Cold engine starting

[doc henderson]

I got my Chevy Duramax home yesterday.  I used all my diesel 911 on other peoples stuff, but had a spare under the back seat.  I had ordered a 64 oz replacement on amazon as the local stores were out.  my wife had looked at WM, so when she got home she ordered me another 2.  we should have plenty, and hope for another cold winter soon.  I did notice that my glow plug light would come on but go off after 5 seconds, it is usually 20 seconds.  will get that looked at.  has 2 interstate batteries.

[barbender]

Mike, if I did that under my Chevy Duramax right now I'm pretty sure the whole works would go up. With this lovely, down to -40°F weather we've been having, my crankcase breather froze solid shut. Add a little blowby to the situation, let's just say I got my underbody rust prevention treatment taken care of😁

[donbj]

Man up.

Mike, I thought you knew better! :D

[mike_belben]

Oh pipe down ladies.  Its my junk, and i probably shoulda burned ALL OF IT years ago.


:D

[Ed_K]

 I'm right there with you mike, used to use a charcoal stove and a furniture blanket to warm up the old massy 30 when I was clearing building lots.

[mike_belben]

That was in the north when i was slave to a timeclock.  In the south i just wait another week.  That rush can stay up yonder as far as im concerned. 

  ;)

[wisconsitom]

Resurrecting this old thread....just put block heater on my Bobcat 2025.  Only fired it up once, and it wasn't really cold, but I think it still helped the machine start smoother.  Less smoke.

I'd never pulled a frost plug out of an engine.  Pretty late in this life to be learning that yes, you can do that.

Since tractor lives roughly 60 miles from where I do,  plan to put heater on a timer, such that it will go on every morning.  What do you all think-a 2-hour run sufficient?

Think I'll do as cfarm suggests and throw old blanket on hood as well.

[sawguy21]

2-3 hours is all that is required, more just wastes power.

[Gere Flewelling]

I have never been able to get a magnetic heater to stick to any Briggs and Stratton engine.  Probably because the engine is made out of aluminum. ???

[thecfarm]

Harbor Freight sells moving blankets.

[Hilltop366]

Our case backhoe with a frost plug block heater will start like a summer day after 20 to 30 minutes at -5 to -10c.

[esteadle]

On the first sawmill job I took I was sawing on the weekend for shares for a logger who was moving logs out of his friends forests using a small dozer with metal tracks. Our job took us into late fall and early winter in Southwest PA and one weekend we came to our site to find that everything was completely frozen and the dozer wasn't moving.

He pulled out a can of diesel fuel and began explaining how the tank crews in vietnam would free up their frozen tank treads that had frozen with mud overnight, by pouring diesel all over them, then lighting them on fire, first thing in the morning. As he began pouring the diesel over the treads, I realized the gloriousness of what was about to happen. It was, quite a delightful learning experience.

[welderskelter]

I used to leave my snowblower outside in winter. It would be so cold I was afraid of pulling the rope into. I took wifes blow dryer  on high heat to the fins of the cylinder and in a few minutes it started up like it was 70 degrees out. Contrary to what a lot of people think, it isnt the oil in the pan that slows the cranking in cold weather, its the piston itself that wont slide in the cylinder. The crankshaft does not touch the oil in the pan itself. Try this you will find it works well.

[doc henderson]

I agree, but if you can attach a magnetic heater to the crankcase, it will warm the whole engine, especially if you can throw a heavy blanket over the whole mess.