Had to use the fluid

I changed the fuel filter on my MF 231. I guess I didn't bleed the filter enough, as it ran for only a few seconds, then stopped. I got the fuel up to the injectors, but it would not start no matter how long I cranked. Not even smoke. Found my can of starting fluid, and a couple shots, and it fired right off. Maybe the pump is getting weak? Any thoughts? Stan

It's ok to use the stuff you just better shouldn't talk about it on here.

Sounds to me like there was still just a little bit of air in the system even if you thought you had everything bled out. I've had this happen many times over the years on many different brands of machines. The one thing that seems to be consistant between all of them is that I really thought I had the system bled, and one shot of ether keeps it running when it will not do it otherwise.

I had one a few years back that I bled the fuel system, got it running and drove it around for about 5 minutes. The man came to pick it up and got half way down the drive when it died. We bled it again and this time he got to the end of the drive with it and it died. All total we bled the system a total of 5 time, along with the fact that I drove it around for a few minutes before calling the guy to pick it up, before it ever actually ran like it should.

That said a shot of ether will not hurt an engine, regardless of what many would like you to believe, at leasrt not if it's done in moderation. If it was any diffrent do you honestly think that the mfgs would offer an ether start setup on a brand new engine? Heck even 10 years ago they offered them for the electronic engines that were controlled by the computer. I checked into one for my truck since I often work out of town and park in motel lots where I can't plug in. Unfortunately that setup cost both arms and at least a leg and half of the other. In the end I wound up with a Kim Hotstart system that I operate manually by pushing a button when it's needed. The main thing with ether to insure the engine is turning over so it gets sucked into individualk chambers as a mix, not straight ether, and use it in moderation so the engine doesn't sound like it's going to fly apart as it hits. Do it this way and you should never have any problems.

It still had some air... usually when I change filters on those systems I bleed the filter... then with the shutoff pulled out I open the pump body bleeder and crank the engine until it fires a good blast of fuel out the bleeder... then try to close the bleeder while it's cranking. Then push the shutoff in and start it. In using the shutoff hopefully you don't intorduce any air into the high pressure side of that pump so you shouldn't need to bleed the injectors...
Otherwise a bit of ether will roll them over fast enough to bleed out. The thing to remember is... ether in the absence of any other fuel will require a lot of ether to make much fire... however, in the presence of a modest amount of fuel it will bring about a quick fire and rapid rise in compression/combustion pressure. That's not an entirely good thing to the rods in that Perkins... use in moderation and when it takes fire, discontinue.

Rod

(quoted from post at 21:06:56 04/18/13) It's ok to use the stuff you just better shouldn't talk about it on here.

Click to expand...

I'll second that.

Get out propane torch, insert nozzle in aircleaner and open valve- but DON"T light it. Then crank engine couple times. John Deere had the cold start propane bottle option for some equipment- like brothers combine- and the line went to port on intake manifold. A oil can with gasoline can squirt a table spoon of gasoline in intake manifold also- gas vapor in cold engine will get it running fast enough for 10/15 seconds to purge lines, not hard detonation risk. Automotive starting fluid/Ether is in handy cans, that"s why lots of use. Like the rabbit flambe" recipes using it last month for flame source- was on menu as "Ether Bunny" (Teasing Alert!) RN