starting fluid and seven threes.
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Senior User
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 118
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starting fluid and seven threes.
i have used starting fluid a few times in the past. i have tried to do it as safely as possible. such as unplug the glow plugs and so forth. but my question is, can starting fluid really mess up glow plugs? im trying to learn more about this either stuff. anything?
thanks
-louis
thanks
-louis
Hotshot
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 10,764
Likes: 39
IMO , without GP's you can use it all you want .. If its already cranking over when sprayed , it is also no issue .. Spray it , then start it .. crap may go boom.. ( air box boots ect)
The damage to the engine crap , IMO is just that , crap .. These things are designed to handle 400 PSI of compression ( timed properly ). Have someone spray it for you ...
The damage to the engine crap , IMO is just that , crap .. These things are designed to handle 400 PSI of compression ( timed properly ). Have someone spray it for you ...
Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,214
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From: THUNDER BAY
I don't leave the shop without a can of starting fluid for all our equipment used it on my truck as well with the glow plugs disabled, you just have to know how to use it and like rick said have someone help to spray when you are turning the motor over I sure miss the old school cans they would spray 20 feet this worked out good on heavy equipment you could sit in the cab turn it over and spray at the same time lol.
Post Fiend
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 10,121
Likes: 3
From: Orrville, Ohio
The supposed risk of using starting fluid in a 7.3 engine is that with the glow plugs enabled, The GP is glowing cherry red. When that starting fluid gets sucked into the cylinder and hits that red hot glow plug, it's possible for it to combust before the cylinder reaches TDC and the piston is still moving upward. The issue isn't that the starting fluid messes up the GP's it is that the GP can ignite the starting fluid at the wrong time and cause it to bend and break thing internally in the engine. At least that is the speculation anyway. I haven't personally seen it but the risk is great enough that I won't use the stuff on my truck unless I am absolutely sure the GP's aren't working. I have used it exactly once, when my GPR crapped out and the GP's weren't on.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 15,505
Likes: 18
From: Livoina,La
My tool of choice when my GP's wasn't working is( don't laugh) a hair dryer pull the filter and let it blow in the intake for a couple mins. and it fires right up
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Post Fiend
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 10,121
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From: Orrville, Ohio
That's what they call a CAH (charge air heater)! That works!
Elder User
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 737
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From: Page Az.
As far as I'm concerned you are the smartest. As a diesel mechanic of 30 years I have seen what starting fluid can do to hot glow plugs and how it erodes the aluminum pistons in engines such as the 7.3s 6.2s,6.9s,6.5s,perkins, iveco and the list goes on and on. Heavy equipment engines have a harder metal piston crown that the starting fluid is not so detrimental to. Starting fluid should be a last ditch effort as a stating aid in engines with aluminum pistons.
Tuned
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 462
Likes: 13
From: Lovettsville, VA
That's a really great idea! The next time mine doesn't want to start, I'm just gonna use my heat gun on the air intake and get her good and warm.
Lead Driver
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 8,476
Likes: 37
From: Madison, WI
I've always heard the big risk with ether and the GPs is that if it ignites while an intake valve is still open, it'll blow the fire back out through the intake. Some fellas have "blowed up" their air boxes this way, giving them an excuse to convert to a 6637. And of course, if it blows out the intake, and there happens to be a person poking around under the hood at the time....
Cargo Master
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 3,244
Likes: 40
i have used starting fluid a few times in the past. i have tried to do it as safely as possible. such as unplug the glow plugs and so forth. but my question is, can starting fluid really mess up glow plugs? im trying to learn more about this either stuff. anything?
thanks
-louis
thanks
-louis
Once you ether them they get addicted to the ****.
For example my buddy has a cat, the previous farmer ethered it everytime to start it, because it was cold blooded. It was like 14 degrees outside, and we needed the cat and my buddy went to start it. Well, he cranked on it for 4 or 5 minutes (rest period in between) and it wouldn't even begin to try and start, he ethered it real quick and an instant after the key turn it fired up.
My advice don't redneck up a fix, fix whatever is causing your diesel to not start.
Tuned
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 462
Likes: 13
From: Lovettsville, VA
I've seen plenty of heavy equipment get addicted to either. It's very strange. I'm not mechanical enough to know why. But I swear it happens.
We have a Toyota forklift at work like that. It could be 40F outside and it'll still take a hit of either to kit off after 10 minutes of cranking.
And no, I'm not responsible for the addiction, just pointing out the anecdotal evidence
We have a Toyota forklift at work like that. It could be 40F outside and it'll still take a hit of either to kit off after 10 minutes of cranking.
And no, I'm not responsible for the addiction, just pointing out the anecdotal evidence
Elder User
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 737
Likes: 0
From: Page Az.
I used to see a lot of engines that seem to be addicted to it. I used to live on the eastern shore of Maryland and work on quit a few old 2 stroke detroits for farmers and logging company's. Most of them would shoot them with starting fluid no matter what the temperature was out because they didn't trust the batteries to turn them over for more than a few seconds. After they had doing that for a few years I don't care if you had new batteries, starter and 80* out those engines wouldn't start without a shot of starting fluid. I would take a engine and rebuild it and then show the owner it didn't take starting fluid to start it anymore and the next thing you see is the owner using starting fluid again because they where so set in their way of using it.