Adding Thermostart to a 3000

I have a 72 3000 Diesel. I noticed in the parts section of this website that I could buy the thermostart module. Has anybody added one to a non production equipped tractor? I know I will need a fuel source and a hot wire probably wired seperately with a momentary switch or push button. Any body done this or have any advice?

install thermostart, wire to ignition switch to correct lug. take a fuel line from thermostart back to fuel tank, up the fuel tank nearly to top and place a tee in the return line and connect the line from the thermostart. if the tee is about inch from the highest point, when fuel returns to the tank, it will run back down and fill the line to the thermostart and provide a 5 minute reserve of fuel supply... it the tee is too high, the fuel will run to the tank before it fills the line to the thermostart. If the tee is too low, you will only have a 1 minute supply of fuel in the line.

this is the way ford did the later tractors.

hth... bill

Hey Bill,
The little thingmajig next to the voltage regulater is a part of the thermostart system.
Is it just a reservoir for storing fuel?
The TS system burned away in the fire on my 3600.
This is from a doner tractor.
I have the steel line, thingmajig and glow plug but haven't hooked it up yet.

Yep- that's a reservoir for the thermostart. Newer ones did away with that - eliminated a common source of leaks and simplified the lines. They just use the fuel line as the reservoir. Works fine like that. I'll have those parts (and most of the 233c.i. engine parts) to sell off the 5100 if it ever warms up enough to work in an unheated garage. If anyone here needs something, let me know... otherwise I'll ebay them.

Besides the other posts descriptions, there is a special ignition switch that has an intermediate position between Run and Start. The power supply to the Thermostart is hooked to this terminal and is only activated when you are in these two positions( Intermediate and Start). In normal operation, you turn the key toward start and hold it in the position where the dash lights go out and before the starter activates.
Your intake manifold must have a threaded boss on it where the Thermostart unit is installed. Ford said that it is effective to 5 oF but in the case of my 4610, it's more like 15F. I've installed a block heater in my tractor(750 watt core plug type) and and it's more effective than the Thermostart in cold weather. I use a timer to turn it on 1 hr before I go out to feed and the tractor starts right up.

My advice to you would be to spend your effort and $'s on a block heater especially if you live in cold country. It's more effective over a wider temperature range, and is easier to install and costs about the same.

yes-sir, thats an early model reservoir.. to use the french word.. later models just use the tee.. so you got yourself a high dollar model and it will hold about 5 min of cranking fuel..

I fired off a thermostart one time with the big rubber hose off of the end of the manifold so i could look in and watch.

the little wires glowed cherry red for a few seconds, then the heat made the spring-loaded-ball ease up a bit so some fuel could trickle down and poof!!! it lit up like a zippo lighter.. prettiest little flame you every saw.. it would burn there and heat up the manifold and more important, it would heat up the air getting sucked into the manifold. I dont know what it does when you actually crank the engine. some say the flames actually get sucked into the head and combustion chamber to help heat it up..

remember that is has to get about 400 degrees to fire off the diesel fuel and a cold engine has so much cold metal that it actually sucks off the heat away from the combustion chamber so you have to crank much much longer, to get the cpmpression to generate enough heat to fire off the diesel.. where on a warm day, the engine is around 70 degrees the combustion chamber will heat up quickly to 400 degrees... so the little thermostart can really help but as said earlier, expect to crank a bit even with it.. so a block heater is better where you have electricity..

ford didnt put those gigantic batteries in there for the weight. ;-)