Poor starting technique?

[pbufton]

Been a while since Ive been on this forum!

Dexta hasn't been used for quite a while now. Im just coming to the close of the Ferguson FE35 23c engine rebuild, and have a few niggly issues i'm working through.

During this, I fitted a new glow plug/fuel valve thing to the manifold. Tried it yesterday for the first time as tractor was ready to start. I love how simple yet effective this is! Once the plug glows red, it opens the valve and lets fuel in, and ignites! If the ignition is turned the right way, the plug remains glowing and igniting fuel and the engine sucks this in. I have the fuel pump timing slightly out but once this is fixed im sure it'll fire right up

Got me thinking, someone in the past has drilled the top of my dexta manifold and fitted one of these as an addition. I may modify the cold start system to allow a free run of fuel to this plug, and see how it works. May fit a fuel tap jest before to allow manual fuel shutoff in the event of valve failure..oooooooo ideas ideas

[Nevis]

I've also changed the glow plug on my Dexta for one with the integrated fuel supply and heat actuated valve which allows the fuel to flow onto the element once it is hot. I added a little fuel reservoir to supply the glow plug. I also plumbed the reservoir into the injector spill pipe, however I get no fuel from the spill pipe so fill the reservoir manually every 3 or 4 starts.
This modification has radically improved the starting - I press the preheat button until I hear a pop from the inlet manifold (normally 15 to 20 sec) and press the starter. Normally starts very easily this way.

[pbufton]

Nevis, where in Shropshire are you? I often travel up there offroading and the girlfriend is in uni at harper adams.

Im pretty keen to do like you've done, although I may try adding a T to the fuel supply from the tank to direct supply the glow plug/fuel valve, instead of the fuel tap primer pump method.

[Jerry Coles]

Another little bit of advice (and this applies more to the awful Ferguson 23C engine).
The engine requires air to be compressed to a point which is hot enough so that when fuel is sprayed in (atomised) it will ignite and provide combustion and power. The whole point of the heater and jet in the inlet manifold is to heat up the air so that combustion in the cylinders occurs. Spraying Easy Start lowers the ignition point so that the fuel/air mix can initially ignite at lower temperatures and subsequently warm up the incoming air and combustion chamber to ignite. Unburnt Easy Start does wash oil of the piston wall causing premature ring failure though)

I have found that on a lot of cold diesels the starting is improved by:
A pulling out the stop control
B Cranking for 30 sec (this compresses the air in the combustion chamber and heats the surrounding combustion chamber metal (piston crown, cylinder walls and head)
C pushing in the stop control
This should make starting easier, another bonus is that you have already got oil being pumped around at pressure before you load the lubrication system when the engine starts.
Done it on Dexta's, E27N (L4) and Ferguson 23c's and military generators.

IMHO
Jerry
(waiting for the near by brook to flood my field and barn!)

[russelm]

Easystart has much worse side effects than washing the oil away....it also ignites at a much lower compression ratio and puts much greater strain on the rings and rods.

I have managed to ban its use on site thankfuly.

[PghBill]

Learned about Easystart the hard way. Blew a hole in the top of a piston when I started resurrecting my Super Dexta
Led to a complete rebuild which really wasn't a bad thing I guess. Just a little expensive.