Early 2000's hoe has been starting slow for a while but won't start at all now without ether. Cranks fine but seems to have been losing fuel pressure at the pump maybe? Any advice? Thanks.
Have you been keeping up with the maintenance, and changing all the fuel filters as required in the owners manual ? Have you been keeping the fuel tank full all the time and draining water out of the filter. How many hours on the unit.? Have you taken any oil samples in last 2 years, How are the air filter and all the intake piping, no leaks. If you take a rag ball to plug the fuel filler port and blow air into the fuel tank , does it start up then. Takes 2 people to do that test, also put air to tank with it not running and do any fuel lines from tank to filters leak. Do the glow plugs or intake heater work.? Does the engine crank fast enough, are the batteries tired. How many times have you started with ether? Are the battery cables good and clean. Ground cables good and clean. Lots of questions to lead us to a solution. Simon C
I can’t even begin to explain how many diesels get addicted to that crap. It’s one thing to have to give a diesel a little help, if it’s stupid cold, or you know the batteries or weak but if it starts needing that crap, better service it soon. If not it turns into a junkie and won’t do crap, without a fix first.
You can get away with WD40 to help start an engine with low compression for quite a while. It won't destroy the engine, but Ether really shortens the life. Some are surprised to find broken rings in more than 1 cylinder. WD40 just improves compression and helps ignite. Neither one is a long term solution, but WD40 can get a guy by temporarly till repairs are done. Simon C
I won’t use ether any more. Have seen engines stop dead when cranking because it fires off way to soon. I started using a squirt of gasoline from a windex bottle, it’s much less volatile. I’ll have to give the WD a try.
While I’m not sure but I believe the WD40 does more for compression than anything else. The fact that it’s combustable, is a bonus. I have heard of the gasoline thing, never tried it though. I too, have seen enough damage with Either. When I was in my teens, I blew the oil pan off an 80’s Ford Ranger. Sheared every bolt right off and busted the oil filter open. No ski bunnies that day. I watched my father bend 2 valves and shear a 1/4 of a piston off a Kubota 1902. When he gets mad, he’s unreachable, at all. Its just, every diesel I have ever worked on, when it starts to need that junk, it just means it’s time to service it and check it out. If it’s not convenient at that time, use it or preferably WD40 and schedule some time. Heating gun, in the intake works great also.