DK55 Hard to Start

[lakngulf]

A farmer friend has a DK55 that has problems cranking in cold weather. The tractor cranked fine a few days ago when it was 65 degrees. Today, at 35 degrees, it took forever to finally hit. Each time he turns on key, waits for the glow plug light to go out, and then tries to crank. Today he resorted to putting some gas on a towel and wrapped it around a filter.

Where does he begin on trouble shooting? He says this has been a problem for a long time. The tractor is about 6 years old

 

[pmaintman]

It sounds to me like the glow plugs are not working.You might want to tell your friend to start with doing a ohm test on each plug. If they`re all bad,chances are the glow plug controller has taken a dump.Ask him if the glow plug light has come on intermitently, if it has the controller is to blame, if not maybe the plugs are to blame.

 

[murphy1244]

A farmer friend has a DK55 that has problems cranking in cold weather. The tractor cranked fine a few days ago when it was 65 degrees. Today, at 35 degrees, it took forever to finally hit. Each time he turns on key, waits for the glow plug light to go out, and then tries to crank. Today he resorted to putting some gas on a towel and wrapped it around a filter.

Where does he begin on trouble shooting? He says this has been a problem for a long time. The tractor is about 6 years old

See DK45 glow plugs thread http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kioti-owning-operating/265724-dk45-glow-plugs.html

 

[ritcheyvs]

Or, if it cranks slow maybe the engine oil is too thick (wrong viscosity). Or maybe the battery is tired (easy to check with voltmeter).

Also, before ohming each glow plug (which requires removing the bus bar), first check the voltage to the glow plugs with the switch in run/glow and also in crank.

 

[Coyote machine]

When the tractor does start what does it do? Any smoke? What color? How does it run after starting- any problems?
Does it crank slower when cold or the same as when its warm out?

Likely culprits are, as stated by others, glow plug circuit, and/or charging circuit.
Give us above info- that may help nail it down further.

 

[Barrettseq]

Try using a hair dryer pointed into the intake of the air cleaner to start the engine. Once it starts then pull the hair dryer away and if it starts to sputter then point the hair dryer back on the intake and if it runs smooth then you need an air heater installed. I had the same problem on a DK 55 and even though I live in FL it did not like to start with a little bit cold. I talked to Kioti and ordered an intake heater which solved the problem. Good luck.

 

[Coyote machine]

Try using a hair dryer pointed into the intake of the air cleaner to start the engine. Once it starts then pull the hair dryer away and if it starts to sputter then point the hair dryer back on the intake and if it runs smooth then you need an air heater installed. I had the same problem on a DK 55 and even though I live in FL it did not like to start with a little bit cold. I talked to Kioti and ordered an intake heater which solved the problem. Good luck.

Very interesting. So you're saying even with a fully functional glow plug circuit that you still needed to install an intake heater, is that correct?
Where does one get one and how much do they cost?

Thanks.

 

[lakngulf]

I appreciate the suggestions. Keep them coming or confirm the ones posted. I will print out the possibilities and let him give them a try. He does not "do" computers, so I will have to relay the info. I am not OHM, etc, knowledgeable but he may be. There is no electricity at the barn where he keeps the tractor but I am pretty sure he has a generator there.

The last suggestion caught my attention. As I said above I saw him put a cloth with gasoline on something, it might have been the air intake. He had the hood raised, and the filter he placed the cloth on was just in the center of the tractor, just forward of the steering wheel and instruments. That concept might be doing the same thing as the hair dryer, but with less effect.

I have witneessed the cold cranking process only once, and yes, there was smoke, lots of smoke. But once the tractor cranks it seems to run ok.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Coyote machine]

I appreciate the suggestions. Keep them coming or confirm the ones posted. I will print out the possibilities and let him give them a try. He does not "do" computers, so I will have to relay the info. I am not OHM, etc, knowledgeable but he may be. There is no electricity at the barn where he keeps the tractor but I am pretty sure he has a generator there.

