Starting a diesel engine, especially cold question

I have a 2-60 White, it has a Fiat engine in it. I try not to use it at all in cold weather. But if I have to, I plug the crank case heater in for at least an hour. It also helps if I put a battery charger on it as well, and switch it to jump while cranking. It seems to help this tractor if you pull the throttle back some, but it don't always work. Sometimes you run the battery down before it starts. In that case, go back in the house for another hour and try it again later. I've spent a half day many times getting this tractor started. I also have a 4835 New Holland. It also has a Fiat engine, but with a block heater. The block heater is far superior over the crank case heater. It still usually needs about an hour, but it's just turn the key and go no problem.

Thank you Dr!

Wow guys. Never thought this little question could bring so many answers. I appreciate everyone's insight. Since posting this I have tried throttle open more than normal(1/2) and also tonight just did right above idle. Seems mine likes just above idle. Bumping it up more than that caused excessive black smoke and some coughing/sputtering. Luckily she also gets to sit inside the building which isn't heated but is out of the wind which seems to help. I always plug her in when I know I'll be feeding but sometimes what looks like a lot of hay in the morning is magically gone by that night.

Dr.Allis I'm curious about the 10-30 oil. Is that a safe viscosity to use in the heat of summer (sometimes over 100) while actually working the tractor, say like round baling for extended periods of time? What about going with something like the 5-40 the newer diesels are calling for? That technically would gain me the lower weight when cold but retain the higher weight of the 15-40 when warm right?

SteveM C/IL wrote: Charlie,if you don't mind mixing coolant,there are quick couplers rigged on pickups that mate to ones on equipment that some guys connect to let the pickup warm the equipment using the cooling system.....

My 190xt hates the cold. Same as our 6060.

True Creston, but in this case, it's the equipment that has the preference, and it's up to you to learn it!

DMiller wrote: Does not really matter where the throttle is on a cold start of ANY diesel. The governor as the cranking starts is at FULL Fuel until the engine comes up to speed, that is just normal, cranking until see oil pressure with the fuel shut off will allow oil pressure to come up prior to a harsh start but even during cranking there is a period of low oil flow with lack of lubrication to some components, just a fact of internal combustion engines life. As to going WOT on a cold block, at least allow the head to start to warm prior to hard throttling as the heat and sudden pressure could cause stress fracture cracking and Yes, a block heater aids all these as well gasoline engines in winter.

Does not really matter where the throttle is on a cold start of ANY diesel. The governor as the cranking starts is at FULL Fuel until the engine comes up to speed, that is just normal, cranking until see oil pressure with the fuel shut off will allow oil pressure to come up prior to a harsh start but even during cranking there is a period of low oil flow with lack of lubrication to some components, just a fact of internal combustion engines life.

As to going WOT on a cold block, at least allow the head to start to warm prior to hard throttling as the heat and sudden pressure could cause stress fracture cracking and Yes, a block heater aids all these as well gasoline engines in winter.

I use 10W-30 year around on everything most times. The 7050 will get 15W-40 if I know I'm not going to use it in the winter and that one usually gets all the heavy work.

Modern oil is amazing stuff.  15W-40 should flow cold better than "old" straight viscosity oil.  If you used 40w or 50w in the heavy work of summer time, and switch to 30w for winter, the modern 15w should still flow much better.  When you gotta start one, you do what you gotta do.  Start up is the hardest thing on an engine of anything at any time of year.  But, we bought them to use them, so you use them when you have to. 

I use an outdoor pool timer Dave. They are the heavy duty timer. I set it for 3 hours of heat, starts right up like summer time.  Tim

gerkendave wrote: Thanks for all the reply guys. Currently I always plug the old girl in for a couple hours before use but having two pens of cattle and a pen of my wife's hay burners while working in town sometimes means I get caught a little off guard and need to feed when I get home from work, meaning she hasn't been plugged in. So I've always just used grid heat for 45 seconds crank a few times grid heat for about 30 seconds then crank until fire (usually pretty quick). Always placed the throttle at what I would consider would be a fast idle, just started wondering if there was some secret I was missing out on! Hopefully soon I'll have a loader on the d17 iv for feeding at last minute so I don't need to start the diesel just to drop a bale onto a feeder.

Get yourself a Christmas light timer, and set it for a couple hours before chores. 

Lonn wrote: Starting a Deere 4755, it automatically revs up high then throttles back on its own. I don't care for that method.

If it still has the manual fuel shutoff pull that out and slowly push it in while turning the engine over and it will start and run at low idle without the rev up

On the Military Gensets (Buda) used for standby power for remote Radar sites they stayed at operating temperature and required to take full load within 15 seconds or our radar had to go through complete warm up before coming online.