Tech 101 Starting with Ether

[bbjordan]

With all the hard starting issues lately due to the "Polar Vortex" (in Canada we just call it winter ), I figured a How-to about using Starting Fluid aka Ether would be in order. Since my Glow Plug system was not working and I had to do this anyway, I was inspired to document it. Hope it helps someone.

http://youtu.be/gApO-oco0Tk

Starting fluid is not bad. Misapplying it is bad. Misapplying anything is bad.
Don't use too much.
Don't use it on a warm engine. This includes an engine that is on the block heater.
Don't use it with your glow plug system hooked up.
Do keep the engine rev'd up until is smooths out a bit after it fires.

Happy starting.

Al, your $.25 royalty for the Tech 101 is in the mail.

Bonus pic:

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[Oog]

DO NOT USE STARTING FLUID, USE WD-40 INSTEAD!!!

 

[icanfixall]

Woozers.. that sure knocked from the ether for a long time. but it works. Soo... whay does your glow plug system not work.. I'm betting you are going to fix it and get off the crack in a can thing. A 2 second blast is not what I would choose to use. Maybe half that but I'm never in cold like that either and you probably have been for a long time. so you know what works for you. Glad someone finally did something like this too...

 

[towcat]

DO NOT USE STARTING FLUID, USE WD-40 INSTEAD!!!

WD-40 doesn't have the formula that started diesels like they used to.

 

[towcat]

Woozers.. that sure knocked from the ether for a long time. but it works. Soo... whay does your glow plug system not work.. I'm betting you are going to fix it and get off the crack in a can thing. A 2 second blast is not what I would choose to use. Maybe half that but I'm never in cold like that either and you probably have been for a long time. so you know what works for you. Glad someone finally did something like this too...

Gary-
the colder it is the more you need. That sounds about right for a -10 startup. if you are using either in temps above freezing, a very short 1/2 second burst is all you need. you will need to use a little more as the temps get colder.
hang onto your ears on this one here......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6-7bXBE76k

 

[Dieselcrawler]

WD-40 does not work. tried it last weekend when I was out of ether

 

[chief_919]

WD-40 doesn't work very well since they changed the propellant. It previously used propane as a propellant, and that was what was primarily working as a starting aid. For liability reasons they now us CO2, so that works the exact opposite way...

 

[FarmerFrank]

I'm going to have to get a video of a 3512 CAT starting tonight at work. Wish I would have taped one when we had the - digits. 2250 horsepower coming alive will make you jump if your not ready. Sounds like a connecting rod is about to come out and hit you in this cold.

 

[kas83]

Do NOT use cheap starting fluid, gotta use the good stuff, or it will knock horribly. And spraying into the filter bowl/housing is completely ok, just don't saturate the filter itself. And finally, you can use it on a non-starting truck that was plugged in. A small whiff is all you need at that point, just enough to get it to light off. I'd actually recommend having warm oil over a stone cold engine when starting with ether anyways. That's how we did it with the pulling trucks/tractors anyways.

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

 

[89Laredo]

When I was using ether this is what I had.

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The cheap stuff is like 20% ether mixed with hexane and other Crap.

 

[kas83]

Yep, gotta use that stuff or similar. Using the lower mixture makes em knock horribly.

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

 

[Black dawg]

Woozers.. that sure knocked from the ether for a long time. but it works. Soo... whay does your glow plug system not work.. I'm betting you are going to fix it and get off the crack in a can thing. A 2 second blast is not what I would choose to use. Maybe half that but I'm never in cold like that either and you probably have been for a long time. so you know what works for you. Glad someone finally did something like this too...

the knocking was from cold combustion, a little squirt of juice while they sound like that, quiets them right up.

 

[BDOGONE]

Don't let it puddle, like in a turbo housing, that gets pretty exciting! Don't ask me how I know. Everyone and the engine lived!


Sent by wing, prayer & ATT

 

[Black dawg]

Don't let it puddle, like in a turbo housing, that gets pretty exciting! Don't ask me how I know. Everyone and the engine lived!


Sent by wing, prayer & ATT

That is the truth... I had one that I had been trying to get started (-20f) off and on all day. I thought that I was cranking it long enough to clear all the unburnt ether out of it. Well. late in the day it decided to fire up, more like runaway, (with me under the hood, jumping the solenoid to get it to crank) and runaway I did. I dont know what it turned for rpm, was definetely better than 4k for about 10-15 seconds.

 

[89Laredo]

Here is my old tired motor at 27*f, no block heater, unptouched at least 12hrs, and I forgot to turn the high idle on. This is the motor that used 1.5gal of oil in 600 mi, which I drove 800 mi home from Iowa.
Would start like that down to negative temps, depending on the day I would do .5sec to 2 sec of that JD ether, It WOULD NOT start with that 20% crap (valvoline, etc) and some 50% I found at oreilly barely cut it.
Dont need facebook to watch it, dont mind my friends comments. lol
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=675077935857585&l=5981247215848166992



I now have an old bus motor with good compression, less blowby, working glowplugs/block heater, and I dont have to put 1-2qts of oil in it a week.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujQR--JByW4