Glow plugs hot & 1/2 can of ether...

[DOE-SST]

Friend of a friend wants help with his (new to him) truck.

6.9 IDI, wouldn't start at 20 degrees F. so, with the glow plugs hot, he kept spraying ether down the intake while his son kept cranking the engine until the battery died. He said it fired a few times, but wouldn't start. Multiple attempts afterward still resulted in no start.

Did he trash his engine? I can try the usual simple tricks, but I don't want to spend a lot of time with this truck, especially if it is a hopeless cause. Should I just pass on this?

 

[dmaxjoe]

If it still cranked and did not lock up he is probably ok. Get that motor warm and start it without starting fluid!!!! If all the plugs are good it should start at 20*F with no problem. I would bet some of the plugs may be bad.

 

[Dave7.3]

Does he still have the original glow plug controller in that 6.9L? If the glow plugs are all good and he still can't get it started...that is my first bet. IIRC, the 6.9L glow plug controllers are highly prone to failing. If it does prove to be a problem, swap it for a 7.3L controller or rig it with a push button. It is either that or a wiring issue somewhere.

PLEASE tell him to stop hitting the thing with ether! If it doesn't start with a small puff of the stuff, he risks SERIOUS engine damage.

Starting with bad plugs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjOMsKZMYBw

Starting with good plugs and controller:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW0bKyvmoO0

HUGE DIFFERENCE!

 

[oldmisterbill]

Friend of a friend wants help with his (new to him) truck.

6.9 IDI, wouldn't start at 20 degrees F. so, with the glow plugs hot, he kept spraying ether down the intake while his son kept cranking the engine until the battery died. He said it fired a few times, but wouldn't start. Multiple attempts afterward still resulted in no start.

Did he trash his engine? I can try the usual simple tricks, but I don't want to spend a lot of time with this truck, especially if it is a hopeless cause. Should I just pass on this?

Where do you live-north or south pole? I can't imagine an IDI that wouldn't start with a sneeze of ether if it was in decent condition to start with. Warm it up somewhere -start it find out what is really happening with it.

 

[hesutton]

Either the glow plugs are shot, the controller is shot, the cable and/or the block heater are shot, there is no compression, or the timing is off.

He needs to replace all the faulty parts and do a compression test while the glow plugs are out.

Plug the block heater in for 3 hours, hit the glow plugs, and try and start it up. Make sure it has some antigel in the fuel as well.

Heath

 

[brdmh44]

If you must use some sort of pray, fogging oil is the way to go, it doesn't put nearly as much stress on the motor as ether does

 

[dslbroncotom]

silicone spray works well also

 

[icanfixall]

I have seen a diesel run on either once... The truck was out of fuel but my sweat shop boss didn't listen to me and continued to spray the intake till it ran.... What a noise it made too... That was the dumbest boss I ever worked for... Twas way back in high school times.... It was a cement mixer truck from a mojor concrete company... I'l bet their mechanics were pissed off when they got the rig back... Probably bent rods and who knows what else wrong......

 

[93turbo_animal]

I have seen a diesel run on either once... The truck was out of fuel but my sweat shop boss didn't listen to me and continued to spray the intake till it ran.... What a noise it made too... That was the dumbest boss I ever worked for... Twas way back in high school times.... It was a cement mixer truck from a mojor concrete company... I'l bet their mechanics were pissed off when they got the rig back... Probably bent rods and who knows what else wrong......

Probably nothing at all have you ever seen the amount of either used by tractor pullers to get and keep them running. We've also started a KW 900 on either and had to run it for about 2 minutes before it picked up fuel and ran by itself but with out a primer pump it was either or drag it up and down the road till it started

 

[mabc926]

Do you know how fast the truck was cranking?

These engines have to get cranking pretty fast to get started, I would think even with all bad glow plug, with THAT MUCH ether it would have started, unless it just wasn't cranking fast enough.

Tell him to check all his glow plugs, and the battery cables/batteries.


And it would be a good idea just to ditch the old controller and hookup a push button, it's cheap, it's easy, and it will save you $80 in a set of glow plugs.

 

[fury9]

or cost you another 80 in GPs lol

 

[Diesel_brad]

Probably nothing at all have you ever seen the amount of either used by tractor pullers to get and keep them running. We've also started a KW 900 on either and had to run it for about 2 minutes before it picked up fuel and ran by itself but with out a primer pump it was either or drag it up and down the road till it started

Yeah. those tractor pullers usually use 1-2 cans of either to get em going

 

[rhkcommander]

very possible that it has a very bad fuel leak too. mine was leaking terribly and it acted as though the plugs were cold but they all work. Fixed most of the leaking and she starts nice now

killed the batts trying to get it started. it'd fire off some but not enough. I installed a switch at the starter relay so that I could help the fuel filter fill up using the bleed valve until it stopped foaming and could also use ether and throttle the cable if i wanted to.

if its a manual vehicle give it a push start with another truck or pull start. either way! get it warm and all and then turn it off and see how it likes to start back up then, in 12 hours etc

 

[dslbroncotom]

THIS IS WHY YOU DONT USE ETHER ON DIESEL ENGINES!!

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[Agnem]

... while his son kept cranking the engine until the battery died....

Is this literally, or figuratively? If the former, his starter is toast. If figuratively, it may still be toast. Amp draw on these starters gets huge as the battery level drops, and trying to crank past the normal speed is a sure way to condem a starter to an early grave. My money says it's not cranking fast enough. What color was the exhaust during all this? Read the tech note on hard starts and air. And for gawds sake! Fix the glow plugs, and stop using either.