Starting Fluid

[dieselscout80]

No one mentioned that using starting fluid with working glow plugs is a VERY BAD IDEA.

 

[Tinhack]

The one time I used starting fluid on the Ford, I thought it threw a rod. The bang was so loud, it sounded like a shotgun blast and rattled a few seconds after that. Sure enough, the O.M. says, "DO NOT USE STARTING FLUID".

Something is wrong with your fuel delivery or compression. Fix that or you'll be replacing core engine parts.

 

[5030]

Either and pre heat engines don't work well together, ever. Sounds to me like you have issues besides the glo plugs. If it was me, I'd start with the starting battery, if it's a couple years old, replace it. Clean the terminals with a terminal cleaner, posts and clamps and make sure the cables are secure in the clamps and not corroded, then clean all the connections, chassis ground and positive to the starter, make everything clean and bright and the check the connections to the glo plugs and the buss ground that goes to each plug, again, clean and bright. I bet that cures your issues. I'm very surprised you have not bent a rod or blown the head gasket. That tells me the glo plugs aren't working properly.

If they were, even a tiny shot of either would destroy the engine.

 

[nyone]

Seriously,do you think mechanics know from discription of problems what's wrong before they lift the hood and run tests? They don't and neither do people a thousand miles away on the interweb

This always gets me too. The ones where people ask about "what's leaking" are the best.

 

[5030]

We all tend to be 'armchair mechanics'...lol Always fix the simple things first and then start spending money on parts you may or may not need. The tractor is old so if it was mine, I'd start simple (electrical connections) and proceed from there and again, I'd NEVER use starting fluid on any engine with a pre heater (glo plugs or intake heater).

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Disconnect glow plugs if using start fluid. Us black cap, not red cap. I don't use either one. I use WD 40 or gas soaked rag, gas vapor going into engine. Starting fluid had bend 6 of the 8 push rods in the last engine I messed with. 6 rods were bent 90 degrees. Funny how good that engine ran with straight push rods. They had kept starter fluiding the crap out of it, go get some more fluid... The real problem was the governor at the pump. Fixed that and beat the push rods straight, runs fine. But I always have to use the excess fuel button, because of the spray, so now it needs a rebuild. Just because of one day with spray.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

This always gets me too. The ones where people ask about "what's leaking" are the best.

It's making this bip bip plap banging noise, any idea what it could be? Any time I go down hill the throttle closes, any idea?

 

[m7040]

Using an engine heater is needed on my old MF203 when temps are down below 50 or so. And always starts easy after a couple hours. The Perkins engine does not have any glow plugs

 

[nyone]

Turns out is was my starter going bad. It was cranking too slowly to get the cylinders hot enough to fire

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.

 

[LouNY]

The faster cranking does increase the cylinder temperatures and make for easier starting.
It could be from higher cranking compression as well as more compression/heat cycles per minute.
Cranking speed is one reason that geared tractors will start so rapidly and easily when being tow started.
Any hard starting diesel that can mean cranking till the battery is dead and needing to be recharged will normally pop right off and be running within 10 ft. while being tow or coasting to start.