How Cold Can Your Diesel Start w/o Ether or Block Heater?

Married2Allis · Mar 19, 2016

Just wondering how low the temps can get and your diesel tractor will still start without using ether or an engine block heater? 40's/30's/20's/10's, lower?

johndeeregreg · Mar 19, 2016

i have started my 720 at 0 with #2 fuel in it and im sure it would start at colder temps. but that's the advantage of a pony and a tight diesel
engine.

it was 12 volt electric start when i got it and it wouldn't even turn over the engine when it got below 40 mostly due to lack of battery power i
believe.

rrlund · Mar 19, 2016

My 1365 will start down around -15 to -18 with just the thermo start manifold heater. The 2-135 and 1850,five above or so is about the limit with just the manifold heater.

Dieseltech · Mar 19, 2016

Are you allowing electric or thermostart flame intake heaters, those will really help with cold starting when used correctly on engines that came stock with them..

David Snipes · Mar 19, 2016

I've started my JD 1640 at 17 degrees F without any added heat - it was a struggle.

syco 1 · Mar 19, 2016

434 ih -16 happy with that any colder then that I don't want to drive it

vscummins · Mar 19, 2016

20 below if she'll spin and additive in the tank .
Sometimes have to throw the battery charger on
over night if I know I gotta light er and its that cold

David G · Mar 19, 2016

My Ford 6610 will just puff as it gets close to 32

01gentdc · Mar 19, 2016

if the temp is above 20 f,the Liberty 430 diesel 188 will start easily enuf ,..best I ever saw is the neighbore Hesston /fiat 466 ,. it starts as easily as my 95 cummins dodge

tracto-man · Mar 19, 2016

Coldest We've ever tried the MF 65 was probably today at around 40 f. Maybe a bit colder. Didn't hesitate at all. Friends JD 650 could barely start at around a little
over 32 f this morning even with the glow plug.

Nick m · Mar 19, 2016

Just sold a Massey Ferguson 40b that would
start down in the 20's.

Russ from MN · Mar 19, 2016

My Father could start his JD 350 crawler out in the woods at -20F at least, but sometimes it would blow the seal in
the transmission pump, so it wasn't so good. this was at least 5 miles from the nearest electricity, on a logging
operation. We got real good at pulling the engine to change the seal, the fluid should of been thinned in the
winter.

buickanddeere · Mar 19, 2016

Don't really matter I plug it in anyways.
Instead of trying to live on the edge of it won't start or it will rattle while belching smoke and diluting the crankcase with unburned diesel. After nearly running the battery flat while over heating the starter motor.
Saving a few cents on electricity is a poor trade for increased engine and electrical system wear while burning extra fuel when cold.

jon f mn · Mar 19, 2016

Our 870 and 970 cases would start at -30 when they were in hood shape. The 730 wouldn't start at 50
without either.

fixerupper · Mar 19, 2016

I plug mine in but this winter both the 1086 and 4650 were started cold one time when they were needed quick. Both of them started at 15 above F but they were grouchy. I hate to start them without plugging them in.

brutus49DC · Mar 19, 2016

are you meaning -30F? That's something I'd like to see. You must have special fuel. The best starters I have had without any assist was my 510 MF or my 1570 Case which would start in the low to mid 20's above F.

vscummins · Mar 19, 2016

Yes we know .. Keep spraying ether and wonder why it's hard to start

caterpillar guy · Mar 19, 2016

I agree with B&D the trade off for the bit of juice is not worth the added wear for the cold start. I have however had to sytart them cold
. The 1466 will start down about -10 some of the others not so much. The 856 will go at about 0. My 806 is getting tired and needs the bed
warmer going to start in cold weather now. Our D-239 engines will not start after about 30-40 without some heat help.

Tom OConnor · Mar 19, 2016

Had a Deere 730 that had to start every day on a Michigan dairy farm and never let us down in twenty years but had a starting engine.

RBoots · Mar 19, 2016

The old 96 Powerstroke
with 285,000 miles will
start without being
plugged in down to -15
F. It has had to have
been done a few times at
work after working 16-18
hour shifts in winter.

Ross

4play · Mar 19, 2016

The coldest I started my truck ( 98 dodge 12V ) was 7* not plugged in, these don't have glow plugs and the grid heater is deleted. It started up just fine but idled rough for about 5 secs then smooth.

The coldest I started my MF 245 was around 25*. It sits outside doesn't have any type of heater or glow plugs. It hit and miss for about 10 secs but fired up and ran decent with a little bit of smoke for several seconds.

NCWayne · Mar 20, 2016

Not a tractor, but the Series 50 Detroit in my service truck has 400,000 plus miles on it, and it has started down to 30 degrees without any heat.

If I know I have to head out in the morning, I will plug it in at night. If I'm working out of town, and it's sitting in a motel parking lot, I've got an ether start system I can resort to if needed.

Even the ether start isn't an end all, be all. I say that, because by 17 degrees, the coldest I've seen, it won't even turn over fast enough to start on ether...been there, done that....in a motel parking lot......Thank goodness for jumper cables and a nice girl working in the front office that morning.

2x4 · Mar 20, 2016

JD 350 dozer would start at 15 degrees. JD 550G dozer starts on 2nd try at 20 degrees after sitting for 3 months thru winter. New Holland TV140 won't start anytime it gets below 50, summer or winter.

RB70D · Mar 20, 2016

John Deere R, have started at -15.

buickanddeere · Mar 20, 2016

(quoted from post at 11:28:43 03/20/16) John Deere R, have started at -15.

At least the two cylinder deere diesels would allow rotation without compression and without fuel until oil pressure builds up. Then further rotation with compression and no fuel to warm the combustion chambers. The starting engine also pre-warms the diesel engine's coolant and intake air.

mj · Mar 20, 2016

(quoted from post at 20:19:16 03/19/16) Yes we know .. Keep spraying ether and wonder why it's hard to start

At cold temps ether will sometimes frost the sparkplugs in a gas motor and she won't start. I've started my little Kioti diesel between 0 and 10 above (cycled the glowplugs 3 times first) Lately, I set a torpedo heater out in front of the grille a ways and let it run for 15 min. or so if I have to use it. When I was driving truck I started a 300 Maxidyne at 30 below......surprised me! Getting a block heater on the Kioti is on my 'to do' list for this summer as I do NOT like starting anything without one when it gets really cold! 8)

2x4 · Mar 20, 2016

A buddys JD 450C dozer won't start below 50 either.

rusty6 · Mar 21, 2016

(quoted from post at 18:50:58 03/19/16) are you meaning -30F? That's something I'd like to see. You must have special fuel. The best starters I have had without any assist was my 510 MF or my 1570 Case which would start in the low to mid 20's above F.

Agreed. Theres not a diesel on my farm that would start at -30F. Or a gas engine either. Not that I would ever try it unless it was a matter of life and death. Generally if the temp is below freezing I will plug in the block heater for a while. Started the MF Super 90 Perkins diesel today at about 25 with no pre heating. With just a single 12 volt battery it had barely enough cranking power but did start. This one will run smooth and smoke free even on a cold start. Both my newer Cases will smoke and run rough when cold but not this old Perkins.

How Cold Can Your Diesel Start w/o Ether or Block Heater?

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