Diesel Problems

[moonshinemadness]

Anyone have any experience with Diesel engines? Basically got to it this morning (A Very cold morning...frosty infact) it wouldnt start, its been tepremental for weeks now but usually a jump start would sort it out this time it didnt, you can turn it over for as long as there is power to do so and it wont fire but it will smoke so there is diesel getting to the cylinders...its a 6 cyl 100HP Ford engine. We fitted a new diesel filter and primed it but still nothing. Any one have any ideas of what could be stopping it from firing...it cant be power as its being jumped and it cant be diesel as it smokes when you turn it over.

Thanks

**Edit** Neither the heater plugs nor the cold start button have any effect.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Damn Euro's rubbing our faces in the diesels they have... (I'm a big diesel fan)

How many miles are on your engine & what vehicle is it in?

I'm thinking that your injection pump or timing may be hosed, or if it's a modern diesel, it has electronic control subsystems that may have failed.

 

[Grouchyoldguy]

Sounds like the glow plugs are burned out. Do you know how to use a multi meter? More engine info would help.

 

[squirrel dog]

I second the glow plugs . They are a wear item . Their mission is to aid starting in cold weather. We replace them as preventive maint. on our machines at work . They dont cost much either .

 

[Pliablemoose]

The reason I didn't go with glow plugs, is that if the cylinders get hot enough, you can usually start a diesel without glow plugs (if it'll turn over)

 

[KenGr]

When you start getting down around freezing, you may be getting to the point where it will not fire without glow plugs. The way to test it is to get it into a warm place and see if that solves the problem. However, I would check and see if there is a fuse or anything on the system before I went to changing glow plugs. You should be able to check for voltage at the glow plugs.

 

[Eli]

What do you mean by smoke? The diesel burns, but not enough to turn it over?

If that's the case, just keep trying.. Maybe you'll warm the cylinders up enough from friction etc.. to get 'er started.

 

[BooneRebel]

Pliable, the OP stated that it was frosty and wouldn't start, ergo cold cylinders.

Since it sounds like the problem has gotten worse the colder it gets, I'd start with looking at the glowplugs. Chances are that only a few are getting hot, and during the summer this was enough to get things moving. Happened to an old truck of mine a few years ago. I pulled them and found two that had self-destructed (obviously not doing any good at all) and a couple more that weren't getting hot. Replacing the whole set did the trick.

If the glow plugs are good then the glow plug controller might not be working correctly.

 

[DurocShark]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
Damn Euro's rubbing our faces in the diesels they have... (I'm a big diesel fan)

How many miles are on your engine & what vehicle is it in?

I'm thinking that your injection pump or timing may be hosed, or if it's a modern diesel, it has electronic control subsystems that may have failed.

A 6 cyl 100hp engine makes you jealous??? granted, the torque is like 1,000,000ftlbs but still... heh

I'd test the glow plugs and the compression.

 

[cavemanmoron]

Most fuel places will not sell "winter mix" till the daytime high is 30f,but tractors,and Fords seem to need
winter mix sooner,if parked outside this is more important....

add kerosene to the fuel,and plug it in to let the block heater work.

if you have a 1/2 tank add 5-6 gallons Kerosene.


the fuel for 30f should really be 20% kerosene

glow plugs,need to be used below 45f also.

add 1 bottle of Isoprpoyl dry gas to each tank of fuel,


do NOT use methanol dry gas.

 

[UlricT]

you could also build a fire nder the engine... we used to do this with OLD diesel engines back home in India. Worked pretty well... Might want to get all that newfangled wiring out of the way first though

 

[moonshinemadness]

Hey guys thanks for all the advice, sorry it took me so long to reply ive been arsing about with it all day, its been driving me insane, finally got it started after bleeding it several times and basically just hammering it until it started. It was on a Ford 7810 Agricultural Tractor a G reg. Turned out after some playing around that you were right and indeed the heater plug was not working but the heater plug is fine its more an electrical problem, which is still to be fixed. I think what happened was after changing the filter it became airlocked plus on top of the fact it was too cold to start, it finally started about midday when the air had warmed and i guess it managed to shift the air lock itself. Now the fun begins...tracking down what electrical problem is causing the glow plugs not to work. Thanks for the help you guys.

Oh and pliablemoose maybe i can interest you in a spin in the 1.8 TD 110BHP ford escort i just bought

 

[Lonyo]

I got to drive a Volvo S60 diesel today, it ruled. Big car though.