CS2410 suddenly won't start despite new battery, good fuel flow

[scratchandgrit]

I moved my CS2410 into the garage before the last snow about 2 weeks ago. It started and ran just fine at the time. Topped off the diesel in the tank and added winterizer/anti-gel. I went out to use it the other day to do some snow plowing and it won't start. The starter engages, the engine tries to turn over and blows white smoke (it's cold) but never starts.

Here's what I've done or checked so far:

• jumped the old battery
• replaced the battery with a new one (under an about-to-expire warranty, so was worth a shot!)
• put new battery on a trickle charger to ensure it was fully charged
• checked fuel filter for gelling or other issues
• fuel flow out of the filter seems fine when I disconnect the fuel line from the filter on the engine side
• fan belt has been chirping lately but doesn't seem particularly loose... alternator spins when trying to start

It has been cold lately but I've tried heating the garage (and even the engine block itself) with space heaters until it's reasonably warm inside, at least 50ºF.

Y'all have any ideas of where I should look next?

 

[Robin Veerman]

Are the glow plugs working? Cycle them twice before cranking. Check the air filter too…

 

[oldnslo]

At 50 degrees does it need glow plugs? Granted they would help but wonder if necessary?

I would also check ground connections on the frame and to the engine to make sure starter is spinning at max performance. Corroded connections can cause slow spinning starters

 

[rScotty]

"

• You wrote, "fuel flow out of the filter seems fine when I disconnect the fuel line from the filter on the engine side."

If you disconnected the fuel line, there is a chance that air got into the fuel line filter to the fuel pump. The symptoms sure sound like it. No idea why it didn't start initially, but anytime you loosen a fuel line on a diesel you may have to run through the procedure below to get all the air out of the lines to get it to run again.

Basically here is how to purge one starting at the injector pump.
You may have to back up all the way to the fuel filter and lift pump if you have one of those - but the idea is the same... .
1. Before trying to crank the engine at all, turn the key to the normal ON position - that powers the lift pump and turns on the fuel solenoid if it has them and doesn't hurt if it doesn't . Now slightly loosen the joint at the injector pump inlet until fuel flows freely, then tighten that joint.
If the fuel doesn't flow freely without any bubbles at the inlet to the injector pump, you need to start back at the fuel filter. But for now lets assume that it did, so now...
2. slightly loosen the joint at the fuel pump OUTLET, and now you crank the engine until fuel flows freely, then tighten that joint.
3. slightly loosen the joint at the first injector up on top of the engine and crank the engine until fuel flows freely, then tighten that joint. By now it should be hitting on that cyinder but maybe not really running yet.
4. Do the same to the next injector...and it will probably begin to run.
5. The remaining injectors should prime themselves after it runs rough for a few seconds. If it hasn't settled down and running smooth in ten or fifteen seconds, probably repeat the whole procedure from #1 onwards.

It's a sloppy job. Get some rags and pans. Helps to have a helper, too.
Luck,
rScotty

Oh, and it may take several times. I've done this a lot in my life as a mechanic... and I still find myself having to repeat it several times to get things running.

 

[garry1p]

I had a tractor that required a minimum 20 sec usually more on the glow plugs below 50 deg.
I always thought it was caused by low compression.

 

[rScotty]

I had a tractor that required a minimum 20 sec usually more on the glow plugs below 50 deg.
I always thought it was caused by low compression.

Yepper. That tractor of yours sure sounds like what happens with wear and low compression. There's lots of tricks to get a diesel going when it is low on compression, but the real trick is in choosing one of the tricks that doesn't add engine damage to normal wear.

It's definitely worth finding the right trick to start an old worn out diesel, because even a worn out diesel engine still makes decent power and efficiency if the darn thing can just be started. And once running it will make enough heat to stay running. Anyway, it always seemed to me to be worth the effort to figure out how to get a big worn out diesel going. It takes my buddy an hour or two at least to get his road grader going in the cold.
I wouldn't want my chore tractor to act like that, though.

My guess is more diesels get rebuilt because of hard starting than for any other reason.

The OP's problem on his CK doesn't sound like wear to me. It sounds like an old battery, a cold day, and then in the process of messing with it he got a fuel bubble. We've all been there.

rScotty

 

[MichiganIron]

Check the Fuel Actuator on the back side of the Injection Pump case, right side of the engine. There is a power feed to the actuator from the engine harness. We have found in the past that the power feed connection to the actuator can fail due to the feed wire being a little tight. You can add a spade connector to the power feed wire to the actuator to make the connection more robust. If the actuator looses power, no fuel will be metered to the engine.

Hope this helps