Diesel Fuel System Question - Filter Blocked

[Vaughan]

By the way, if you attempt to get it started first time, using "Easy Start" I shall never speak to you again.  

Easy Start is death to a diesel engine and I never allowed it on any yard I managed.

If you want to encourage it to start, take the air cleaner off the intake manifold, get a gas blow lamp (a hand held Camping Gas will do) pre-heat the engine, turn it over on the starter and point the blow lamp (lit) down the air intake manifold for about 3 seconds.  As soon as you take the blow lamp flame away again, it will start!

If it doesn't, you need to bleed the fuel again.

[floydraser]

1 hour ago, Vaughan said:

By the way, if you attempt to get it started first time, using "Easy Start" I shall never speak to you again.  

1 hour ago, Vaughan said:

If you want to encourage it to start, take the air cleaner off the intake manifold, get a gas blow lamp (a hand held Camping Gas will do) pre-heat the engine, turn it over on the starter and point the blow lamp (lit) down the air intake manifold for about 3 seconds.  As soon as you take the blow lamp flame away again, it will start!

If it doesn't, you need to bleed the fuel again.

This I have never heard before, it doesn't sound like it should work, but I trust you so much I'll give it a go! 

Thankfully, the engine has always been very easy to start so I don't expect too much trouble. 

[grendel]

you are giving it hot air to run with, essentially the same as running the glow plugs.

[Vaughan]

12 minutes ago, floydraser said:

This I have never heard before, it doesn't sound like it should work,

Never fails!

Easy Start is mainly ether, which is highly flammable so it starts engines.  Trouble is, it also washes the oil out of the cylinders and leaves its own film on the cylinder bores.  So next time you want to start, there is low compression due to lack of oil and it won't start, unless you give it another squirt of the ether.

At this point the engine is said to be "addicted" to Easy Start and the only cure is to strip it down and re-build it.

[Smoggy]

It's also been known to break piston rings, it's the work of Satan.

A leccy heat gun works even better as the hot air still has its oxygen content.

[Vaughan]

40 minutes ago, Smoggy said:

A leccy heat gun works even better as the hot air still has its oxygen content.

As long as you have the facilities, to plug it into the bank.

[MauriceMynah]

When Nyx broke down last year, the engineers who fixed it used Easy Start to get it going. I had heard people say engines could become addicted to it but gave little credence to the tale. Thank you Vaughan for explaining why this happens, I shall throw away the remainder of the can I have away. Or perhaps just use it when I'm lighting barbecues.  

[Vaughan]

10 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

Or perhaps just use it when I'm lighting barbecues.  

That'll be the last barbecue you ever light!!

[MauriceMynah]

Why? Does it make the food taste funny?

[StillCruising]

When I worked for London Transport in the 70's to get the Leyland Fleetlines started on cold mornings we had a 'starting team' of two men. The procedure was to take of the air intake pipe from the manifold, one man wedged the throttle actuator with a large bar (no air to operate the accelerator) the other man held a lit wax procession flare into the air intake on the manifold. The starter was then pressed until the engine fired at which point the air intake pipe was refitted. As there was so much unburnt diesel in the cylinders that when the engines did fire up the smoke was unbelievable from the 70 plus vehicles. With noting that the old RT's and RM's started with no problems without the above procedures. 

[Happy]

1 hour ago, StillCruising said:

When I worked for London Transport in the 70's to get the Leyland Fleetlines started on cold mornings we had a 'starting team' of two men. The procedure was to take of the air intake pipe from the manifold, one man wedged the throttle actuator with a large bar (no air to operate the accelerator) the other man held a lit wax procession flare into the air intake on the manifold. The starter was then pressed until the engine fired at which point the air intake pipe was refitted. As there was so much unburnt diesel in the cylinders that when the engines did fire up the smoke was unbelievable from the 70 plus vehicles. With noting that the old RT's and RM's started with no problems without the above procedures. 

 When I was young - seems a long time ago now, in the winter on building sites they used to soak an old cement bag

in diesel, lite it and hold over the air filter on dumpers while some poor b....r cranked the engine over!  I assume they start better these days.

[floydraser]

And another thread where people talk a load of hot air....

[annv]

Hi Happy Yes my Beta/Kubota 2'3Lt i haven't yet needed to use the heater plugs in winter or summer yet, in fact it starts quicker than my petrol Accord doz.Although there aren't standing in the middle of a field. John

[NeilB]

It’s so warm at the moment even my wheezy old Perkins starts without pre heat!!

[floydraser]

She runs!

A big thanks to all who contributed here. I remember how down hearted I was when the engine first refused to start. I thought I was in for a load of hassle and a load of expense.

I had the correct set of keys this time, so that helped. I had to jump the engine battery from the other two and the first try was without bleeding the injectors. Worth a try but nothing doing. I slackened the injectors as instructed here but I was too careful; one of them dribbled a bit but nothing from the others. I slackened them of a bit more and got a good squirt from three of them. Tightened them all up and she spluttered and started. 

So off to Multicell next time for new battery, order another diesel filter to carry on board and you never know, she may see the river!

Oh, and for those who may not know: it's not a good idea to drop your adjustable spanner down into the bilge next to the water tank.

 

[Vaughan]

Well done!

Sounds as though it is "hunting" a bit but that will probably settle down once you go out and put a load on it.  If it is making white smoke from the exhaust, that should disappear as well.

[Vaughan]

I notice the two ammeters on the dashboard.  Don't see many of them nowadays!

[floydraser]

2 hours ago, Vaughan said:

I notice the two ammeters on the dashboard.  Don't see many of them nowadays!

Look again, there's three! I think there was a fridge under the helm seat originally.

In the video I had just started it and it was on a fast tick over. In the photo I had slowed it down to it's normal tick over and it sounded as sweet as ever. And with the hatch down You can hardly hear it at all!