Massey Ferguson 383 opinions.

[wbvs58]

I don't know what the MF is but in my experience tractors with direct injection engines are a lot easier to start in the cold without any starting aids than the older indirect injection engines with a pre combustion chamber. Nesi might like to comment on this.

Ken

 

[herofan]

Here is a 383 I looked at a few months ago. It was low hours, although I don't remember the exact number; however, the guy let it set out all the time. I'm just not a fan of equipment that sits out in the weather all the time. He wanted $20,000 for it.

 

[Nesikep]

Ken, that has been my experience as well.. hence why the Cummins (direct injection) start so much better than the Ford 7.3s (indirect injection)

20K is way too high for that 383! even with lowish hours,.. he'd be lucky to get 15K CDN for it here.. probably more like 10-12K

 

[jltrent]

Ken, that has been my experience as well.. hence why the Cummins (direct injection) start so much better than the Ford 7.3s (indirect injection)

20K is way too high for that 383! even with lowish hours,.. he'd be lucky to get 15K CDN for it here.. probably more like 10-12K

We are talking here 1997 Ford 7.3s and before. Their starting problems boiled down to maintenance like everything else. With a good battery, 8 good working glow plugs, clean fuel filter, pumps working correctly they started good down to at least 10 degrees without plugging up. Just one weak or dead glow plug which was the main problem with them and they became hard to start. A lot of those still on the road with a good chassis still holding up around them.

Direct injection does build up more fuel pressure than IDI which aids in starting, but are a lot more expensive to work on. A lot of advantages/disadvantages to each. DI is more emission friendly, so you guessed it, that is were the money went.

I have a Kubota M9000 and M6800 that are both IDI and I never plug them up, unless it is getting down to 10 degrees or below. I have consistently started the M6800 at or around zero without the aid of a block heater.

 

[Nesikep]

My truck starts at -10F with one battery, not plugging it in. The point is DI starts better in the cold every time... Yes, the old fords needed 8 good glow plugs and they really got ornery if they weren't working.

-22C cold start on my truck
[youtube]https://youtu.be/G6ho55h9atM[/youtube]

 

[True Grit Farms]

My truck starts at -10F with one battery, not plugging it in. The point is DI starts better in the cold every time... Yes, the old fords needed 8 good glow plugs and they really got ornery if they weren't working.

-22C cold start on my truck
[youtube]https://youtu.be/G6ho55h9atM[/youtube]

I have never turned a diesel engine over that long and don't plan to start. They sell a magnetic block heater at NAPA that I use on my 3020 when it gets really cold here. Your not worried about crank and cam bearings running dry because the oil is to thick to pump?

 

[jltrent]

My truck starts at -10F with one battery, not plugging it in. The point is DI starts better in the cold every time... Yes, the old fords needed 8 good glow plugs and they really got ornery if they weren't working.

-22C cold start on my truck
[youtube]https://youtu.be/G6ho55h9atM[/youtube]

Glad you got your truck started and the DI do start better. Now get you a block heater to save your starter for gosh sakes.

 

[Nesikep]

I start it once a year on a cold day without plugging in to make sure it can do it if it needs to..
I did have some fuel system issue at the time and it made it lose prime.. can't remember what it was now..

Nope, not worried about it at all.. in the cold oil doesn't run off stuff very easily either.