BX25 Starting Issue

[dsmiley]

I got the BX new in 2010 and it has about 650 hr. on it. When it was new, and for years after, it would start cold with a 10 second or less glow plug warm up. It would fire right off. For the last few years it has been taking a longer and longer glow plug warm up to start and even then it might turn over a few times before starting. I am up to about a 25-30 second glow now. I have checked the battery and even tried a new one with no change. I have removed the glow plugs and energized them and they all glow. I don't know why this change is happening. Maybe it's a normal thing with age? Do the glow plugs get weaker with use? I used street diesel for the first 4 years but found some off road diesel a year or 2 ago so switched to that. Could this be a factor? Another thing, if I warm the engine with the block heater it will fire right off or if the engine is warm it will fire right off.
Have any of you BX owners had this happen to you? Does anyone have any thoughts on the cause of this? Thanks for looking.

 

[davesl708]

My BX is 13 years old with 1400hrs and still fires right up. No difference between street and off-road diesel except the color.
Could be dirty injectors.

 

[moship]

I'd check the supply voltage quality at the glow plug to ensure it is getting what it needs under load. I've seen the wiring connections and switch be suspect because of corrosion reduce the current capable of flowing to the glow plug. (I'm assuming your testing was done on a bench and thus not your tractor wiring.

 

[dsmiley]

Re: BX25 Starting Issue SOLVED

I found my starting problem so I want to post the solution should someone else have the same thing.
Since it was new I have always started the tractor with the throttle in the idle position and saw no reason to change that. I would not want a cold engine to race. And quite by accident (read not smart enough to try something different) I left the throttle advanced some while trying to start it and the thing fired immediately. Whoa! The next time the engine was dead cold I advanced the throttle some and gave it a 7-count glow and it fired right off. Talk about feeling stupid. Apparently, over time something in the fuel system changed a little, just enough so that idle position wasn't supplying enough fuel. Anyway, all is good again!