"new" way to start a diesel with dead glow plugs (not using ether!).

[diesel4me]

I may try this if it gets cold enough again for my 6.2 to balk at starting!..probably wont happen till next winter though..
How To Start A Diesel With Bad Glow Plugs - YouTube

 

[JoshHefnerX]

That's a new one. That plug looks similar to a plug in old style cigarette lighter.

 

[tRustyK5]

That works quite well, I'm pretty impressed!

 

[diesel4me]

I have resorted to using another method a few times an old mechanic showed us at the junkyard when the loader's Detroit 4-53 refused to fire up one frigid morning..

He took a few sheets of newspaper,crumpled it up in a ball,put a little diesel on it,and he stuck it in the air intake pipe ,after we removed the air filter...got in quick,cranked it over,and vrrrooom,it started right up!..

I did that several more times until we got the thing worked on and the starting issue corrected..
I did try that trick on my '85 Suburban back in January when I wanted to move it--but I guess the paper I used was recycled crap,and I didn't use diesel on it,I just lit it and dropped it in the intake...

 

[tRustyK5]

I need to get my 83 fired up, it's been sitting for 4 years at my buddies farm. I'm bringing my plumbers torch now.

 

[Vombrown]

I wonder what the application would be to starting a larger diesel with that method? I don't think holding a propane torch in the intake is going to do much on a truck diesel. That small generator motor doesn't take much heat to get going.

Heating the intake air, which is what he is doing here in the video, is the same principle that the grid heater on the Cummins diesel motors. Heating the intake air is just a much more efficient way of starting a cold Diesel engine. Glow plugs even at peak capacity are very inefficient.

 

[campfire]

That's pretty similar to how we would start our ancient 2-cycle snowmobile. I would pull the plugs and use the torch to warm each cylinder before starting. I think you'd run out of heat if you tried that trick on a bigger engine, but that's just a guess.

 

[diesel4me]

Bigger engine ?--use a bigger torch !..

Propane Torch

Rene--better bring at least 2 extra fully charged batteries and maybe a starter with you......
My '85 Burb gets harder to "light" with every starting attempt..surprised I haven't fried the starter yet..

When I first saw that video,I thought the guy was just going to give the engine a snort of propane ,use it instead of ether--but I guess heating the air up helps more..