Cold start failure

[dieseleric]

put a space heater pointed torwards the engine for 30 mintues before you start it. To test glow plugs. Take a test light. Pay attention. Put the lead that has the clamp on the + side of the battery or something 12v. DO NOT try and cycle the glow plugs. Leave the key off. Take the test light and touch the end of the glow plug were the power would go. If the test light lights up bright. The glow plug is good. If the light is dim looking. The glow plug needs replaced.

 

[bigdeano]

I'd try jumpering the battery from a vehicle with it's engine running. The voltage needs to be as high as you can get it, and the cranking speed as high as you can get it to get maximum compression heat.

I had the same problem yesterday when I went to test run my diesel generator. Battery is 10 years old. It seemed to be cranking over fine but wouldn't start. I jumpered it from my pickup and it took right off. Lucky I tried it because the power is off this morning in western WA. Generator is humming away.

 

[jaotguy]

USE OF ETHER for starting diesels ...

it takes 2 people .....
one cranks the engine and gets it spinning in the right direction ... only after the engine is spinning , the second person squirts some ether into the intake ( short burst , NOT continuous ) ....

rods and engine damage usually occurs when ether is squirted in before the engine is spinning and the operator tries to cranks the engine afterwards ...... the ether fires before diesel fuels does and drives the piston back against the starter and crankshaft ... breaking / bending rods, cranks and starters.......

 

[DK35vince]

USE OF ETHER for starting diesels ...

it takes 2 people .....
one cranks the engine and gets it spinning in the right direction ... only after the engine is spinning , the second person squirts some ether into the intake ( short burst , NOT continuous ) ....

rods and engine damage usually occurs when ether is squirted in before the engine is spinning and the operator tries to cranks the engine afterwards ...... the ether fires before diesel fuels does and drives the piston back against the starter and crankshaft ... breaking / bending rods, cranks and starters.......

That would work on an engine with no glow plugs.
But the original posters tractor has glow plugs. I would not use starting fluid on that engine.

 

[CobyRupert]

So once started did it run fine?
For how long? Did you drive it around and work it? (i.e. Was fuel really getting through, or just enough to idle? Is this a starting issue, or a fuel (treatment) issue?)
Before battery went down, did it crank at a good speed? Is white smoke (un-burnt fuel) coming out when cranking?

Just because fuel was bought in December doesn't mean it's treated well enough. I've learned my lesson last year to never trust the distributor. Never, ever. I'd put even-odds that this is your problem if you haven't treated it yourself.
Good luck.

 

[DK35vince]

Just because fuel was bought in December doesn't mean it's treated well enough. I've learned my lesson last year to never trust the distributor. Never, ever. I'd put even-odds that this is your problem if you haven't treated it yourself.
Good luck.

+1.
That is some cold temperatures.
I'm betting the fuel wasn't treated well enough for those temps.

 

[holeycow]

the fuel is generally "full winter" (good to about 50 below) in Alberta by mid November. It certainly is in Northern Alberta anyway.... I bet it isn't turning over fast enough. When you get it running, change to 0W40 oil and I don't think you will have that problem again. The winter diesel is very "dry". It is best to use some kind of conditioner in it.

 

[doxford jim]

One thing not mentioned - your fuel filters! Are you sure they are clean ? If you haven.t done so already, I would swap the old one for a new filter - may be partially plugged with dirt wax etc. Also, have you tried checking that the injection pump is delivering fuel to the injectors? Have you determined that the fuel rack is not shut off or the stop pull still in the "stop" position. If it is, you will never start the engine until you push the shut off link back to supply fuel to the injection pump.
Also check to see if there is a shut off solenoid on your fuel supply. If the wire to the shutoff solenoid is disconnected you won't be able to start the engine. The wire should be connected to the solenoid for the fuel to be admitted to the pump.

I use "power service" fuel treatment in the white bottle - is called "artic" treatment or similar.

Post back and let us know how you made out - it is probably something simple.

 

[jix]

YEP, r8nger... And for me, that translates into a simple rule: DO NOT USE ETHER IN A SMALL DIESEL ENGINE...EVER!!!
(I know a fisherman that had a Detriot diesel (8v72) in a 42 foot wooden fishing boat.. he was at sea and his engine would not start, so he gave it a long shot of diesel right into the manifold, then he cranked it. The engine exploded and blew the crankshaft right through the bottom of the boats hull. It sank in the bay of Fundy. He was rescued five minutes later by another boat nearby that heard the explosion. He will not use ether anymore either.)

 

[jaotguy]

That would work on an engine with no glow plugs.
But the original posters tractor has glow plugs. I would not use starting fluid on that engine.

just wait till the glow plugs have cycled off.... then start cranking and .....

VW uses glow plugs on their diesels ... ether starts them at -40 when all else fails ...

the key is to have the diesel cranking ( spinning ) BEFORE using ether in short bursts

but as most have posted , look for the obvious first ... then fix/correct what is wrong, so you don't have to depend on "other measures"