Easier starting

[tomsk]

Hi all

I had a slight problem, starting in the mornings, missing on one cylinder, a bit lumpy etc..

My local shop sold me Millers Oils, Diesel Power Plus, and it now starts first time, no problems whatsoever, runs great.
Pop it in the tank on filling up, I have had other additives, but non have performed as good as this.

Regards

Tomsk

[bigdaddycain]

Sounds good tomsk... I have just started to experiment with millers semi synth 10/40 oil in my bongo, i suspect i will use it from now on....

I previously used Autoquip semi synth, but the millers oil seems better,a little more expensive, but better.

I wonder if you can still buy that "fuel in a spray can" thingy that i used to see my dad use on his trucks years ago?

I think you sprayed it into the air intake on a really cold morning, it may have been called easy start?...god, that takes me back...

[bigdaddycain]

I've not seen it for years though! Was it an industry only product? I certainly haven't seen it at halfords or wherever...

It certainly seemed to work, thats for sure...

I'm pushing 37 Kirsty...I wont consider myself old till those numbers are reversed! I still buy scalextric cars!

[bigdaddycain]

The last time i tried some on myself, it made me sit in front of the computer with a frilly dress on,passing judgement on females that knew a thing or two about engineering

I'll stick to me bird's custard i think....

[francophile1947]

I'll stick to me bird's custard i think....

I'm not going there - don't want to be an FCP
I think Easy Start was just a Holt's product, along with Damp Start - the latter was sprayed on to the HT leads etc to displace damp.

[haydn callow]

You can still find easy start in a lot of auto shops. It's the only way you can still buy "ether" over the counter. I used to use it until early this year to "put down" sick or failing budgies.
It is indeed good for starting a diesel engine on a very cold morning. Used it to start our narrowboat.

[Ralph]

Easy Start works a treat but only use it in emergency
a modern diesel should start even in the coolest of
weather and they seem to get addicted to easy start
refusing to start until they have had there fix, only
cure is to take off the head and grind in the valves.
When I think back to some of the things we did to
start ancient clap-ed out old Diesels years back "we
had cold winters then", Easy Start, Fire under the sump,
Flaming Diesel soaked rag over the air intake, blow lamp
on the inlet manifold 3 men on a rope tied to the starting
handle, trick was get one going and tow the rest.
It's a wounder we did not burn half the fleet to the ground
over a cold snap.

[Socket Set Sue]

Did you never have one of those really old diesels that had the removable wicks? They were a long screw in bolt type part that screwed into the cyilinder head, one for each cylinder. In the end of each 'bolt' was a wick as used in parafin lamps, you lit the wick and made sure it was glowing nicely and screwed it back into the cylinder head, repeat for all cylinders, then with a bit of luck when it was turned over, usually by a very large starting handle or if you were lucky by an electric starter.

Now those were the days.

[tomsk]

I forgot to tell you, this is a fuel additive, rather than oil for the sump.
It cleans injectors etc.

Regards

Tomsk

[bongolow]

Now those were the days.

Luxury!

I remember when we had to grow the oats before we could start the horse.....

[Ralph]

We had a generator with a Diesel that used a wick, you had
to hand start it, light the wick and stuff it back down the hole,
twist a leaver on the rocker box and get turning the starting
handle as fast as you could after 7 turns the leaver worked
it's way back to off it dropped the valves and if things were going
round fast enough it started, the revs then started to climb
and climb as anyone with a inch of mechanical sympathy
started taking steps back, just as you were expecting vital
bits to make a brake for freedom the governor took interest
and calmed thing down.

What a wast feeding oats to horses they can be used to make
porridge or better still a bucket of oats in a leaking steam engines
boiler soon sorts it out.

Most frightening beast I ever came across was a generator powered
by a gas turbine from a helicopter, people would stand round till
the starter was pressed then as it wound up they would step back
and back till they were about 100 yards away, once wound up it was
not bad but could empty a 500 gal fuel tank in about 2 1/2 hours when
working hard.

[BongoedIslander]

Hadyn . .a word to the wise, your engine will start . .seemingly like magic..but the ether is actually washing down your Cylinder lubrication..which will speed up the bore wear . .which will lead you to use it more and more frequently . .which will hasten more bore wear . .Etc etc ..sort out the underlying starting problem, and use the Ether as a humane Killer..!!
we had a garage foreman ..oh, years and years ago . .who provided us with no end of entertainment ,by grabbing the Aerostart can . .if he caught us using it..and fling it at arms length out the garage door ..we used to wind him up by shouting 'go get the aerostart' .if we had a diesel starting problem .. he would rush out of his office . .mouthing the most creative and original obcenities you've ever heard . .oh those were the days . .!
another trick we had for a reluctant diesel, was to shove the nozzle of the welding torch into the intake and give it a blast of oxygen, while cranking her over . .worked every time . .till we got the underlying fault sorted .