What have you done with/to your GC Series 2300, 2400, 1700 Tractor TODAY

[Dmacleo]

ordered a cheap 80$ starter today. have been dealing with starter drag for a bit. before anyone yells about cabling I needed a good battery for my portable generator so I grabbed the 2013 battery from the gc2400. put new napa agm in gc2400 and fixed all cables then in 2024.
portable gen now (keep in mind those use a computer battery) starts fine but the tractor still drags below 50f.
so...at 25f I deal with more drag then I should. yeah I could run block heater (its Maine, I have block heater) but...that does not negate fact I have starter drag,
the starter for this unit (part 3608543M91) is 900$ and aftermarket run 80-100$.
put crappy aftermarket in and keep working oem as spare is my plan.
plus my working worn 16yr old starter fits a bunch of units I work on locally.
so when aftermarket item arrives I'll let you all know how install went.

about 15 minute job, 30 deg f hit glow plugs 10 seconds rotates 3 or 4 times and running. LOT better. prob rotating almost 3x as fast.

 

[Dmacleo]

damn, 25 deg out and frosty as hell at 0530 this morning when I tested again.
battery tender was not plugged in.
throttle set approx 1/4 (1200 rpm warm +/-) and glow plugs held for 10 seconds.
turned to start and it turned maybe 3x and running.
so much better.
keep in mind first 5 seconds of plug usage are just bringing plugs up to full bore.after 5 is the gravy.
over last year starting was so bad I was actually keeping eye on injectors. but once running (even after 90 seconds) could engage pto stuff, drag down to idle, nail throttle and no smoke. so not injectors.
thats when I started tracking starter draw.
once running zero issues, just starting was issue.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Mine needs almost a minute of glow at that temperature, since I got it new ... Battery tender in use too!

 

[irvingj]

And mine almost always needed the block heater on, maybe more than one application of GP power.... Then I finally replaced my battery.

Surprisingly, I have yet to need the block heater -- starts right up every time (like Ray's!!). Just a few seconds of GP and it starts right up.

Think I'll forego the block heater for a while just to see how it performs, but so far it's been a world of difference since the battery was replaced.

 

[Dmacleo]

Mine needs almost a minute of glow at that temperature, since I got it new ... Battery tender in use too!

I would need to do this 2-3 times since I got tractor in 2020. did replace all 3 plugs bit ago (late 2023??) due to 1 dead one.
today, 0630am 19 deg F. same setup, throttle 1/4 tender not plugged in.
ran plugs 10 seconds then hit start. after about 6 rotation it was sputtering so I stopped and repeated. cranked 6 times and running.
total time starting it approx 30 seconds from me first touching key.
makes sense, compression ignition.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

I did not check my valve lash* at the 500 hour service, but ... Mine has always needed a long glow to start, it will turn over 6-8 times with a bit of white smoke, then fires and a tad of black smoke ...

Mine has just over 733 hours now, got it at 0.4 hours in March of 2022, always been like this with factor battery and I use a battery tender ... 1st time (18°F) it wouldn't start after a 30 second glow, dealer said go a bit longer, I also at that time hooked up a 25 amp battery charger ... I since then switched to 5W40 synthetic oil, still cranks good, but slow to fire ...

*In every other way, it runs good ...

 

[ray66v]

I knew mine was not the only one that would start without a block heater.

For those who are figuring out the cold ambient temperature starting process: If you are getting any chugging, or smoke when it starts up, make a note to increase the glow plug time at that temperature.

You may need to go as long as 20 or 30 seconds, (or even more), of glow time when the temperature is in the single digits or less.

Even though you probably started it all summer with the throttle closed, you will need to open the throttle partially in very cold weather. Dmacelo's about 1/4 of the way open, is a good starting point to try.

If it doesn't run after about 5 seconds of cranking, it's not going to. Go back to the glow plugs.

 

[hube2]

Well, I use a block heater when I can which makes it easier. Will she start without using the block heater? Yes she will. If I need to go out in a hurry without having the time to use the heater I have no fear of not starting, but why make it more difficult on myself and the tractor if I have time to turn on the block heater before I go out to start it up? I also set the throttle for the RPM I want to start it at before shut her down. I've found that it starts best with the throttle at about 2k.

 

[Racer4]

I’ve never raised the throttle up before starting. Is this a thing? Even when it’s 10 degrees outside, throttle is always set to minimum when I start it.

 

[hube2]

I’ve never raised the throttle up before starting. Is this a thing? Even when it’s 10 degrees outside, throttle is always set to minimum when I start it.

In my OM, page 67 under "Start the Tractor" step 6: "Move the hand throttle lever to the middle position".
I just find it easier to set the throttle before shutting it down rather than guess at how far I should move it up before starting.