn" time, or what.

Junkman · Jan 26, 2005

I had a friend that was always replacing them in his GM Suburban diesel. I have always had Mercedes diesels since 1965 and have had good luck with them. The early ones didn't like cold weather to say the least, but by 1979, they had perfected the cold weather starting. Starting with my 1982 model, every one of them came with a block heater as standard equipment. One of my last ones had a particle trap that would disintegrate every 40K miles and take out the turbo along with it. If it were not for the fact that Mercedes picked up the bill every time, I wouldn't have kept the car. At the end, they changed the design of the trap and stopped the free replacements. That is when I got rid of it in favor of a gas job... Now, they are so over priced that I wouldn't consider one. I don't believe that Mercedes has made a quality product in the last 10 years. I like the new 10 cylinder turbo Volkswagen, but just can't justify the money that it goes for.... about 50K.... I will just keep the old one till it either dies or rusts away, whichever comes first.... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Nik · Jan 26, 2005

Henro,
I agree with you that the BX is harder to start in colder weather than a B series. That has been my experience as well. My previous B2410 generally started without difficulty in cold weather. I did not have a block heater and would only need to engage the glow plugs for 5 to 6 seconds.

With my BX23 I usually have to crank it several times to start. I will keep the glow plugs on for about 10 seconds and it struggles to start. With this past snow and 10 degree F weather I became worried that the BX23 would not turn over. Fortunately, after several attempts it started.

Like others have noted the electronic clock tick noise that the BX makes with the battery - glow plugs engaged gives you the feeling you are rapiudly draining your battery.