The last suggestion caught my attention. As I said above I saw him put a cloth with gasoline on something, it might have been the air intake. He had the hood raised, and the filter he placed the cloth on was just in the center of the tractor, just forward of the steering wheel and instruments. That concept might be doing the same thing as the hair dryer, but with less effect.

I have witneessed the cold cranking process only once, and yes, there was smoke, lots of smoke. But once the tractor cranks it seems to run ok.

Thanks for your help.

The smoke you saw is most likely caused by unburned fuel as a result of NO combustion because of no glow plug function. Have him spray each nut where each glow plug is connected to the busbar with a penetrating oil. After the spray has had time to work, carefully loosen and remove each nut and then the busbar strip. Once that is done he can then connect one lead of a multimeter to the wire that was connected to the busbar strip and the other to the individual post of each glow plug where he removed the nuts and see if there shows 12VoltsDC when the glow plug circuit is activated by turning the key. Do one glow plug at a time, and turn off the key in between each test of the individual plugs. If there is no evidence of 12Volts DC at any of the glow plug posts and he also tries to determine if there is 12Volts DC through the circuit by grounding one meter lead to the block and the other connected to the wire that feeds the busbar from the ignition/ glow plug circuit then the circuit is completely dead. This means no flow of current from the battery through the glow plug circuit and its timer/relay. It would seem that either power through to the glow plugs is missing or the glow plugs are dead. It is less likely that both are dead. If I were to bet, I'd say the timer/relay portion of the glow plug circuit is dead- but don't jump to any conclusions without checking function first.
As far as ohms and testing glow plugs out of the block, its fairly easy to understand. A multimeter has different scales for performing different tests. Testing a circuit for a closed(complete circuit) or an open, ( no connection from point A to point B) is as easy as turning the meter to the ohms scale and connecting each test lead to one side of the circuit being tested. NEVER use the ohms scale on a LIVE circuit, only use it to test whether a small amount of current, supplied by the meter's internal battery will show a result of open or closed. The way to insure the meter is operating on the ohms scales is by touching the test leads together. When they are touching the meter will read a value. When you release the leads the meter will read an open circuit. Now touching each lead to a side of a circuit in question will pass battery current through the leads. If the circuit is open you will not get a reading on the meter- indicating an open circuit. If you get a reading, it means you have a completed circuit and the meter will read resistance and show a value. The key thing to understand is the meter's internal 9 Volt battery works to complete the circuit and results display on the meter's screen as a value in ohms (resistance).
If he finds open circuits on any glow plugs, removed from the head for inspection and testing, then the plug in question needs to be replaced. If the plug tests and passes for being a complete circuit then it is good and can be re-used, after having carefully cleaned any carbon build-up of the probe portion that is exposed in the pre-combustion chamber of the engine head. If he has a shop manual the glow plugs will have a listed resistance in (Ohms) which should match up to the readings from your/his meter. if way off check the meter's scale to make sure it is reading the correct one. If the values are way off or show an open replace the plug in question.

 

[ritcheyvs]

Try using a hair dryer pointed into the intake of the air cleaner to start the engine. Once it starts then pull the hair dryer away and if it starts to sputter then point the hair dryer back on the intake and if it runs smooth then you need an air heater installed. I had the same problem on a DK 55 and even though I live in FL it did not like to start with a little bit cold. ...

A healthy indirect injection (prechamber with glow plug) Diesel should start fine down to near zero F. The pre-warmer (or hair dryer) can be an effective band-aid but it doesn't solve the underlying problem. Hard cold starte are typically caused by: Glow plug problem (most common), bad valve adjustment (don't know if this is a Kioti issue), slow crank speed (battery, oil too thick, weak starter, poor electrical connection), low compression (engine wearing out, leaking valves or head gasket), or clouded fuel (waxy hydrocarbon crystals when fuel gets too cold).

One word of caution, DO NOT use commercial starting fluids (like ether) in prechamber-style diesel engines. However I've read that WD40 can be used safely as a starting fluid sprayed into the intake.