Easy Start

VicS said:
The suggestion that engines become addicted to it is of course a complete load of cobblers. people just keep using it instead of sorting out what is wrong.
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For once, unconvinced, ViC: 20 years ago I had a BMC 1.5. that had regularly been started with Easy Start - gallons of it judging by the number of empty tins aboard! Cold starting was a no-no unless it had its 'dose'. For various reasons (like the season was just starting, and I wanted to play with the new toy rather than do an engine strip) I postponed stripping it to find out why. However, fed up with the engine wrecking noises it made, I stopped using it. It would fire after about 8 - 10 minutes cranking, so I made sure I had spare batteries aboard, and kept cranking (yes I know about burning out the starter - but it stood up to it!). As the season progressed, cold starting gradually improved until by autumn it was starting more or less normally. Only as winter set in did cold starting get a bit difficult again. But thats normal for those engines. So I again postponed the strip down and used it quite happily for another season.

The following winter I had the head off, stripped it and found absolutely nothing wrong. Dids the usual and reseated the valves etc On reassembly it continued to start and run well and exactly as before.

Addicted? Dunno; but on ether it was almost impossible to start without it. 5 months later it was starting more or less normally without it.
 
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oldharry said:
For once, unconvinced, ViC: 20 years ago I had a BMC 1.5. that had regularly been started with Easy Start - gallons of it judging by the number of empty tins aboard! Cold starting was a no-no unless it had its 'dose'. For various reasons (like the season was just starting, and I wanted to play with the new toy rather than do an engine strip) I postponed stripping it to find out why. However, fed up with the engine wrecking noises it made, I stopped using it. It would fire after about 8 - 10 minutes cranking, so I made sure I had spare batteries aboard, and kept cranking (yes I know about burning out the starter - but it stood up to it!). As the season progressed, cold starting gradually improved until by autumn it was starting more or less normally. Only as winter set in did cold starting get a bit difficult again. But thats normal for those engines. So I again postponed the strip down and used it quite happily for another season.

The following winter I had the head off, stripped it and found absolutely nothing wrong. Dids the usual and reseated the valves etc On reassembly it continued to start and run well and exactly as before.

Addicted? Dunno; but on ether it was almost impossible to start without it. 5 months later it was starting more or less normally without it.
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Like I said, stop smoking and you will eventually feel the benefit!!
 
Whilst in Spain at Xmas and experiencing van trouble, the English mechanic told me not to use Easystart and gave me the Spanish equivalent to WD40. Squirting this into the air intake did the job and we made it all the way back home.
Terry
 
We used it every day to start an old fork lift for 3 years till i left, the things still running now and still on easy start.

Dave
 
Lady Campanula said:
if my eyes didn't deceive me, a little bottle of amyl nitrite in the medicine bag.

'Poppers', eh? Should prove an interesting experiment...

:cool:
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I wont ask why!!!!! But just a few drops in the fuel tank and you'll be up on the plane. Worked wonders when we added it to the castor oil and kerosene mix for model engines :D:D
 
JohnTH said:
Just looked at the u tube clip.

In this day of computer monitored engine management I was surprised to hear the engine alarm persisting after the V8 had blown up. It would only take a few lines of code to stop the alarm sounding.

73s de

Johnth
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Takes a while to wake up the chiefy! He then cancels it :D:D
 
JohnTH said:
In this day of computer monitored engine management I was surprised to hear the engine alarm persisting after the V8 had blown up. It would only take a few lines of code to stop the alarm sounding.
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They have two problems to fix:

1) correcting the engine management code so that the alarm turns off automatically

2) rebuilding the engine
 
Lady Campanula said:
I've always had the notion, in an ill-defined sort of way, that using an 'explosive' start-assistance inlet spray in starting a yottie marine diesel was likely to cause damage.
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Im not advocating the use of easy start, but I have flown aeroplanes with explosive starting mechanisms and they are designed that way. have a look at 'coffman' or 'shotgun' starters on wikipedia.

