almost bought truck BUT idiot uses starter fluid!!!!

[Cheaper Jeeper]

Ether is for women, a real diesel wrencher uses the nastiest brake cleaner you can buy....Works much better.... It won't hurt anything, we use it all the time to get engines started or primed.

I like carb cleaner - and the nastier the better! I've also heard WD40 works pretty well...

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

We used to squirt a mixture of diesel and a very small amount of gasoline in our grandpas truck when it was on its last leg to get it started. Yes, liquid, yes squirted right down the intake opening.

 

[Agnem]

Well obviously you guys realize using different stuff is going to have different risks. Putting liquid in is just plain indifferent. Sorry, but if it pools in the intake, and it starts and you get a good swallow of it and bend a rod, there is no amount of saying "gosh darn" that's going to compensate for the time and money needed to fix that boo boo. It would take a whole lot less time to fix the glow plugs, even if you swelled a tip and had to pull the heads. Other chemicals may or may not evaporate well, and obviously brake cleaner has no lubricating properties. All of these including either may detonate earlier than desired resulting in high cylinder presures and possible starter damage. There is no substitute for glow plugs that are working right.

 

[BigRigTech]

A rag soaked in gas put in front of the intake works ok too if that's all you have at hand. The vapor will sometimes give it a little extra kick. Mist or vapor is the key, no puddles.

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

no no, no puddles. We would mix an ounce of gas in a 12 ounce bottle. The bottle is one of those eye wash bottles that has a misting nozzle on it. So it would mist the liquid into the intake. It worked quite well.