Ether

[Richard]

I just acquired an International 1066. Seems as though the battery is probably weak (sitting on charger right now).

Yesterday it was chilly out, not "cold" (I'm guessing mid/upper 60's??)

Cranked her over.... smoke puffed out the stack but it just wouldn't quite start.

Hooked charger to it (at 2-amps) and more of the same. Upped it to 20 amps and after a few minutes, it fired up.

During this process, I hit the (factory installed) ether button. I could hear it click but of course, the can is empty.

I might go buy a can or two.... other than ether for starting a car, have never bought it for anything else.

The can seems to be a bit truncated (verses 'auto' style) but it also might be an adjustable harness holding it.

Long way to ask.... where do you get the ether for these things and is ether, ether? (are there any differences such that it might matter)

I'm wondering if I can just go to my auto-parts store, buy a can, pull the spray knob off and insert it into the tractors holder??


I DID read something I thought was interesting.... it said to crank engine over and while cranking, give it a short spurt of ether (verses spraying it with starter NOT engaged). I'll admit I had never thought of it that way.

Learn something new every day!!

 

[Tx Jim]

I think starter fluid can from auto parts will fit cold starting aid bracket. I hate utilizing starter fluid IE my '91 model JD 4255 has the same starting fluid can that was installed originally.

 

[LouNY]

Our NAPA stores carry the right can to fit that dispenser.
If she started good with the battery charged up I would avoid the ether.
I thing that I have seen happen is someone thinking they were hitting a start button and hitting it several times.
Fortunately he got stopped before he got to the start button.
When used properly and minimally that is a decent starting aid, the problem come up when it gets used a lot
they seem to start needing it more. That detonation or rattle and knock you hear when using ether is rough on engines.
Good batteries and block heaters are nicer to engines then ether.

 

[WranglerX]

Alternative to ether/starting fluid is "carb cleaner" its volatile but not nearly as hard (volatile) on motors as ether... Have a very stubborn Briggs and Stratton twin if it sits a few days to a week it doesn't like to start, but a quick shot of carb cleaner gets it going every time....

Dale

 

[4570Man]

Alternative to ether/starting fluid is "carb cleaner" its volatile but not nearly as hard (volatile) on motors as ether... Have a very stubborn Briggs and Stratton twin if it sits a few days to a week it doesn't like to start, but a quick shot of carb cleaner gets it going every time....

Dale

I’ve used carb cleaner and brake cleaner in place of ether. Both seen to work fine. I’ve never tried it but I’ve heard of people wrapping a gas soaked rag around the air intake.

 

[standup616]

Ive used wd-40 as a starting fluid especially with 2 stroke engine and works in the potato gun when out of hair spray and ether

 

[radios1]

Alternative to ether/starting fluid is "carb cleaner" its volatile but not nearly as hard (volatile) on motors as ether... Have a very stubborn Briggs and Stratton twin if it sits a few days to a week it doesn't like to start, but a quick shot of carb cleaner gets it going every time....

Dale

that's a very good solvent for oil though, you may not want your cylinders un-lubricated from using that..

 

[Gordon Gould]

I’ve used carb cleaner and brake cleaner in place of ether. Both seen to work fine. I’ve never tried it but I’ve heard of people wrapping a gas soaked rag around the air intake.

I heard the same thing. Was told it was easier on the motor than ether. My TD7 has an ether start button for below 32* F according to the manual. I tried the gas rag trick and not really soaked just damp. The motor started quick and I thought it was going to jump out of the dozer in pieces. I won't try that again unless it is an emergency. So if you try it start with just giving it a wiff of gas. I wrapped the rag all the way around the intake pipe under the coarse filter screen.

gg

 

[WranglerX]

that's a very good solvent for oil though, you may not want your cylinders un-lubricated from using that..

Don't think about a 1/2 second or less shot is going to wash any more oil off cylinders than ether...Beside it mostly vapor once it goes through air cleaner.... And just running battery down and have to recharge it is not quite a winning process when I need to get my 2-3 acres of grass mowed....

Dale

 

[MHarryE]

The International diesels in the 70s and 80s had a fairly low pressure injection system and are hard starters when cold, hence the ether system. When used by the book, there is really no harm. Some Deutz-Allis models took control out of the operator’s hands - thermostatic control on the ether injection.

 

[Fallon]

Borrowed a friends JD 40 odd year old backhoe. It has a faucet looking thing on the dash. Unscrew the cap on it & give it a quick shot into the OEM part & it fired right up. Needed it in most cases where it wasnt already warm. But it started & ran as smooth as ever with only a quick shot. I assume it would have only needed the ether on cold days when it wasn't worn out.

 

[searcyfarms]

get a can of ether with upper cylinder lubricant its not as hard on things - error on the side of a half a squirt don't drown it - the best thing in the world is just get a dipstick, block, oil pan magnet, freeze plug, take your pick of the type of heater and plug that baby in for a few hours its so much easier on EVERYTHING!!!!

