3000 ford hard starter

Dale2 · Dec 9, 2018

Hope someone can help
I have a new style 3000 ford 3 cyl desiel in the shop as a hard start problem. I am sure the maintenance in the past was not regular so I want to run a compression test. How do you do one on a desiel. Throttle wide open or what. Also how much should it have. About how much should I expect to pay to have the injectors checked or to purchase new ones. The tractor spins fast enough so Im thinking compression, pump or injectors. Also can someone tell me how to check the static timing. it has a rotary pumpThanks for any help

sunbeam · Dec 9, 2018

There isn't any throttle valve in a diesel injectors on this site $42.57 each.

Dale2 · Dec 9, 2018

im not sure what that means

Bern · Dec 9, 2018

You need a compression test adapter similar to the one shown below, plus a compression gauge of at least 500 PSI capability. A good engine will have 350-plus PSI. Throttle position does not matter on a diesel like it does on a gasser.

If it has a rotary pump, and the compression is good, I'd suspect a worn pump that has excessive internal leakage. Hard starting is usually the first indicator. Injectors can be readily checked by most pump shops. I'd be very leery of cheap re-mans.

Pump timing is checked by observing the marks for alignment on the plate where the pump bolts to the block. Alignment with the zero mark is good enough, but others on here will tell you to advance the timing a couple of degrees or so, which will do nothing for the way it starts.

You can "band-aid" all of it by installing and using a block heater.
Compression test adapter

Dale2 · Dec 9, 2018

Thank you Bern for your input. You are probably right because it will start a lot better if it has been plugged in. Would the injectors sold on this site be a good replacement for this tractor? Im not sure of the quality of any possibilities.
again thank you

Bern · Dec 9, 2018

I am not familiar with the injectors on this site, and even if I did, and I bad-mouthed them, I'd probably get banned from ever posting here again! :-(

If the injectors do test bad, I would just buy new nozzle tips (#72 at the link below) and replace them myself. However, I have access to an injector pop tester to set them up with, whereas most others here do not.
Nozzle

Dale2 · Dec 9, 2018

That is probably right. If I send them to you can you test and repair as needed. If so can you estimate the cost?

Bern · Dec 9, 2018

I'm not interested in any extra work at this time. Suggest visiting a local shop who rebuilds injectors and pumps.

David G · Dec 9, 2018

First thing is cranking speed, I would think it should turn at least 200 RPM, others can comment.

What temperatures does it not start at?

sunbeam · Dec 9, 2018

Diesel are controlled by how much fuel not air is allowed in there is no air control valve.

sunbeam · Dec 9, 2018

If you buy a rebuilt injector and there is a problem you have an out. with a nozzle replace not so much. I always check the replacements before install.

RM-MN · Dec 10, 2018

Cranking speed is pretty important on a diesel and hard starting can be directly related to that as the weather gets colder. Change your oil to synthetic if you have not. The engine will spin easier and faster. Use a multi-viscosity like a 5W40 so it has the least resistance for starting but the proper viscosity when warm.

Texasmark1 · Dec 10, 2018

This time of year I wouldn't get all bent out of shape on hard starting diesels. When I bought my 3000 it needed ether in April in Texas.....yes I had low compression and you wouldn't believe what I found when I did the inframe.

The 3000 uses a Thermostart device. Old ones like my '65 use a separate switch for activation, and newer ones use a rotary switch position between ON and START where the oil-ammeter red lights go out......hold it there for a minute or more in colder weather then roll on over to START.

The Thermostart device is located on the intake manifold, near the air inlet on the back side. It uses a diesel line from the injector return fluid and a hot wire activated by one of the two methods listed above. It takes about 30 seconds for the hot wire to unseat the diesel plug and allow diesel fuel to SLOBBER onto the orange, glowing wire which causes these droplets to ignite and drop into the intake manifold.

When you roll the starter, after waiting it out, engine intake suction sucks these "Great Balls of Fire" (Jerry Lee Lewis....what a song-guy) into the combustion chamber and wala....ignition.

Rolling at 200 rpm with a good battery and starter is definitely part of the equation. The rest is engine compression...manual stating that 350-450 at that rpm is the requirement.

Sean in PA · Dec 10, 2018

The 3000 uses a Thermostart device. Old ones like my '65 use a separate switch for activation

Mark, that separate switch must have been added by someone. The original key switch on a '65 3000 with Thermostart would have had the "Off" position in the middle with the "heat" position to the left of "Off", and a "Heat Start" position to the left of that. My 3 cylinder 4000 is a gasser so I don't know from first hand experience, but that's what my Operators manual says.

I believe that they switched to the key switch with the "Heat" position half way between "Run" and "Start" when they came out with the x600 series in 1975 or possibly a little later.

David G · Dec 10, 2018

My 87 6610 is between run and start for heat.

wvfarmboy · Dec 11, 2018

first thing i would look at on a ford is the manfold heater make sure it works , think you turn the key to the left on a 3000 or 3600, most of the time thay start pritty well using the manfold heater, block heater works good swell.

hurleyjd · Dec 12, 2018

Order this starter and install on your 3000. I installed one on a 4630 that was a hard starter had to use either or a gas soaked rag. The starter fixed the problem. This starter turns at a faster rpm than the oem.
Starter

Texasmark1 · Dec 13, 2018

Very well may be a non OEM type starting switch as it only has 3 positions...Off, on, start. I had a 4600D and current 3910D and both have the 5
position....Off, acc, on, thermo, start.

Texasmark1 · Dec 13, 2018

My 3000D had a 4" dia. starter installed when I bought it and was supposed to have a 5" since it was diesel. Being larger I would assume it was higher HP which should spin the engine faster. As I was walking through my "why mine didn't start without ether in the spring" I discovered this and replaced it....but with the engine problems it had at the time, it was of little help. 200 rpm is in the manual for satisfactory starting.

Sean in PA · Dec 13, 2018

(quoted from post at 04:43:11 12/13/18) My 3000D had a 4" dia. starter installed when I bought it and was supposed to have a 5" since it was diesel. Being larger I would assume it was higher HP which should spin the engine faster. As I was walking through my "why mine didn't start without ether in the spring" I discovered this and replaced it....but with the engine problems it had at the time, it was of little help. 200 rpm is in the manual for satisfactory starting.

I thought that the gas and diesel ring gears had differing number of teeth, and so the teeth on a gas starter (4") wouldn't mesh properly with a diesel ring gear.

Texasmark1 · Dec 13, 2018

Must not be the case as I pulled out a 4 and put in a 5 and ran 00 wires up to the battery......overkill, yes. That didn't work so the next thing I did was
to drill and tap a ?" pipe thread, hole in the front end of the intake and put a removable plug for injecting ether manually. That didn't work, or got
tired of it banging and clanging, so I bit the bullet and did an inframe.....you wouldn't believe what came out of the cylinders that were supposed to be
pistons.....top two rings and seating areas complete obliterated. Bottom end miked ok so I left it as is.. Machine shop that did the head got me new
standard pistons, rings, rods, and inserts, plus a gasket set.....parts and machine work cost $1k.

Did a ball hone on it put her back together....with a new hose connecting the intake to the air filter (that was missing causing the whole mess by the
PO). That was somewhere in the early '90's and she has been running like a top ever since. I've worked it hard but it's a seasonal thing, and not too
much then; not an every day event. I work alone and didn't see the need to go full bore on the OH.....didn't have the tools for a split nor coins at the
time anyway with 4 kids and I have other tractors.

3000 ford hard starter

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