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all the tricks for cold starting a diesel

C

CB Rob

Free Member
Our new groomer, 2003 br2000 by prinoth does not like the cold. I'm looking for all of the tricks out there for starting our 350hp cummins in the cold. It uses a heated intake manifold instead of glow plugs, so ether is not an option. We dont have any power available for plugging it in. Tonites grooming run will require jumper cables, since I drained the batterys this afternoon trying to start while it was a little warmer. Is there any kind of heater that we can plug into a cars 12v system, and give it a 15 minutes of warming up before we go groom? Is there a better anti gel additive than the stuff at the gas station? Does anyone in the Gunnison area have a small generator they would like to donate?.......
Rob
 
Buy winter fuel(stove) and it won't gell,if you can't get a generator to run a heater,cover it(make a tent) and use a propane heater or build a small fire under the pan or use a tiger torch to warm it up.
 
Get a piece of air seeder hose or flexible exhaust hose.....back you truck up to it and slide the pipe into your tailpipe....put the other end close to the 350hp cummins and tarp the engine to hold the heat in, it....works really good....let it run for 30 or 60 minutes and it will heat it up pretty good. I have done it on farm equipment before and it does work.
 
I *think* I've heard some truckers using some regular gas to counteract gelling....I don't know the specifics of it, maybe something to look into?
 
Have you tried adding the anti-gel additive? I would definitely start doing that because, and I assume you are running red, sometimes the suppliers don't run the blended fuel in red. Where I live one station sells blended red while the other doesn't.

How cold is it getting there at nights
 
On our Sterling dump truck with a cummins you cycle the heater a couple of times and roll it over for a second or two and then push throttle to about 1/4 and it starts right up. you also have to keep you foot on the pedal and keep the r's about 1500 till it warms up alittle.

KJP
 
If you want to get real exotic set your veichle with quick couplers to the cooling system and the groomer with quick couplers. pull up to it hookup to your truck and circulate the coolant from your truck to the groomer. Warm it right up for easy starting.
 
Splice a T into each heater hose and hook a hydralic quick couple to it. Do the same to your pickup. Then get 30 to 40 feet of heater hose, cut it in half and add the other ends of the fittings. Get to the groomer with a warm pickup, hook up the hoses and let it sit there and Idle for a half hr. It will circulate the hot water through the engine. Guys around here with skidders have been doing this for years to get them started in the woods. You don't lose any antifreeze with the couplings.
 
Does not sound like a gelling problem just cold blooded. I take a tarp and wrap it around the motor area like a big duct then I fire a bullet heater up let it run for 15-20min under the tracks maybe a bit more in real cod temps and our Deere 160 fires right up even at -15 no starting fluid needed.
 
Buy a honda generator that is small and easy to carry and install a block heater if it doesn't have one and also an inline coolant heater and that would be alot easier and then you can just plug and let it warm up a half hour or so and then it should be good to go, good luck.
 
Put your snowmobile cover(s) on hood and use cheap propane tent heater to thaw out. I have had to thaw my truck out more than once in the Kebler lot.

Watch out for the hippies when you finally get her started and belch smoke for 5 minutes.
 
Doesn't sound like a gelling problem to me either. Not to mention anti-gel won't blend with fuel below 10F. If it is gelled, Anti-Gel won't do the trick anyway. Gunk makes a product called De-Gel that will work on an already gelled unit.

The quick coupler idea with the coolant on the truck is the best idea I've heard yet. The problem with the generator running the block heater / circulating heater is it takes so damn long once the block is that cold. When we get desperate with farm machinery in the yard when it's cold enough the block heater won't cut it, is the tarp / tiger torch into a stove pipe with an elbow. (so you're not pumping flame straight at anything that will melt or catch fire)

You should see combines that show up on the truck in -40 weather in January and February... It never fails.
 
Diesel fired tank heater

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http://www.webasto.us/press/en/am_off_highway_heaters_1150.html

A bit of an investment, but it's always ready to go. Other companies make similar products including Cummins. We use them on big side boom wrecking cats that can't be plugged in but have to be ready to go on a moments notice.

products_heaters_thermo50_art_252x173.jpg
 
I would say the quick couplers would be my first choice. If you can reach, jump the batteries to warm them up also while the engine is warming. 2nd choice (cant use a heater if you have electicity) is to tarp it or use cardboard or plywood to make a closed in area around the engine and put charcoal birquets on a sheet of tin and slid it under the pan-put as close as possible if you dont have alot of grease. Used do it alot before I had a generator.
 
CB Rob said:
Our new groomer, 2003 br2000 by prinoth does not like the cold. I'm looking for all of the tricks out there for starting our 350hp cummins in the cold. It uses a heated intake manifold instead of glow plugs, so ether is not an option. We dont have any power available for plugging it in. Tonites grooming run will require jumper cables, since I drained the batterys this afternoon trying to start while it was a little warmer. Is there any kind of heater that we can plug into a cars 12v system, and give it a 15 minutes of warming up before we go groom? Is there a better anti gel additive than the stuff at the gas station? Does anyone in the Gunnison area have a small generator they would like to donate?.......
Rob
Click to expand...


You can use ether but do not let anything heat up before starting. Spray the either in the intake and grab the key and start cranking before the heater grids start to warm. Also, some heaters will not cycle more than once after they are warmed up, they usually heat to a certain temp and shut off. My 06 Cummins will heat the grid once and if I turn the key off and turn it back on it will not start the heater again until it had cooled down to a certain temp. Ether is the way to go if you are careful. Also NAPA offers a magnetic heater that will stick to the oil pan and heat the oil, these work very well and work great on excavating equipment. Last thing just do not shut it off.:face-icon-small-win


-Seeder
 
I never plug my diesels in unless it gets below -30c. You need good batteries and the advice to cycle the grid heaters a couple of times before trying to crank is good. I run 0W40 synthetic oil in my sledding truck and that helps. If you can disengage the hydraulic pump while starting that would be good. It's all about getting a good cranking speed. The faster it spins the better chance you got.

Make sure the grid heaters are working (there are two), they and the solenoids that power them do occasionally go bad.
 
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