Easystart; is it really evil?

[SteveGorst]

I've heard several people say that using easystart on any engine causes all sorts of damage and the engine can in effect become addicted to it. Do you think there is any truth in this?

Why should it damage engines? Is it bending something, wearing something out, reducing the compression or what. Or is it just that the engine is past it's best when you have to resort to using easystart for the first time and the engine just continues to get further past it's best due to wear and tear; not easystart. As long as you make do without an engine overhall you keep having to use easystart.

I would really like an explanation not just a "yes it does damage engines" answer.

Thanks
Steve

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[cindersailor]

Ether (easystart) is very volatile and very flamable. My understanding is that the problem is that it can ignite on the compression stroke before the piston reaches tdc. The whole engine (crank shaft, flywheet etc) is therefore going in one direction while the explosion in the cyclinder is trying to push it in the other direction. Not surprisingly this puts a huge strain on the piston, con rod and crankshaft. There is also the possibility that it ignites on the exhaust stroke. Even though the valve is open, the presure and corresponding heat can be enough to ignite the ether, this leads to burnt out exhaust valve seats.

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[boatmike]

Yes. The biggest danger is a large charge of the stuff pre igniting and bending con rods etc as you suggest, but also if it finds its way through into the exhaust side it can cause an explosion in the manifold when the engine eventually starts. When marine diesels were fairly crude and had valve lifters and no glow plugs it was sometimes the only way to get one to fire on a cold winters morning but now that they are either marinised vehicle engines or custom built marine engines (yanmar etc) with glow plugs there is something very wrong with it if it won't start after the glow plugs have been warmed. Also with glo plugs the easy start can ignite due to a hot glo plug at any part of the engines stroke not just under the heat of compression as in an engine with none, so it was always a dangerous but sometimes necessary evil on old engines but now it is even more dangerous and should never be necessary.

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[SteveGorst]

Thanks for the explanation, I can see the reason now. When you mentioned the old days and starting engines on cold winter mornings I remembered an experience I had. As a teenager I worked on the building sites during the school holidays and one of the old guys squirted easystart into the air intake while I was starting a dumper engine with a starting handle. The resulting explosion broke my wrist (the scaphoid bone) and I was in plaster for approaching 6 months. The engine started though...

Cheers
Steve


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[Robin]

Nowadays you could sue for miles for that!

<hr width=100% size=1><font size=1>Sermons from my pulpit are with tongue firmly in cheek and come with no warranty!</font size=1>

 

[andy_wilson]

In a diesel, the fuel is introduced at the start of the firing stroke (ie when the piston is at the top(ish), ready to drive down).

With Easystart, it is introduced in the inducton stroke and is highly volatile, thus pre-igniting is a minor problem (but no more than the engine can stand) but really it is just helping the charge of diesel fire at low temperatures OR pressure (read temperature) due to poor compression.

A bigger problem is that it has the additional effect of cracking the ring of carbon from around the piston top.

This unintentional de-coke is usually sufficient to reduce the compression on a poor starting, worn out diesel to below that which is required for efficient starting..... unless you continue to use ether, hence the accusation of engines becoming addicted to the stuff.

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[SteveGorst]

As I remember it in 1976 I got just under £1000 which is a lot of John Smiths for a young student to drink!! It did create havoc with my education though as I couldn't write so on balance I would prefer not to have done it.

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[Thistle]

This is why you are advised to use a starting handle with your fingers and thumbs on the same side. Like this, if the engine does kick back, the handle will come out of your hands without bending / breaking thumbs. If you're unlucky it may go right round and and hit the outside of your forearms ... but it's unlikely to break anything.

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[boatmike]

It's also why we fit starter motors and glow plugs

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[boatmike]

Did you not wonder why the old guy got you to wind up the starter handle while he squirted the "dynamite"?
There are old builders and bold builders......

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[SteveGorst]

Yes but it's really awkward to hold like that so in the end you revert back to putting the thumb round it. At least I do... You are right though, it is the correct way.

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[SteveGorst]

At least I didn't fall for going down to the supply shop to buy a tin of elbow grease!!

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[Thistle]

Next time you're tempted, just remember how painful the broken wrist was ... and how long the NHS waiting lists are! (Not to mention how detrimental 6 months in plaster can be to the enjoyment of a sailing season.)

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[boatmike]

Ar!!! Reminds me of my old HRD Vincent Black Shadow it does... Break your right leg every time you tried to kick start it it would. Thats when men were men and walked with a perpetual right legged limp it were......Ar.....!!!!!

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[boatmike]

Ar!!! Reminds me of my old HRD Vincent Black Shadow it does... Break your right leg every time you tried to kick start it it would. Thats when men were men and walked with a perpetual right legged limp it were......Ar.....!!!!!

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[boatmike]

Ar!!! Reminds me of my old HRD Vincent Black Shadow it does... Break your right leg every time you tried to kick start it it would. Thats when men were men and walked with a perpetual right legged limp it were......Ar.....!!!!!

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[SteveGorst]

ok I get the message

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[luddites]

doesnt do any permanent damage provided you stick rigidly to the old adage, one squirt for you, two for the engine, but dont operate the engine once it starts

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[oldharry]

Remember the old Phelon and Moore Panther 650 single? Get it right and if you were lucky you didn't quite break your ankle. Get it wrong and you not only broke your ankle, but cracked your skull as well as it tossed you over the saddle to land on your head. And that was with the decompressor on! If you had the nerve to ride it solo (i.e. were stoopid enough) it would not only throw you over the saddle, but jump on you as well once you were down if you had been stupid enough to let it off its stand first....





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[kds]

Did you never find the retard lever, then. Had one on my rapide !
Ken

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