Is it OK to use starter fluid on a diesel truck engine?

Yep, but I've found brake cleaner to work better.

 

Thanks for the tip! Never thought to try that. Joetro is right that brake cleaner would be better, but that is something I don't carry with me.

 

That or the Swift shows you his tail lights when the engine barfs the rods out the bottom. I've seen an engine that had a accidental small shot of ether in it while running, didn't break any pistons, but pretzeled most of the push rods.

 

I have a 96 ford f350 bucket truck with a 7.3 liter diesel that absolutely hates starting in cold weather. Below 50 Deg it refuses to start. I had a block heater put in last year and it made a world of difference. However, the start of this winter it went back to being impossible to start. I'm thinking the block heater went bad. But after only 1 year/ season of use???? Someone else local recommended using a magnetic heater on the bottom of the oil pan. What is the best way to keep it warm to start better?

Butt back to starting fluid.... the only way I can get it started is to use starting fluid. All the reading I finds is. . never do it with glow plugs, which i have. I start it by doing micro sprays into the air intake while someone else turns the key. I hit a 1/2 sec spray about every 2-3 seconds. just enough to keep it going. If i don't it cuts off. The driver has the gas pedal all the way down. I keep doing this until it can finally stay started without the spray.

The rpm fluxes between 500 and dying as I do this. When it can finally stay started I its own, the rpm are barely 750. The engine runs tad rough but stays on. But gas pedal is all the way down. Let up and it dies.

After 5 minutes the rpm finally begins to rise. Once it reaches 1000, we let up on the gas pedal, to maintain 750-1000. We continue ding this until we can finally let go of the gas pedal. It idles freely at 450.

Even tho it is running on its own tho, I cannot take a load. If you try to put it in gear and drive, it cannot barely move the truck. Instead i let the truck warm up for 20 minutes. After that it operates completely fine and normal. You can shut it off and restart it without issue.

Can anyone give me inside info on what is wrong and advice on the damage of starting fluid doing it the way I am. I honestly don't know how to start it any other way. I've never had rpm shoot up or anything sound wrong . But i only do micro sprays. Thank you

 

Fix your glow plugs,throw the ether away. Not hard to do.
Ether won't compress,to much ether,you can easily bend a connecting rod or worse.

 

i hate to admit it just the way people are but i have set 1000's of tire beads with starting fluid. perfectly safe if your not stupid. don't empty a entire can into the tire then stick your hand inside the tire with your bic to light it. use a sensible amount, a clip on tire chuck. draw a line out and away from the tire with your starting fluid and light the line standing away from the tire.

 

glow plug relay...... they are awfull on that era 7.3 back when i had my 97 i carried a spare in the glove box and activated the glow plugs more times than i care to think of with a screw driver. if it won't start under 50 unless you have seriously worn/broken rings holed pistons. (witch is possible if you have been starting it on fluid for years) you probably have completely non functional glow plugs.

 

If the glow plugs are that bad edgy would it start fine in summer and when the block heater was working?

Btw, i have already put a fuel pump in it last year.

I had someone do a computer check on the glow plugs and it said 2 were weak, other 6 were fine. What type of cost am I looking at to do all the plugs?

Also, I notice on acceleration it blows blue smoke out the exhaust. It tends to stop when going at a constant speed and when it warms up more. Is this burning oil? Rings? Related to the plugs and ether at all?

I've had this truck 3 years. But 75% of its annual use comes between nov and feb. I'm trying to figure out how much is worth fixing this truck vs getting rid of it. Has 285k miles on it. People say the 7.3 L is tough and good for 500k.

But this is ridiculous how hard it is to start every night. While I only do micro sprays and just enough to keep it going, outs taking about a 1/3 of a can now. It almost feels like it's not getting fuel. But again, fuel pump has been replaced.

Thanks for your help

Glow plug relay seems to be fine.

 

Look into a circulating block heater you install on a heater line.. those puppies will warm a engine to a point where you get heat almost right away after starting

 

i didn't think the obs psd's were smart enough for the ecm to tell you if the glow plugs were functioning or not. i always checked them with a multi meter. if your glow plug system is infact in good working order your engine is probably toast.