That blows the piston down with a cordite charge by the way, on an engine thats about to take you flying. So I imagine a shot of easy start wont damage a heavily built marine diesel. The diesel is designed for compression ignition anyway as opposed to the spark ignition aero engine.

If it does damage the marine engine at least you can sail back to your mooring in slow time rather than rapidly look for a field without too many cows in it!;)
 
The Ton- and Hunt class minesweepers use Coffman-type starters to get their Deltics going. 18 litres IIRC.

I didn't know they were cordite powered though.
 
mattnj said:
very good point
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Not really. When the diesel is injected it is finely atomised. If it does'nt ignite it will impinge on the liner walls and coalesce into a liquid which will not ignite at normal compression temperatures. The whole point of an injector is to introduce finley atomised fuel into the cylinder to present the largest possible surface area to the air already in the cylinder in order that it can ignite and produce a fast burn. A puddle lying on the top of the piston may burn if ignited by easy start or subsequent succesful ignition, but it will be such a slow burn it won't significantly increase peak pressure. It may, however, affect the lub oil film on the liner and accelerate wear (as indeed will unburnt diesel impinging on the liner and washing the Lub Oil off).
 
1955patric said:
Not really. When the diesel is injected it is finely atomised. If it does'nt ignite it will impinge on the liner walls and coalesce into a liquid which will not ignite at normal compression temperatures. The whole point of an injector is to introduce finley atomised fuel into the cylinder to present the largest possible surface area to the air already in the cylinder in order that it can ignite and produce a fast burn. A puddle lying on the top of the piston may burn if ignited by easy start or subsequent succesful ignition, but it will be such a slow burn it won't significantly increase peak pressure. It may, however, affect the lub oil film on the liner and accelerate wear (as indeed will unburnt diesel impinging on the liner and washing the Lub Oil off).
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All getting a bit silly IMO, lecturing on stuff not that relavent, we are talking about a slowly turning (not running) engine here, which we have already said is worn already, hence the poor starting and need for easy start.....the aditional wear is very very very very minimul, just a theoretical load of cobblers about atomised fuel, coalesce, puddles blah blah, it just cant do any significant harm at those speeds (starting speeds)

If we were talking about it running balls out at 3500rpm, stone cold and under full load and emptying 5 cans of easy start down the intake fair enough, but lets be realistic, just seem to have a basic understanding of how a diesel engine works and inventing a load of problems that are just irrelavent.

BTW, i worked previously for a world leading engine development company in the machining shop re-building all sorts of test/failed/development engines, so i am not just making things up out of thin air, my thoughts are all based on real world experience.
 
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PCUK said:
Is that the starter used in 'Flight of the Phoenix'? Firing once with ignition off and only two cartridges left!
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Yep, but give Hollywood a chance to improve dramatic effect....
A

I have used it on a 4-108, and the worry was that the shock loads on the crank were before the oil pressure was up to maintain a good film.
 
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Just checked, as it sounded strange that Coffman 'used gas to push the pistons'.They were gas operated starter motors. As in turning the crank by a cog driven by a piston and a spiral. Compressed air is common in boat diesels to turn the pistons and in a few aircraft,like the Renault engined Stampe SV4.
A
 
WD40 instead of easy start you say. I am wondering if the propellant gas in the WD40 can is in fact propane.

All the theories as to how bad easy start is for an engine is extremely interesting however, surely the most important consideration is to have an engine that is running. Or have I missed the point.

73s de

Johnth
 
WD40 instead of easy start you say. I am wondering if the propellant gas in the WD40 can is in fact propane.
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I believe it used to be butane but now I think CO2. That may not be quite so useful as a starting aid ! :(
 
How long will it be before arm chair theorists condemn the use of a greenhouse gas (CO2) as a starting aid for reluctant engines?

How did you get the sub script 2 Vic?

73s de

Johnth
 
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