I have used salamander heaters with plywood to heat them up - even a hair dryer or heat gun - so many ways but if you have to use the ether u can

 

[ultrarunner]

I've used propane in a pinch from a weed burning kit... it has worked very well each time.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I had an '84 model Yanmar that had no ether injection system and the Japanese glowplug system (diesel in a pan that was ignited with a hot wire)didn't work. A hair dryer directed into the air filter housing worked well. A bit of a pain to run cords to the tractor, but very easy on the engine.

 

[Texasmark]

I only used Ether a few times over the years and each time I gritted my teeth with all the banging and clanging it generates.
Agree with others, any time you can do without it, do it.

On batteries and starting, I had a JD 4230 100 pto hp, 400 cu in 6 cyl. diesel. It had a 6 volt battery on one side adjacent to the starter with one wire to the starter solenoid and the other wire (0) gauge looped around to the other side of the tractor where there was another 6 volt battery connected with the ground terminal under a bolt on the tractor frame.

Several problems:
Internal resistance of the batteries was in series and hence doubled the voltage drop during the 300A starting current
Cables were only 0 gauge which is more of a 100 A wire considering a 2% voltage drop at rated curent
Ground connection had to go from the right side of the tractor frame (and rusty connection) through the tractor frame to the rusty interface of the starter case to the tractor frame.

Considering you need 10V across the starter proper during the spinup, at 300 amps and a 12.7volt power source, you don't have any room left for connectivity resistance.
--------------
It was not a winter starter and using ether on it a couple of times was more than I wanted.

I went to the OTR truck dealership nearby and bought a couple of 12v 925 CCA or thereabouts, case size 31 (⅜" centered studs) and had them make me up a set of 00 gauge cables that would run from one side of the tractor to the other.

Put one 12v in the right bracket, ran +/- through the new cables over to +/- of the left side battery and hooked them in parallel....right there I obtained a 4/1 advantage on battery internal resistance having it be low in the first place being new batteries and second being in parallel it was halved what it would be with just 1 battery and another 4/1 advantage....at least on the cable/connector resistances.

With about 1-1.5' 00 short cables made up, + cable went to the solenoid and the - cable was mounted to the chassis of the starter (nice and shined up) under a mounting bolt nice and tight.

The dealership had skids of those batteries and they were priced about 60% of what a similar tractor battery would cost me at a tractor store. I saved enough to cover the cost of the cables and fabrication expense.

Never again had a problem starting that tractor, winter or summer and never again, on my watch, did that tractor ever see ether again.

 

[Tx Jim]

I only used Ether a few times over the years and each time I gritted my teeth with all the banging and clanging it generates.
Agree with others, any time you can do without it, do it..

I'll bet if engine was banging & clanging from the utilization of starting fluid(ether) you were not utilizing a factory installed ether dispenser but spraying into air cleaner or air intake. Factory Ether dispenser has a built in orifice to limit overdose of ether.

 

[Texasmark]

I'll bet if engine was banging & clanging from the utilization of starting fluid(ether) you were not utilizing a factory installed ether dispenser but spraying into air cleaner or air intake. Factory Ether dispenser has a built in orifice to limit overdose of ether.

Yepper. OEM was no longer there. Easiest access point was to take the RT side grill off and shoot a shot into the air cleaner from the rubber drain "hootus". Controlled shot??????? Hardly. Grin

 

[wundudnee]

I think the best thing I've done for winter starting is using battery tenders year round on my tractors. It keeps the batteries fully charged all the time. They also seem to be lasting longer.

I occasionally use a little ether on my old 8N. I drilled a hole in the metal air tube just before the carb and put a machine screw in the hole. I can remove the screw with my fingers and give it a shot.

 

[TBone]

The International diesels in the 70s and 80s had a fairly low pressure injection system and are hard starters when cold, hence the ether system. When used by the book, there is really no harm. Some Deutz-Allis models took control out of the operator痴 hands - thermostatic control on the ether injection.

I agree. I had two older Internationals and they both were addicted to ether. I tried to only give them a minimum shot to get them started and never had a problem with them. Both were tough strong tractors that gave me years of trouble free service.

 

[Texasmark]

I think the best thing I've done for winter starting is using battery tenders year round on my tractors. It keeps the batteries fully charged all the time. They also seem to be lasting longer.

I occasionally use a little ether on my old 8N. I drilled a hole in the metal air tube just before the carb and put a machine screw in the hole. I can remove the screw with my fingers and give it a shot.

Interesting on the plug.

Had been looking for a Ford 3000 for some time. Wanted a diesel, my first diesel. It was April in Texas and the sales guy had to give it a shot of "snort" to get it going....had I been experienced I'd have known that meant a couple of potential problems, one being shot upper end (which it turned out to be).

In my search for a non-expensive solution, not understand just how bad it was, I too drilled a hole in the side of the intake manifold so that I could give it a snort and then plug the hole with a pipe plug. Anyway, full inframe, I did, $1k later, problem solved and left the plug where it was.