Starting a diesel

[Refueler]

If any engine of mine doesn't start before the third or fourth compression stroke, I'd want to know why.

Richard

Only had one boat then with new engine ?

My Perkins of vintage is a slow starter when not used ... but once started ... as long as I start at least once per day - she'll start nicely.

It all comes down to age of injection pump .. state of piston rings .. cylinders ... basically general age. Even to location of fuel tank and if fuel system drops back .. not supposed to - but it happens.

 

[Refueler]

Why not put a bit of heat into the intake? My 2001 used to start instantly this way, other wise it was a non starter.

I like the Perkins glow plug idea ........ sits in the air intake ... with a fuel drip to it ... press the Cold Start button and after a few sec's you hear POP and a whisp of white smoke trickles out of air filter ... HIT the start button ...

Basically a shot of flaming diesel gets sucked in !!

I'm told it was developed from the old system to start Tanks !!

 

[Tamar]

I like the Perkins glow plug idea ........ sits in the air intake ... with a fuel drip to it ... press the Cold Start button and after a few sec's you hear POP and a whisp of white smoke trickles out of air filter ... HIT the start button ...

Basically a shot of flaming diesel gets sucked in !!

I'm told it was developed from the old system to start Tanks !!

Yes in some old Perkins, i have proper glow plugs in mine. Started lots of old diesels by putting a burning rag in the intake. In the old days of course ?

 

[Poignard]

My BUKH has a heating element in the air intake. It's a great help when hand-starting in cold weather.

 

[LittleSister]

My BUKH has a heating element in the air intake. It's a great help when hand-starting in cold weather.

I expect you get quite warm, too, hand starting it!

 

[Refueler]

Yes in some old Perkins, i have proper glow plugs in mine. Started lots of old diesels by putting a burning rag in the intake. In the old days of course ?

Fordson Major .. Fordson Dexta ... Ford 3000 ... Ford 4000 ... Bedford TK's and TM's .....

Amazing what a bit of flaming diesel will do !!

 

[Refueler]

My BUKH has a heating element in the air intake. It's a great help when hand-starting in cold weather.

My Renault Master shows a Glow plug symbol on the dash when I switch on ignition ... wait about 10 secs for it to go out - then turn key. So still in use by some !!

 

[Poignard]

I expect you get quite warm, too, hand starting it!

At my age I have to go and have a lie-down afterwards

 

[Stemar]

My BUKH has a heating element in the air intake. It's a great help when hand-starting in cold weather.

I had a York engined Transit with one of those. Snow on the ground was a good indication that taking the bus would be a good idea.

My 2003 only needs to churn on cold days and when cold. I test started it for the first time in about 9 months the other day and it leapt into life.

 

[RichardS]

And do they tell you?

Errrr ... you might not have noticed but engines are actually inanimate objects and, although there are a few of us in Christendom who understand perfectly every sound they make, most humans will need to undertake a full investigation.

Richard

 

[RichardS]

Only had one boat then with new engine ?

My Perkins of vintage is a slow starter when not used ... but once started ... as long as I start at least once per day - she'll start nicely.

It all comes down to age of injection pump .. state of piston rings .. cylinders ... basically general age. Even to location of fuel tank and if fuel system drops back .. not supposed to - but it happens.

What makes you think I'm only talking about boats? I'm talking about all internal combustion engines of all ages.

If the reason why a particular engine of mine needs more than 3 or 4 compression strokes to start it, then I would investigate why that engine needs more than that number of strokes, and if the answer is that is a relatively low compression engine with no form of preheating and a low-geared starter motor, for example, then I have found out why and my requirement has been met.

Richard

 

[Rappey]

Why do you need to remove the head to replace the heaters?

You go to replace the glow plugs and the heater element snaps off and is then stuck in the head. It's roughly 4mm thick and about 25mm long. How to get it out is then the issue. I had this happen.
I decided to continue to motor around as surely it would eventually pop out ?
3 weeks later it did. You can't not notice it as it fills your boat up with exhaust smoke in seconds plus the noise. How can so much smoke come from such a small hole ?
Literally a few minutes later the new one is screwed in and good to go .
Bmc 1.5 seems to need at least 20-30 secs of glow plug and some throttle to start cold.

 

[Boater Sam]

A blow lamp in the intake works wonders.
Thornycroft starting instructions for BMC derived engines was full throttle and 15 to 30 seconds on the preheat before cranking which I always thought a bit brutal.

 

[Rappey]

Thornycroft starting instructions for BMC derived engines was full throttle

Ouch. Totally brutal. I use around 1/4 to 3rd and instantly back it off once started.
The bmc official workshop manual states the same . Probably same manual.

 

[Refueler]

What makes you think I'm only talking about boats? I'm talking about all internal combustion engines of all ages.

If the reason why a particular engine of mine needs more than 3 or 4 compression strokes to start it, then I would investigate why that engine needs more than that number of strokes, and if the answer is that is a relatively low compression engine with no form of preheating and a low-geared starter motor, for example, then I have found out why and my requirement has been met.

Richard

Sorry - I was actually being a bit sarcastic ... not to insult. Should have been more clear.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Post #2.

Granted, but I was expanding on his brief post, for those who might be fearful of shredding the impeller by cranking with the seacock closed.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Yes in some old Perkins, i have proper glow plugs in mine. Started lots of old diesels by putting a burning rag in the intake. In the old days of course ?

Reminds me of a book I read many years ago, written by a Quaker who spent WW2 in China driving ambulances and humanitarian supplies. In it he relates that he saw Chinese Army diesel trucks being warmed up in the mornings by lighting a fire underneath the sump!

 

[Refueler]

Reminds me of a book I read many years ago, written by a Quaker who spent WW2 in China driving ambulances and humanitarian supplies. In it he relates that he saw Chinese Army diesel trucks being warmed up in the mornings by lighting a fire underneath the sump!

Done that with tractors .............

Russians of course got round the serious cold winters by having gasoline powered trucks !!

 

[KompetentKrew]

A boat's diesel should start after a couple of turns for reasons stated above. If it started well previously but doesn't now, it has a fuel problem; either air in the system or a blockage.
There are plenty of relevant threads searchable on this forum regarding bleeding the filters and jets, and the possibility of fuel starvation due to a filter or a pipe blocked with diesel bug debris.

When cold my diesel always turns over for several seconds before starting - it takes so long that I always think it's not going to start, and then a second or two after that it does.

In the past I've seen glow plugs suggested as the cause - I recently removed mine and tested them with fly-leads to the battery and they clearly glow red hot. The only thing I can think to do is leave them on longer before starting.

I'm sure it starts immediately when hot.

 

[Wansworth]

If any engine of mine doesn't start before the third or fourth compression stroke, I'd want to know why.

Richard

Give it a good thrashing with a branch!