Ford 1510 Will not start cold - need block heater for 1 hour to start

[Shupiuliuma]

My Ford 1510 will not start cold even in summer. 1 hour on the block heater and everything seems normal. The battery and cranking power appear to be adequate after the block heater warm-up, but cranking is way too slow when the engine is cold. Any ideas?

Also I tried pull-starting the tractor, but the engine never turned. Can this tractor be pull-started without damaging anything?

 

[randy41]

are the glow plugs working?

 

[Shupiuliuma]

Yes, I think so. When I pre-heat them the indicator glows and starting is much easier than if I don't heat them up.

 

[Jerry/MT]

What weight oil are you using? How good is the battery and the starter? Do you have big cables between the battery and the starter motor? These are the things I would check.

 

[Shupiuliuma]

I can't answer all your questions yet, but the first thing I checked was to see if the oil had turned to sludge. Changing the oil is my first task. Since the starter cranks well once the engine block has been heated, I think the battery is "good enough", but I won't assume that. It is an "economy" battery and if it needs replacing I'll probably upgrade Yes, cables need to be checked.

By way of background, I bought the tractor from a neighbor when it had only 1000 hours on it. I have only added 70 hours in the last two years and it is stored in the barn. There were no problems starting for the first year.

And one more question: Can this tractor be pull-started?

 

[Jerry/MT]

If this is s standard gear drive machine it can be pull started.

 

[kebo]

How many CCA does that battery have? I just had to buy a battery for mine and I got one that has almost 900 CCA. You want lots of CCA for a diesel engine.