I wonder how that british 3 cyl diesel in my Ford 555 backhoe starts right up in the coldest weather.....it doesnt have glow plugs and doesnt have a means of plugging in a block heater....but no matter how cold it is....it STARTS...without a problem.....why cant our trucks start like that?

 

my gp's will only stay up for maybe 10 to 12 seconds. This has been a cronic problem ever since I bought the truck. When I first got it, it had several bad plugs and a cracked controller. I replaced all the GP's with motorcraft/beru plugs and installed a new controller. I checked the wires and connections and fixed anything that looked remotly bad. At least it will start under its own power now, but starts hard. If the engine is warm, the WTS light may stay on for a second or 2 (warm means 50 degrees+) and I still have to hit it 2x or more. Usually 2x but sometimes 3 or 4 if its colder. Even when its plugged it, Some days it will start the first time (after cranking for several seconds) and sometimes I have to hit it 2 or 3 times. I dunno. I know the IP is leaking out the bottom and I have a replacement going in tomorrow. Thats why I use ether when its a must, but only after the gp's have cycled. I know the cylce will continue after the WTS light goes out, but leaving the key rolled ahead will (i hope) time-out the gp's after a minute.

I have been using lucas until the bottle ran out last week. I will pick up some aditive today and give it a try.

 

my neighbors JD backhoe is built on the 4020 patform and that bugger starts anytime period. No plugs, no heater, no ether. You are right, why cant trucks be this way ?

I think the only reason my NH starts so good is it only has 180 hours on it.

 

If the IP is leaking then you are getting air into the fuel system thru the leaking area. After the engine is shut off the air is sucked in by the fuel draining back towards the tank. It has to suck all the air thru the pump first then you get the fuel.Probably the longer it set the harder it was to start.

 

I was told that I did not need the return line, the line coming off the filter housing. I plugged that about 3 months ago and have been driving the truck almost every day. I was told to plug the return line because of 2 reasons. It was redundant and it was quite often the cause of air problems. The truck never really made a diffrence in starting, either before or after I did that. I was actually looking last night for the check valve to hook this back up. Unless somebody has a better reason or explaination, I will work on re-connecting it.

 

The glow plugs on my 92 also stay on for about 15 seconds, engine cold. Before I replaced all glow plugs (2 failed) the WTS light wouldn't stay on for any longer than 8 seconds. It's amazing how 2 bad glows plugs can make starting difficult even when it was 40 degrees out, when it finally started it made such a huge smoke cloud I couldn't see across the street! Now it starts faster than any gas vehicle I have ever owned and no smoke!

 

Wondering - Did the IP start leaking after you plugged the line? If it did maybe there is too much pressure being built up in the IP and it has to go somewhere.

 

thats kinda what I was wondering. BUT, the beast is progressivly getting harder and harder to start. Even with it being plugged in, I still had to hit it 3 times this morning. I always keep the nose pointed south and park in on the east side of my pole barn. Its not like its getting the northwest wind, its pretty calm where its at.

 

Did you replace the return lines from injectors? This is a normal spot for air to get in. Hairline cracks let air in but no fuel out. I've had this problem on my 93 and the combine and tractors. Even had a mouse chew on the end cap on the return line for one bank of cyl.

 

Before anyone goes and wastes money on a small generator, they need to define what they mean by 'small'. I tried plugging my block heater into a little 1000W 60 pound portable generator, and it just bogged the generator down. A heating element like a block heater takes a lot more wattage. You will probably need at least a 2000, or possibly a 2500W generator to power just the block heater. Japanese generators are often much stronger at their rated watts than the cheaper brands. For example, a 2000W Yamaha generator will put out more power than a 2000W Coleman. But, the Japanese generators cost a lot more $$$$.

 

A 2500 watt generator is small.

20 amps * 120 volts = 2400 watts

You can't run much on a 2500 watt generator.
My circular saw takes 15 amps, that is 1800 watts.

I have seen block heaters for our engines that range from 650 to 1500 watts depending on where you get them. Some places have several wattages.