Thermostart on 3cyl 4000

Started the 4000 yesterday, temp in the teens. Plugged block heater in for about 1 hour. Turned key to the Thermostart position and counted to 20. Would not start. Tried again and it almost caught. Finally used ether. Where did I go wrong?
 
Bill,
On my 7000, I ran a cord with a splitter to the tractor. Plugged the frost plug heater into one outlet and used the other to plug in a battery charger. I let it sit for 30 min or so and then on the Simm's pump, I would push in the excess fuel button. Turn the key to Thermostart for a count of 45. Try to start.
Down to zero that would be it for a quick start.
Give us some more info too please.

What type of block heater? Frost plug or Tank?
Can you hear the water heat or did the block get warm? You may need to wait longer with a Tank type to get the block warm.

How old is the battery? A little slow to spin will make it hard to start. Check connections too. If one is weak, it slows the starter.

What color of smoke were you getting when you cranked? White only? Compression was not enough to burn the fuel.

Did the intake manifold get warm when you used the Thermostart? There is a heating element in there to burn the fuel, it can go bad.

Warning: If the Thermostart is working and you use ether, you can have an explosion in the intake manifold. Not good!

HTH
Keith
 
I'd say your block heater wasn't on long enough nor were you holding the engine in the thermostat position long enough.

I don't use the block heater down here but on cold mornings I do run the ts and usually hold it on for a minute or so. You have to give it time to heat the coil and release the fuel which happens through mechanical expansion and then the dripping fuel can catch fire as it passes the glowing coil and be sucked into the combustion chamber.

20 seconds and you might as well not use it as you haven't given it time to perform as designed.

Second thing is low compression. Low compression means less compression of the air and less heat to ignite the fuel mist. I'd work on the first paragraph before I started worrying about low compression.

I know about the compression thing. I bought my first Ford tractor, a 3 cyl 3000, and in April the salesman had to use ether to get it to light off down here in TX. An inframe later.......no problem. But it was my first Ford and I didn't know.

Mark
 
If a working block heater was on for an hour and everything else is in order it should have lit right off at 10 degrees without thermostart. Check compression, cranking speed, block heater function.
Yes, thermostart requires closer to a minute than 20 seconds.
 
Thanks for the replies. The starter was a little slow and I sure didn't hold the thermostart on long enough. Won't start it again till spring, then I will know what to do. Thanks again!
 
I would refrain from using ether. Years back, I remember the old timers (doh ! now I'm one of them) saying that a tractor becomes addicted to ether. Addiction in reality meant that ether use cracked some of the rings in the diesel engine, lowered the compression, and the engine, then, would not normally start without ether. I think ether should be reserved for the engine well worn out, which cannot be started otherwise under any conditions.
 

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