What are the latest views on the usage of Easy Start

agg221 · January 4

16 minutes ago, Sailbadthesinner said:

We used to use burning newspaper to start tractors on a frosty morning. Worked a treat

Reminds me of a Waterway Recovery Group dig on the Wilts & Berks sometime in the 1990s. One frosty morning someone attempted to start the dumper by pre-heating it, and melted through the plastic fuel inlet pipe...!

Alec

Journeyman36 · January 4

I'd listen to @Tony Brooks if I were you.
Having previously owned a boat with a 1.5 I know of your pain. That said, I removed the plugs after watching a YT video on the topic and gave them a good clean. After that I lightly greased a drill bit - can't remember the exact size but it was very close to the bore size - I used that to clear the bores (carefully) with the grease holding the dislodged carbon and stopping it dropping on to the piston crown. Once done the engine started much easier. You could also use new plugs if yours aren't too burnt away.

On those really cold days the blowlamp will get you going if the plugs don't. Also make sure your starter battery is up to the job of cranking effectively, a sluggish crank will make for a difficult startup.

Tony Brooks · January 4

2 minutes ago, Journeyman36 said:

can't remember the exact size but it was very close to the bore size

I think the drill size is 7/64", but I always seem to get it wrong, perhaps @Tracy D'arth will conform or correct.

Don't use an electric drill unless it is a low power battery one.

Journeyman36 · January 4

1 minute ago, Tony Brooks said:

I think the drill size is 7/64", but I always seem to get it wrong, perhaps @Tracy D'arth will conform or correct.

Don't use an electric drill unless it is a low power battery one.

Not sure, I think I used a metric size as advised in the YT video. Good point about the power drill - I inserted it and rotated it by hand only, so used only the drill bit, not the drill. It was difficult to turn on a couple of the bores so I locked on a pair of mole grips for leverage. I should also add that on no account must the drill bit be pushed so far in that it could possibly drop into the bore! Same goes for ensuring that the end won't snap off - go slowly with all of this and do not force it.

kevinl · January 4

Total piece of madness, but I used to work for Gardners making parts for their diesel engines, never knew what a 7/64 flange was then, but I've reamed out more than I care to remember.

K

john.k · January 4

Used to be able to use the low octane unleaded as a starter spray............worked well to get an engine primed without burning up the starter ...........the octane has now been upped to 95 ,and its useless ......so back to the ether spray.

Tony Brooks · January 5

8 hours ago, john.k said:

Used to be able to use the low octane unleaded as a starter spray............worked well to get an engine primed without burning up the starter ...........the octane has now been upped to 95 ,and its useless ......so back to the ether spray.

Me thinks someone does not know what the octane rating means. Using a spray of petrol to help start a diesel would be better with a higher octane because it is a little more resistant to detonation, so would be less likely to produce the shockwave that can damage the pistons/rings.

This does not mean I think it is a good idea or something I would do.

Edited January 5 by Tony Brooks

Troyboy · January 5

10 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

I think the drill size is 7/64", but I always seem to get it wrong, perhaps @Tracy D'arth will conform or correct.

Don't use an electric drill unless it is a low power battery one.

It's actually a 11/64 drill Tony . Cleaning the carbon out made a huge difference to the starting on my BMC 1.5.

MtB · January 5

21 minutes ago, Troyboy said:

It's actually a 11/64 drill Tony . Cleaning the carbon out made a huge difference to the starting on my BMC 1.5.

Which in metric is 4.37mm. A size unlikely ever to be available so the imperial drill is the one to use. Or 4.3mm possibly as the carbon probably won't notice the missing 0.07mm.

LEO · January 5

16 hours ago, kevinl said:

Total piece of madness, but I used to work for Gardners making parts for their diesel engines, never knew what a 7/64 flange was then, but I've reamed out more than I care to remember.

K

I filmed a 6L2 Gardner some years ago which had a small hinged pan at the end of the air filter, the late great Jim MacDonald said 'that's a very cold start'. for extreme climates, fill it with meths, light, and offer it up and crank the engine..... film is on UTube....handcranking a Gardner 6L2.....

Tracy D'arth · January 5

Yep, 11/64" drill, preferably a long series one so that you have something to hold in a tap wrench chuck.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271294574301

kevinl · January 5

4.2mm drill bit is used when you're going to tap a 5mm metric thread, got one in my tapping set, so they are available. Not exactly right but should do the job. A decent engineering shop should stock them.

K

Tracy D'arth · January 5

34 minutes ago, kevinl said:

4.2mm drill bit is used when you're going to tap a 5mm metric thread, got one in my tapping set, so they are available. Not exactly right but should do the job. A decent engineering shop should stock them.

K

4.4mm will do the job but take your time and don't force it, take it in a back it off frequently. You need to keep going in until you feel it break through into the precombustion chamber, which is further than the length of the preheater. Hence the long series drill.

john.k · January 6

The big Rustons in cranes used to have little bowls that swung aside in the intake manifold of each head ....each bowl had a coil of wicking in it,which was saturated with diesel , and lit on fire...........I have never seen one used ,and one of my jobs was to remove the bowls ,and make blanking plates for the holes ,as the manager did not like the idea of crane drivers having permission to light fires in the cranes.

Peugeot 106 · January 6

On 04/01/2024 at 12:06, Stilllearning said:

My first boat had a Lister LPWS4 with manifold heater, no glow plugs, and always started even with thick ice round the boat and mooring lines freezing if I was careless enough to drop one in the cut - damhik.

The LPWS has glow plugs the LPW has manifold heaters or maybe you added manifold heaters and didn’t use the glow pllugs. The LPWS is indirect injection and mine stars easy enough with no heat but you get a lot of smoke in winter if you don’t heat. I always heat with the glow plugs which stay on briefly after start up ( there is a timer fitted) to reduce pollution and get little if any smoke even in winter.