Cold Start Video - Is this good?

[Jerry/MT]

Would using Shell Rotella 5w-40 be better for the engine over the 15w-40 the book specs for the engine? I am thinking better oil flow with the "5".

Read your owners manual. itwill telll you what to use depending on the ambient temperatures. No doubt 5W40 is easier on the battery and starter. I use 15W40 year around and a timer turn on the block heater two hours before it's time to feed the cows.

 

[DieselMonk]

Engine started fine, the oil was getting a bit slow to the top of the cylinder. Depending where you live ( I am in atlantic Canada), I use Mobil1 5W40 Turbo Diesel in all my newer Diesels. My TC55DA has now 520hrs now... no problems. I have an old dozer, that gets Shell Rotella 15W40 and I use that in the summer time only anyway.

 

[NICKB304]

i have the same tractor as yours. i noticed mine starts way better so far this winter compared to last. last year it had less than 50h and now 200h. last year it seems like it would spit and sputter taking multiple attemps to start one the temp got into the 30s. i installed a inline hose heater from tsc last year to help with starting and it helps alot. i would plug it in 10-15 min before starting and it would fire up like it was a summer day. it seams to fire fine with the glow plugs now that it has some hours on it but i still plan to use the heater once it gets colder.

 

[john_bud]

I'm in WI and while the tractors are in a barn, it's unheated. I just cycle the glow plugs several times and crank. It starts up fine even down to -30F.

One "trick" is to set the throttle to your optimum starting rpm BEFORE shutting it down. Then you can just crank and not worry about that. I set it to 1500-1600 rpm. On cold start the thick oil will drag it down to 1100-1200 rpm, so I can use rpm raise to guage the heat in the engine. It's also an HST, so it does take time to warm up the oil in the trans. At -30F that is like 15-20 minutes.

 

[Fordiesel69]

I'm in WI and while the tractors are in a barn, it's unheated. I just cycle the glow plugs several times and crank. It starts up fine even down to -30F.

One "trick" is to set the throttle to your optimum starting rpm BEFORE shutting it down. Then you can just crank and not worry about that. I set it to 1500-1600 rpm. On cold start the thick oil will drag it down to 1100-1200 rpm, so I can use rpm raise to guage the heat in the engine. It's also an HST, so it does take time to warm up the oil in the trans. At -30F that is like 15-20 minutes.

I like your trick for non turbo diesel tractors like mine. For a turbo diesel this method will wear out the turbo bearings at a faster rate on shutdown. Even with low EGTS, the compressor shaft will still be at a much higher speed when no pressure lubrication is being supplied.

 

[ilander]

Regarding the subject of oil, my DX25E manual recommends 10W30 as a all season oil and I prefer not to go with anything thinner for winter use. A Block heater is used to pre-warm the engine when temps are about 35 degrees and colder. In addition to the block heater, at about 10 degrees and colder a magnetic oil pan heater is also used.

It will start without the oil pan heater, but I prefer the warming of the oil to thin it out.

Regarding winter starting, when I worked construction eons ago, we started a Terex 82-20 dozer that had a Detroit diesel in it and the boss insisted on using straight 30 wt oil in it year around. It was often started at temps 30 - 40 below at remote construction sites and I recall no premature engine failures because of the thick oil.