Starting problem on 4320 JD 2008

[david Touchie]

Very hard to start in the least bit cold .. Changed the fuel filter and problem not solved . Works great after it starts . Plugged in or not makes no difference.. Will start with no problem after the first time.. Anyone have any solutions..

 

[sunnyside360]

One possibility is a weak battery. Try jumping the battery when cold to confirm. Very easy to do if you have a jumper cell.

 

[chickenman]

what rpm do you normally run it?

 

[jenkinsph]

I will say this much, the new 4520 is much harder to start in cold weather than the 110 with the Yanmar. Just bump the switch and the Yanmar fires up. I have never needed the glowplugs to start the 110 but I have needed them to start the 4520.

 

[Reverend Blair]

I'm not sure what you've checked/done besides the fuel filter, so let's start with the simple stuff.

The first thing I'd check is the block heater cord. Use a meter and make sure there's continuity. Wiggle the cord while checking in case it's kind of half-broken. Expecting a diesel to start in a Canadian winter without being plugged in is stretching it. I'm not sure what your weather has been like out there, but it's full winter here already.

Have you got winter fuel? I know a few guys who have had problems because of this. Once the engine warms up, it heats the fuel enough that everything works, but fuels without winter additives (especially bio-fuels) get a little thick.

Are your glow plugs working? We chased a problem in an old Chevy diesel for a week once and it turned out the switch for the glow plugs was bad. People laughed at us.:ashamed:

Is your battery okay? If it's low or has a bad cell it might not be be spinning the motor quickly enough.

 

[david Touchie]

I believe I have found the problem.. I put in a whole bottle of fuel stableiser this AM. and this evening it started with no effort.. Fingers are crossed..lol

 

[Reverend Blair]

Excellent. There are few things more frustrating than a tractor that doesn't want to start.

 

[LaVerne]

it's also helpful to start the engine at partial throttle - from 1/3 to 1/2. After the engine catches on, back it off to about 1200. Fuel companies change the diesel blend in the winter too. If you don't use a lot of fuel, starting the engine below 30 degrees with summer blend can be more difficult. That's probably what the conditioner helped you with.