Ck20HST cold starting procedure

[Alski]

Have trouble starting my CK20 after it sits for several weeks, (kept at second home in shed), especially in colder weather. Will crank and tend to run down battery before starting. If I let it sit for 20 minutes after trying to start it and recharging battery I can get it to fire up. Once it starts and warms up no problem starting it again while I'm using it over several days... Have new fuel filter and will install new battery to see if that helps. Any starting procedure suggestions? Thanks in advance....

 

[ritcheyvs]

Two possibilities come to mind. One is inadequate glow before cranking. I assume you wait for the glow light to go out before cranking? Maybe the glow plugs aren't working right. That happened to me twice and the fix was a new or cleaned key switch. Just squirting WD40 or (even better) electrical contact cleaner in the key hole (and cycling the key several times) fixed it one time. The other possibility is air leaking into the fuel system during non use. If that happens a lot of cranking might be needed to purge the bubble.

 

[Alski]

Thanks for the reply. Glow plugs seem to be working, will try the contact cleaner. Leaning toward air in system as you suggested, not sure how to check for air infiltration unless it is normal when sitting for a while. Live in Florida and tractor is in North Carolina so it does sit idle a lot.

 

[ritcheyvs]

The glow light on the instrument panel does not mean the glow plugs are actually powered (or working). You need to measure the actual voltage at the top of one of the plugs. Even then you could have a bad plug or two, but that's rare. You need to measure the actual current to know the plugs are working but that requires a bigger ammeter than most folks have. For possible air in the fuel system, you might try working the manual lift pump lever to purge air before you crank the engine. You may need to "bump" the starter first if the lift pump is at the top of the cam, which would prevent manual priming.

 

[Alski]

The glow light on the instrument panel does not mean the glow plugs are actually powered (or working). You need to measure the actual voltage at the top of one of the plugs. Even then you could have a bad plug or two, but that's rare. You need to measure the actual current to know the plugs are working but that requires a bigger ammeter than most folks have. For possible air in the fuel system, you might try working the manual lift pump lever to purge air before you crank the engine. You may need to "bump" the starter first if the lift pump is at the top of the cam, which would prevent manual priming.

Can probably scrounge up an ammeter. Any idea of current plugs should draw? As far as air in fuel suggestion you lost me on the manual lift pump lever? Have service manual with diagram of fuel feed pump and fuel injection pump. Don't see any lift pump lever?

 

[ritcheyvs]

Glow plugs probably pull about 12-15 amps (each) when cold and drop back to 8-10 amp at operating temperature. That's generic ball-park, not CK20 specific.

The book calls it a fuel feed pump (aka lift pump) and it's located between the fuel tank and the fuel filter. Maybe yours doesn't have it but most have a small lever that you can operate manually. This is a simple diaphragm pump with check valves on the input and output to push fuel toward the filter. The diaphragm is spring loaded to push the fuel out under pretty low pressure (a few psi). The spring is compressed by a cam in the engine and the spring force provides output fuel pressure. The lever lets you do the same thing as the cam only by hand.

 

[Ranchofla]

The book calls it a fuel feed pump (aka lift pump) and it's located between the fuel tank and the fuel filter. Maybe yours doesn't have it but most have a small lever that you can operate manually. This is a simple diaphragm pump with check valves on the input and output to push fuel toward the filter. The diaphragm is spring loaded to push the fuel out under pretty low pressure (a few psi). The spring is compressed by a cam in the engine and the spring force provides output fuel pressure. The lever lets you do the same thing as the cam only by hand.

My CK20 is gravity feed to the filter as the filter is directly below the tank, maybe they changed this on newer models...

Rancho

 

[ritcheyvs]

Another alternative (to eliminate posisble air bubbles) is to use the "bleeding fuel system" procedure from the maintenance section of the manual.

 

[mj007]

Depending on how cold it is, you may have to cycle the glow-plugs 2 or 3 times. Set the hand throttle to give 11-1200 RPM when you shut the tractor down and use that setting when you start it the next time.

 

[Alski]

Appreciate all the suggestions. Decided to replace battery since I bought the (2007) tractor almost 2 years ago and did not know how old it was. Even though I keep a battery tender on it and voltage was correct, it didn't seem to crank as strong as it should. Installed new battery and "presto" it fired right up first crank.

That's the good news. The bad news (at least to me) is I sent my son-in-law with the old battery and told him to get me a new battery that matches up and is a better quality battery, since he was going into town for supplies anyway (2hr round trip). He came back with an Optima Red Top, 228.00 bucks! Holy diesel smoke! That's the most I have ever paid for a battery. Lesson learned. Next time I'll go into town and shop around..... Pretty nice battery though 3yr. 0 month prorated warranty. Anybody ever use one?

 

[jabelding]

I have one in my ck35 I got sick of the acid spilling out of the cheap piece of crap the dealer put in my tractor. I had to completely repaint the battery area on a 1year old tractor with 80 hours. Love the optima red tops it will last you twice as long and you probably wont need a battery tender on it they have a much lower sitting discharge rate.

 

[DK35vince]

I have one in my ck35 I got sick of the acid spilling out of the cheap piece of crap the dealer put in my tractor. I had to completely repaint the battery area on a 1year old tractor with 80 hours. Love the optima red tops it will last you twice as long and you probably wont need a battery tender on it they have a much lower sitting discharge rate.

If that were true that they last twice as long I would have one. But I seriously doubt they would do any better for me at nearly double the price.
I got 11 years from my original tractor acid battery. (never leaked), Never had a tender on it
The current acid battery in my pickup is 11 years old and still going strong.

 

[ritcheyvs]

... Will crank and tend to run down battery before starting. If I let it sit for 20 minutes after trying to start it and recharging battery I can get it to fire up.....

I guess the words "will crank" threw me.. The temperature of the compressed air (in the prechamber) is what ignites the atomized Diesel fuel. If the engine does not crank fast enough too much air escapes past the piston rings and too much heat is lost to the cold metal prechamber. Cold makes both problems worse, not to mention colder intake air to start with. Also, misadjusted valves can make cold starts harder (or impossible). On other Diesels I've worked with, the valves are the "tightest" when cold and get looser when hot. Multiple glow cycles (before cranking) are the easiest way to warm the prechamber.