Cold weather starts

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by Gunner75, Jan 1, 2018.

  1. Ridgeline

    Ridgeline Road Train Member

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    You know the best investment I made is an espar water heater for my pickup. I have a remote that I hit when I am in the house so I can crank that up a hour before I need to leave and everything is set to go, nice and toasty.

    I had made a deal with a junk yard in the great white north for 7 of them they removed off of trucks and had a company up near the airport here go through them and install them in a few of my trucks, those are the ones running without any issues up in plain states.
     
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  3. Bean Jr.

    Bean Jr. Road Train Member

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    35°? Try this! Screenshot_20180102-054904.png
     
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  4. Bean Jr.

    Bean Jr. Road Train Member

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    I started the truck on Christmas cause I was planning to leave on Tuesday. It was around 17°, but Tuesday was around 9° and it wouldn't start. I rented a generator and plugged it in for a few hours, but I wasn't sure if the block heater was working, so at -2° I said forget it or some other word that began with same letter. Friday was supposed to be low of 11 and a high of 14. I figured it would start then, and it did. Running since then except for a 7 hour break on Sunday when it was back in the teens. This is it starting on Sunday and apologies for the poor video quality.

     
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  5. DougA

    DougA Road Train Member

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    And before that you had to know how to use a glow plug and compression release if you had a old Cummins. You really had to understand how your engine worked in the old days of truly mechanical engines. Most trucks back then had 6 volt batteries in series and a parallel switch to get anywhere near enough cranking amps to turn an old diesel over fast enough to get compression fire. On a old Cummins you had a fuel pressure gauge just for the hand fuel pump primer for the glow plug. To start,you had to switch the glow plug on,which was basically a big spark plug in your intake manifold,pump the manual fuel glow plug pump primer to get pressure up to atomize the fuel in the manifold,then pull the compression release and crank. Get it spinning fast enough,drop the compression release,and hopefully you would hear the hot atomized fuel knocking like ether,and hopefully it would start. NEVER use ether with glow plugs. Old inline Cummins were great engines,but ignorant starting b@stards below 40degrees.
    Have had to build fires under oilpans in the old days to get some trucks to start,careful you didn't set oily oil pan on fire.. Also,hang a tarp around the cab,and point a salamander under it for a couple of hours.
    Best way to cold start an old two stroke Detroit was to pull your fuel shutoff cable out like you were shutting the engine off. Crank the engine,then slowly feed the shutoff to the run postion. This had to be done because the old Detroit fuel racks,went to full fuel when the engine is shut off,and you wanted to feed the cold engine fuel gradually,so it didn't get soaked. Also,don't pull the emergency shutoff,or you had to jack the cab up to reset it.
    Old Cats,just have good batteries,careful with the ether.
    When all else fails,get another running truck,and a chain....
     
  6. gokiddogo

    gokiddogo Road Train Member

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    We don't need no stinkin' additive up here in the great white north!

    Usually about Oct 1 you can see the change in coloUr of the fuel start going from yellowish to clear. That clear stuff will never give you any issues with gelling up.
     
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  7. snowwy

    snowwy Road Train Member

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    The bio we once hauled to Los Angeles. Had a freeze point of 43 degrees. They tankers they used for hauling were heated tankers. Tied in to the trucks cooling system. A good setup to have when the shipper is around 0 Degrees.
     
  8. d281833

    d281833 Heavy Load Member

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    Yeah I had a 335 Cumapart in an old '69 Freightliner with that set up, I swear if a kid walked by it with an ice cream cone that thing wouldn't start. Ahhh, the good ol' days. Lol.
     
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  9. d281833

    d281833 Heavy Load Member

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    That's a disaster waiting to happen, especially with these things that have a manifold heater on them.
     
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  10. DougA

    DougA Road Train Member

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    This was my 69 Farmall with a NTC335,one of the best running trucks I ever owned.........once I got it started. If you weaned these old trucks on ether,they wouldn't start without it under 50 degrees.
    Amazing how technology has improved.Last truck I owned was an N-14 500 Cummins. Crank it over,no matter how cold,it would light right up. Never had to plug it in.
    [​IMG]
     
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  11. DougA

    DougA Road Train Member

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    I saw two unknowing guys,try and start an old IH Paystar 5000,with a 270 Cummins in it one time. One guy was sitting up on the front fender laying the ether to the intake screen on the side of the front cowl,while the other guy in the cab hit the glowplug switch. The ensuing explosion,split the intake manifold,flipped the butterfly hood open,and knocked the guy on the fender to the ground. It was lucky it didn't kill him.
    You can also easily bend a connecting rod with ether if used improperly.
     
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