LT40 super with caterpillar 51hp hard to start.

[woodmills1]

On my 62 HP cat I always use the glow plugs

10 sec in summer
15 seconds early fall late spring
25 seconds fall and early spring
two cycles of 25 then 20 seconds with a sliver in the control to up the fuel in winter

But, my motor has only 1300 hours in 9.5 years so it is still very tight
My cat 416 backhoe with the same motor no turbo starts cold right down to 20 degrees

[Waterford Woodworks]

So, it was 18 degrees yesterday morning and he mill sat out all night... It fired right up after 20 seconds of using the glow plugs. I did have to prop the throttle open a little for about 30 seconds until it would run on its own but that worked like a charm. I took the mill out to my dad's where we are building a small 12x16 hunting/get away cabin and saw some poplar logs and finished and the floor joists and floor for the loft. I am loving the hydraulic functions and the accuset 2. Having the auto clutch is something I have to get used to. I keep reaching for the clutch handle that isn't there. Thanks again for all the advice that helped me hunt down the problem. Also I want to thank Woodmizer for all the time they spent with me on the phone as I was performing the maintenance and going through the complete alignment procedure on the mill to get everything just right. I was starting to feel bad about all the calls I made to them. Once I get a chance to figure out how to post pictures I'll  pop some up with show the progress I have been making.

[Dave Shepard]

It sounds like it's working properly. Mine cycles the glow plugs automatically. Don't worry about the phone calls. You are now trained, and will now what you are doing the next time you have to do an alignment. 

[Magicman]

Thanks for the followup report.   8)

[prittgers]

A really good 'glass' battery will make starting easier like MagicMan says.  But it will help you avoid those glitches that plague some setworks when battery voltage fluctuates.    Hope you get sawing soon!  I am leaving the states where it's colder than it is in Anchorage and going home to warm up !

[maineman]

any "constant duty" 12v solenoid will work for the glow plugs. most automotive supply shops have em bout 25 or 30 a peace. you can get more expensive if you want but no need.

[Bigsticks]

My glow plug light comes on also but it's a little dimmer than the rest, and I don't know if it ever goes out. What is the procedure to "activate" glow plugs prior to starting. Has the 51 hp cat engine

[Nomad]

My glow plug light comes on also but it's a little dimmer than the rest, and I don't know if it ever goes out. What is the procedure to "activate" glow plugs prior to starting. Has the 51 hp cat engine

     Bigsticks, on my LT 50 just turning the key to the "on" position activates the glow plugs.  Just leave it there for the prescribed time before engaging the starter motor.

[Solomon]

I have that same motor on my Log Master LM4.    Theese engines are notorious for being hard to start when its cold.   Mine is no exception.   I do not believe in ether, it's really hard on the top end of ANY combustion engine.
I might seem like a hassel to many of you but I cover the whole head rig with a heavy tarp so that it's totally enclosed , then run a jet heater into it for a while.  I figure it gets the motor up to about 130 degrees and guess what ,  she fires right up on the first hit every time.
  As soon as I finish closing in my pole barn, I'm gonna tatally close in one stall and install a good sized wood stove in it.   If I'm gonna saw the next morning, I can light the stove off before I go to bed.

[Nate379]

Most large diesels use either injector to start them when cold.  I'm not talking just stuff thats "old", I've seen factory ether cans on equipment that was just 2 or 3 years old.
My big firewood truck with a big cam Cummins has one.  If it doesn't get a shot of either under about 15* it takes ALOT of cranking to start, if the batteries hold up even.
With the ether, maybe 10 seconds.

What you state is an old wives tale from mouth breathers spraying 1/2 a can into an engine.  The same could be done with nearly any other fuel put into an engine.

If your wondering, I have degrees in auto tech and heavy truck/diesel tech, so it's not just something I'm making up.

So, ether is bad for engines, period. It produces such an explosion that it sometimes can break the top edges off of a piston and cause catastrophic failure. A few glow plug cycles wil help as will hot batteries and a good starter. Beyond that there are some questions, does it smoke at all while idling once warm or under load and if so what color? Injectors that are not atomizing fuel properly will also cause hard start. Tune up recently?

As far as the engine hard to start, what is "cold".  Are you talking -30* or 50*?  To someone from Alaska (like me), 50* is hot, but it wouldn't be for someone from Florida.

If you are running in under freezing temps mostly run 5w40 or 0w30 oil.  5w40 is about $22 a gallon at most stores (at least around here).  The 0w30 is a bit harder to find, we get it from a local fuel/oil supplier (Crowley Petroleum)  I forget the price.

[Nate379]

Also is the motor really a Caterpillar or is it a Perkins?  Most Cat labeled small diesels are not Cat motors.

I have seen even 200hp 6 cylinders in front end loaders with the Perkins "Cat" motor.  Perkapillar we call them.

[Magicman]

Ether or glow plugs, never both.  My 1530 JD is factory plumbed for ether.  So are many more Deeres that I have seen.  One tip, start cranking before you squirt it.

[GDinMaine]

While we are on the subject of clod diesel start.  How long before the engine oil pressure light goes out - showing proper pressure?  I run 5-40 Synthetic oil in my Kubota tractor and it takes 2-3 seconds before proper oil pressure is reached.  This is when I start it after 2-3 days of sitting in almost any weather. Is that all right or should it reach proper pressure almost instantly?

[Nate379]

Yeah, I guess I should have mentioned that.  Also in a pinch the older cans of WD40 work, or propane from a plumbing torch.  Just turn on the gas and give a couple second hit in the intake while cranking.
I may put a propane tank on the ether start next go around.  The ether cans are about $46 each and are the same size as the blue or yellow mapp/propane torch cans.

Ether or glow plugs, never both.  My 1530 JD is factory plumbed for ether.  So are many more Deeres that I have seen.  One tip, start cranking before you squirt it.

[Nate379]

Oil filter probably doesn't have a drain back valve so after a while of sitting most of the oil drains back to the pan.

When you restart it takes a few seconds for the filter to fill back up and start flowing oil.

No drain back is fairly common on diesels. I'm not sure why, maybe because if it jammed up it wouldn't flow oil?

While we are on the subject of clod diesel start.  How long before the engine oil pressure light goes out - showing proper pressure?  I run 5-40 Synthetic oil in my Kubota tractor and it takes 2-3 seconds before proper oil pressure is reached.  This is when I start it after 2-3 days of sitting in almost any weather. Is that all right or should it reach proper pressure almost instantly?

[Magicman]

I know a guy that uses a gasoline soaked rag over the intake on his machinery.

[JB Griffin]

I know a guy that uses a gasoline soaked rag over the intake on his machinery.

That was my dads who was a tractor mechanic for 30 yrs,  perferred method instead of ether(that is telling other people to do it insteadof using ether).
He still used it some, and yes ether is hard on a motor, and I have temporarily locked up motor a time or two when I used to much :