Starting Fluid

[RalphVa]

Anyone know what might cause my TC33D to only be able to cold start with a (small) shot of ether for diesels. If I use it and shut it down it will fire right back up but sitting overnight it will just crank. Its been this way for a year and a half almost. Tractor runs great other than that, I can rule out fuel filters, fuel, regular maintenance things because it has gone on so long and I maintain as scheduled with mostly New Holland parts.. I have owned it since new, probably 13 to 14 years. It has 1200 Hours, no warning lights on dash

I'd check/replace your glow plugs or other preheating device it has. Our 1983 240D Benz that we kept for 25 years needed to have a couple glow plugs replaced at somewhere around 150k miles.

All diesels we've ever owned only require about 1/2 turn of the crankshaft hot or cold to start if everything is working right. One thing I've always liked about them.

 

[John_Mc]

Your starter dosnt warm the cylinders by cranking the engine. By glowing or useing starting fluid your just raising the cylinder temp or spraying a easier to ignite fluid in the cyl. But either way a slow crank could also be a cause of this.

Compressing diesel fuel heats it. It is this heat which causes the fuel to ignite. THe glow plugs are just an assist to help keep an otherwise cold engine block from sucking too much heat out of the process. (which is one of the reasone you don't need to cycle the glow plugs to start the engine if the engine is already warm.)

How hot the fuel gets depends on the speed with which it is compressed. Too slow a speed when cranking with the starter, and it will be tough to ignite. Multiple glow plug cycles may help overcome this, but that is really just masking the problem, not solving it.

 

[RalphVa]

If you're using 15w40 oil, it'll reduce cranking speeds with a cold engine as much as 60-70%. However, working glow plugs or preheat of the incoming air is needed for an instant cold start.

 

[RjCorazza]

If you're using 15w40 oil, it'll reduce cranking speeds with a cold engine as much as 60-70%. However, working glow plugs or preheat of the incoming air is needed for an instant cold start.

I currently run 0w40 in my diesels, but they start fine in cold weather regardless. I agree that a 15w40 is certainly going to crank slower though.
You mention pre heated air, which I do use to start my commercial walk behind (gas) mower in the fall, when the temp gets down to around 50 degrees f. It's a pull start, and I'm too old to be pulling 10+ times to get it started. Just setting a 1500w box heater in front of the intake for a minute or two and it goes in 2 pulls max.