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cold weather starting Caterpillar 51 horse diesel

Started by GeorgeK, November 24, 2012, 01:28:48 PM

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GeorgeK

I have just recently bought a used LT 40 with 51 horse Cat diesel any tricks on getting it to start when cold. Thanks, George
George Kalbfleisch
Woodmizer LT40, twin blade edger, Bobcat A300, Kubota L48 and yes several logrites!

POSTON WIDEHEAD

Hi George, my LT40 has a gas engine. But I have always wondered if the diesels have a plug in heater to keep them warm. Probably not.

Glad you got a mill. I hate cold weather!  :)
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

JustinW_NZ

Ive got the lombardini diesel and found it fine in cold/snow the only things i found to watch weremake sure you have antifreeze and you prime the diesel pump and that diesel isnt to much of a "slurry" from freezing.
Im unsure if the cat has a manual diesel primer?

Cheers
Justin
Gear I run;
Woodmizer LT40 Super, Treefarmer C4D, 10ton wheel loader.

ladylake

Quote from: POSTONLT40HD on November 24, 2012, 03:56:36 PM
Hi George, my LT40 has a gas engine. But I have always wondered if the diesels have a plug in heater to keep them warm. Probably not.

Glad you got a mill. I hate cold weather!  :)



It's 10 above here this morning, just right..   Little Isuzu popped right off.  You can have that 80+  humid  stuff.   Steve
Timberking B20  18000  hours +  Case75xt grapple + forks+8" snow bucket + dirt bucket   770 Oliver   Lots(too many) of chainsaws, Like the Echo saws and the Stihl and Husky     W5  Case loader   1  trailers  Wright sharpener     Suffolk  setter Volvo MCT125c skid loader

dgdrls

My experience with Cat's are from days gone by however, most if not all diesels like
heat, so if you can preheat the block with a heater of some type
and keep your fuel liquid you should be fine,

How cold does it get in your neck of the woods?

Best DGDrls

ladylake

 
Around -30 to -35 on the worst days, I try not to saw below +5 or so.    Steve
Timberking B20  18000  hours +  Case75xt grapple + forks+8" snow bucket + dirt bucket   770 Oliver   Lots(too many) of chainsaws, Like the Echo saws and the Stihl and Husky     W5  Case loader   1  trailers  Wright sharpener     Suffolk  setter Volvo MCT125c skid loader

jcbrotz

Keep the glows in good order and all your filters. If she's hard starting get the timing checked, my cat skidsteer is the best starting diesel I have ever seen, I dont even hit the glows till below 10 then only give them 10-20 sec. The kubota on the mill is a close second, but I do have to glow plug that on longer I blame that on the mechanical fuel pump though.
2004 woodmizer lt40hd 33hp kubota, Cat 262B skidsteer and way to many tractors to list. www.Brotzmanswoodworks.com and www.Brotzmanscenturyfarm.com

customsawyer

That 51hp cat is actually a perkins. I turn the key and let the glow plugs warm up a little and then hit the starter. The only problem I have had on these engines starting is they seem to be a little low speed on idle so you may have to turn the idle speed up a little. The other problems with these engines is another matter.
Two LT70s, Nyle L200 kiln, 4 head Pinheiro planer, 30" double surface Cantek planer, Lucas dedicated slabber, Slabmizer, and enough rolling stock and chainsaws to keep it all running.
www.thecustomsawyer.com

ladylake

 On any diesel if you can hold the throttle open when cranking it will start better.   Steve
Timberking B20  18000  hours +  Case75xt grapple + forks+8" snow bucket + dirt bucket   770 Oliver   Lots(too many) of chainsaws, Like the Echo saws and the Stihl and Husky     W5  Case loader   1  trailers  Wright sharpener     Suffolk  setter Volvo MCT125c skid loader

wascator

Warmth always helps: heads, and oil, in that order.
Any way you can warm the coolant and oil will help 'er start. careful with the ether. I would not use it due to the risk of damage.

Don_Papenburg

Customsawyer , what is the other problem with the little perkapillar?
Frick saw mill  '58   820 John Deere power. Diamond T trucks

GeorgeK

Thanks for all the input today. I will check several things tomorrow and talk to the cat dealer in town onMonday. It was 26 this morning but my Kubota tractor started fine. Many items here to look at and I will look at all plus clean the battery terminals. The battery shows good but will take to be checked Monday also. It started fine yesterday at 40 degrees.
George Kalbfleisch
Woodmizer LT40, twin blade edger, Bobcat A300, Kubota L48 and yes several logrites!

valley

It doesn't get that cold here but I have several diesel engines and anything below freezing will make some of theme hard to start I simply use a dipstick heater in the ones that don't have a built in block heater :::: problem solved on mine anyway
Have a great day unless you have other plans !!!

Okrafarmer

Clean the battery terminals, yes, and be sure that all your wiring involving the battery, ground, and starter is fully functional. Sometimes wires will break part way through, or develop a short, or whatever, and not be as efficient, but still marginally work.

