Starting fluid: how bad is it really?

that stinky ford

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Alright folks, Ive heard the horror stories... but how bad is a little snort of ether in a 6.9 in an EMERGENCY situation? It is supposed to dip down well into the single digits this week, and I am worried that she might want some help getting started after a long day in the school parking lot. I'm not too concerned about glazing the glow plugs, they are f@#*ed anyways.
 

79jasper

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Main thing is making sure the glowplugs are disabled.
Then just a little squirt.

Too often is said to glaze over the cylinders.
Too much can blow it up.

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that stinky ford

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I noticed my glow plugs cycle themselves when the key is on, even after the light turns off. I can hear the celenoid, something like 2 seconds on, 2 seconds off, and so on. So you would say, have someone spray the ether while I am cranking? Thanks for the reply.
 

79jasper

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Just unhook the power wires to the glowplug relay. Or turn the key on, then wait a few minutes before spraying/cranking.
While cranking is usually better.

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Wyreth

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So long as your glowplugs are disabled I wouldn't worry too much about it.

However, if that either hits a hot GP, bad bad things happen.
 

kas83

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Disconnect the purple wire at the gp relay to disable them. Give it a little shot in the intake and crank it up. Make you use good ether too, otherwise it'll knock n detonate like crazy before firing.

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catbird7

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This is my "shade tree mechanic" fix for cold weather starts and please remember this is a $2500.00 hunting truck so it may not apply to your rig. I used a piece of plastic hose like you would normally use to connect an ice maker on your refrigerator as a conduit and then slide another plastic hose like the one normally used for a mechanical oil pressure gauge (white plastic), inside it. The oil pressure hose has an inside diameter that accepts one of those "red" extender tips normally supplied with either and it will fit inside the oil pressure hose nicely. I drilled a small hole into the top of the air cleaner and pushed one end of this assembly in and ran the other end into the cab near the emergency brake release. Now I can shoot either from the cab! Just connect a can of either to the red extender tip and spray. When starting, first give it a shot of either, then press the gas peddle 1/4 down and turn the key as if you were starting a gas engine, NO GLOW TIME PRIOR TO TURNING THE ENGINE. A few weeks ago it was -9 degrees F and it still fired right up.
 

OLDBULL8

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Ether can cause if the GP's are HOT---BENT RODS--BLOWN HEADGASKETS--and who knows what else. Just be very carefull with it.
 

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Kevin 007

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Well, that purple wire on the 83-86 trucks can be disconnected and replaced with a power source from a manual switch for those who want to run manual GP's. And when power is sent to that terminal, the WTS light will still light up. So, I don't think that the purple wire is there to light the WTS light. And with the purple wire disconnected, nothing happens. No glow plugs function whatsoever.
 

89greendiesel

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i used it to help start a few times. i have repaired my glow plug system, plugs, controller and new wires to plugs


i highly recommend it.......its pretty cheap for what it does.
 

OLDBULL8

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Well, that purple wire on the 83-86 trucks can be disconnected and replaced with a power source from a manual switch for those who want to run manual GP's. And when power is sent to that terminal, the WTS light will still light up. So, I don't think that the purple wire is there to light the WTS light. And with the purple wire disconnected, nothing happens. No glow plugs function whatsoever.

My bad. Your correct, was thinking of something else, the way I have my GP test board set up. I'll correct that Thanks.
 

jas88

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IMO the most important thing (that nobody ever seems to mention) is do not put the can right on top of the air inlet and spray. Spray from at least a foot away and at an angle so the spray can atomize before it gets sucked into the intake. Also just use the shortest little blast you can manage. That is normally enough to get it to fire up and this will keep liquid ether from making it to the cylinders. As mentioned, it is very desirable to do this while the engine is cranking - this again keeps the liquid from pooling by making sure that air is being pulled in with the atomized ether.
 

icanfixall

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Using ether is not harmful to our engines but one has to use it correctly. A small shot and having no glow plug operating is the safe way. I tried to start 2 different idi engines with it in the past. they would not start or even sound like they were about to start. I had soaked the intake doing this but I did that long after my first small shot of spray. I increased it till the intake was wet. Never a thought of firing up.... I did not even see the fumes being sucked into the intake so I still wonder if that engine was internally broken. Both engines were turboed too.. I know a long time member here that ONLY starts on ether every day. His glow plugs have not worked in years. He does know what he is doing by the way. Using the plugs and ether can and will bend rods and do horrible things to our engines StART BY USING JUST A TINY BIT SAY A 1/2 TO 1 SECOND BLOW.
 

FarmerFrank

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I installed a either injection system like the military trucks and some old tractors have on my 86. Used it for a good 6 months because I was too cheap to buy glow plugs. Defiantly starts it faster
 

1466IH

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I also put in an ether injection. Mine came off of a 1466IH i grabbed the orfice that threads into the intake, the push button and the can holder/actuator. when i restored my 14 and turned it into a puller i didnt think ether was necessary especially since it was never used since i have owned it for 14 yrs i can get part#'s from ih if anyone wants
 

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