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.

 

[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.