Draining your fuel at the end of the day and bringing it warm fuel to start with may help-- even better, but more trouble, is draining the oil when you're done, and heating it up before putting it in before starting. Ditto coolant. Or any other way you can warm the engine up from the outside before trying to start it. My dad used to take a bucket of hot coles and put it under the bulldozer engine, with a tarp over it to help keep the heat in. That would warm things up enough to get its blood pumping.

These are all "old army tricks," or "old Russian tricks," or as we would say in Maine, "old indian tricks," though I'm not sure if the old indians had diesel engines. . . .  just sayin'
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

Operating a 2020 Woodmizer LT35 hydraulic for Upcountry Sawmill, Dacusville, SC

Now selling Logrite tools!

Writing fiction and nonfiction! Check my website.

Okrafarmer

Quote from: valley on November 24, 2012, 10:17:41 PM
It doesn't get that cold here but I have several diesel engines and anything below freezing will make some of theme hard to start I simply use a dipstick heater in the ones that don't have a built in block heater :::: problem solved on mine anyway

Valley, I'd actually never heard of a dipstick heater-- you learn something new every day. That sounds like a real spankin' good idea-- imagine if the old indians had just come up with that idea, way back when!
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

Operating a 2020 Woodmizer LT35 hydraulic for Upcountry Sawmill, Dacusville, SC

Now selling Logrite tools!

Writing fiction and nonfiction! Check my website.

Brad_S.

I have used a kerosene topedo style heater pointed at the engine for a while to get it going after my glow plugs bit the dust.
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." J. Lennon

Don_Papenburg

I used to carry a propane stove burner  and fire it up and slide it under the oilpan on my ol GMC . Then whenI got it running I would take it to the back and warm the air valve so the brakes would work
Frick saw mill  '58   820 John Deere power. Diamond T trucks

Okrafarmer

Quote from: Don_Papenburg on November 24, 2012, 11:51:47 PM
I used to carry a propane stove burner  and fire it up and slide it under the oilpan on my ol GMC . Then whenI got it running I would take it to the back and warm the air valve so the brakes would work

And then stick it on your dash board to act as a defroster?
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

Operating a 2020 Woodmizer LT35 hydraulic for Upcountry Sawmill, Dacusville, SC

Now selling Logrite tools!

Writing fiction and nonfiction! Check my website.

Satamax

Well, many good replies. I didn't know about the dipstick heater either.

I work for a chairlift company in the winter, and we have had generators to start when realy cold. Biguns, 400KVA or more.
Two tricks i've found, boil a big saucepan of water, and bring it up puting the fuel filter butt in it. Even better atach the saucepan with two bungees while you start it.  And put some boiling water on the intake manifold, slowly pouring, to raise the intake air temp. Well, there's always the MEK solution.
French CD4 sawmill. Latil TL 73. Self moving hydraulic crane. Iveco daily 4x4 lwb dead as of 06/2020. Replaced by a Brimont TL80 CSA.

red

Honor the Fallen Thank the Living

bandmiller2

George, most small high speed diesels use a glow plug circuit that would be the first thing i'd check.A diesel must crank at or above a cirtin speed to start prehaps you bat. is not fully charged due to age or drained from operating LT-40 functions.
A slight help would be synthetic motor oil. Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

saltydog

I have quick couplers on both of mine. I made them with about 20ft of heater hose .they connect from my work trucks heater hoses to the tree farmers heater hoses.You pull in with a warm truck in the morning pop the hood hook them up wait 15min or so.the temp gauge in the truck usually tells me when the old machine will start.That and new batteries every year.My other tree farmer had a deutz (air cooled) i had to build a brush fire under it a few times.You should have seen the look on the log buyers face when he drove in and seen a fire under the machine and me setting by it drinking coffee.You can put out just about any fire with a grain shovel and 4ft of snow. :).Now that im grown up i dont work in -20 weather.
Proud to be a self employed logger.just me my Treefarmer forwader Ford f600 truck 2186 Jonsereds 385 and 390 husky and several 372s a couple 2171s one 2156  one stihl 066  Hudson bandmill Farquhar 56"cat powered mill.and five kids one wife.

slider

My understanding is that cat must spin over freely in order to have enough fuel pressure to crank properly.I usually just hit the glow plugs and it cranks.However,mine has been slow to turnover for some time.The battery is new(1200 cranking amps)the starter is fresh and all connections are clean .Someone mentioned timing .That's the one thing that i have not tried yet.Anyone know how to set timing on a perkapillar ?
al glenn

sealark37

First, make sure that the glow plugs are working.  Then, either use #1 diesel fuel instead of the commonly available #2 diesel.  If you cannot find #1 diesel, make your own by mixing kerosene 1:1 with #2 diesel.  Works good, lasts long time.   Regards, Clark

Al_Smith

Now I don't know if all Perkins are as reliable as the one on my  bud the tree trimmers New Holland skidloader or not .His is some where between 40-45 HP .That one will start no matter how cold it is .Odd though even on a cold start at 80 degrees you have to use the glows.It doesn't blow white smoke like the rings are shot so maybe that's just the way the Perkins are .

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