Oil & Fuel Never idle a diesel??..

Anonymous Poster · Dec 5, 2001

HAYDEN,I HAVE TO AGREE WITH YOU.THERE ARE TOO MANY PEOPLE THAT INTEREPT SOMEONE'S FEARS (OF SOMETHING THEY HAVE LITTLE KNOWLEDGE OF) AS A QUALIFIED STATEMENT OF FACT.(MYTHS & WIVES TALES) HOW MANY STARTERS HAVE YOU HAD TO REPLACE ON YOUR TRACTOR BECAUSE YOU STARTED IT TOO MANY TIMES. I DON'T IDLE MY CAR - I DON'T IDLE MY TRACTOR - SIMPLE

jdkid · Dec 5, 2001

Hi ya
as i recall both CAT and maybe cummins have come out about long idles at a low idle <1000 rpm diesels tend to over fuel and wash fuel passed the rings .also tends to build up carbon on rings etc etc short answer try to keep idle as short as pos or if not able too keep a fast idle going a new starter is cheeper that a early rebuild
catch ya
JD Kid

Anonymous Poster · Dec 6, 2001

Alright here we go with worrying about someones fears. Both Cummins and Cat in an article published in a Progressive Farmer magazine about 4 or 5 months ago very strongly advised that if you slow idle, only do it for 5 minutes. They advised that at the low fuel levels of idle that the engine temp went down and the unburnt fuel contaminated the oil.
They further advised that if you must idle, fast idle is the way to go, which some engine companies equip their equ. with from the factory.
This info is not my opinion or general views. This is straight form the companies that make diesel engines. If you want to argue with them go for it.
Greg H

Anonymous Poster · Dec 6, 2001

Avoid Idling A Diesel Engine...

<font color=blue>...They further advised that if you must idle, fast idle is the way to go... This is straight form the companies that make diesel engines...</font color=blue>

I agree, this has been widely published by these engine manufacturers... Besides being discussed at length in other sections of TBN {do a search}...Ex. this is from a John Deere Manual:

AVOID IDLING THE ENGINE

Allowing engine to idle at low rpm uses fuel inefficiently, and can cause a build-up of carbon in the engine.

If tractor must be left with the engine running more than three or four minutes, minimum engine speed should be 1200 rpm.

Youare · Dec 6, 2001

Being new to diesel engines I am glad you asked this question. I was under the misconception that diesel engines liked to run rather than be started and stopped like a gasoline fueled engine. When I found out that a new starter for a Ford 1710 I was considering purchasing cost over $500.00 I decided to try to extend the life of the strater in my Kubota by reducing the number of times I started and stopped it, let it idle.

I can idle my L3000DT as low as 800 RPM on the tach. After starting the engine I let it run at 800-900 Rpm for about 30 seconds then advance the idle to just over 1000 RPM. Any idle time is around 1000 RPM. I guess the price of a starter is much less than a rebuild.

Randy

r0GuE · Dec 6, 2001

Re: Avoid Idling A Diesel Engine...

Anybody know what the BX2200 idles at? It doesn't have a tach so I have to guess what its low idle is.

Rogue