Slow cranking tractor

[jallen]

So I got that case 990--it has worked great thus far. We got a good cold snap for here and the last two nights hit 20. Tried to crank it yesterday afternoon and it was very slow to fire off. It's not the battery, it was turning over fine. Temp was maybe 35-40 at this time. All other attempts to crank lasted about 2 seconds and it's running.

The guy I bought it from told me he put too heavy of an oil in it and that it would be slow to fire in cold weather until it's changed out. Can anyone offer any insight on this?

 

[skyhightree1]

starter could be going bad or battery could also be underpowered to spin the motor fast enough. I would take readings of the amps and see what its reading. could be the cables or broken springs on the brushes.

 

[jltrent]

If the starter turns the engine over fast then it is something else. You might need to plug it up on cold mornings a couple of hours if it has a block heater in it, otherwise use a little either. Is the cold start glow plugs working correctly? Also could be bad fuel, clogged fuel filter, etc.

 

[skyhightree1]

I took it by slow cranking the starter was going slow vs hard to start

 

[jallen]

It's more of a hard start I guess. I couldn't notice the engine turning slower than normal but I've only used it a handful of times. Going to use it this afternoon and see how it turns over

 

[OleScout]

I have a Case/David Brown 885.
It has a timing adjustment on the injector pump, looks like a fuel shutoff valve(stem with cross handle). When cold this adjustment is screwed in about 3/4 turn. Tractor will fire right away but runs really bad until the timing adjustment is returned to normal.

 

[John SD]

20 degrees would seem like summer here considering we are not going to see 0 for a high over the weekend.

First thing I would do is make sure all battery/starter electrical connections are clean and tight. A good booster charger might be a lot of help, especially if your batteries are getting old/weak.

20 degrees is not at all what I would consider "cold". 15W-40 oil is probably OK. I would not be running straight 30 in winter if your temps get close to 0 very often. My preferred winter oils are either 10W-30 dino or 5W-40 synthetic.

Make sure to check simple things first before you take expensive and possibly unnecessary measures like buying new batteries. Do you listen/feel to see if the engine heater is actually working? Starter might be OK for warmer weather but could be in need of a little TLC for winter use. :2cents:

 

[SmokinM]

I am pretty sure a 990 is old enough that it doesn't have glow plugs but you need to make sure before you squirt ether in it. That being said it sounds to me like that's all it needs is just a little shot of "candy". Remember a little goes a long way but bet that it fires right off.

 

[bbirder]

My old 830 had heaters, but make sure you have the clutch depressed while cranking. If not you are turning the whole tranny unit. I had two heavy duty batteries wired together and it always fired right up.

 

[jallen]

Forgive my ignorance regarding glow plugs. The guy told me it had a block heater? It's plugged in right now and I'm assuming this is what everyone is referring to. I know jack diddly about a Diesel engine.

 

[John SD]

Is your block heater actually working? You should be able to hear and/or feel to verify.

Also as someone mentioned, if your tractor has an excess fuel control for cold starting , use it. My Ford Majors and x600s have a button to push on the side of the Simms injector pump. Must be a British tractor thing. :roll:

One thing to keep in mind is NEVER USE ETHER WITH GLOW PLUGS! Don't know if your tractor has glow plugs but there should be something in conjuction with the key or a seperate button to push somewhere. I take it you don't have an owner's manual. If you do, there should be cold starting instructions in it.

My Kubota has glow plugs operated by the key. According to owners manual only operate at +5 or below temps. I turn the key partway for a few seconds and wait for the glow plug light on the dash to go off, then start.

I'm somewhat familiar with a Case 830. IIRC, 830 had glow plugs since it was a IDI diesel with pre-combustion cylinder chambers. I have no idea about a David Brown 990 which is a totally different animal having little in common with American built Case tractors.

 

[D2Cat]

Did you get your tractor fired up? You mentioned it turns over fine, be aware a diesel needs to turn over faster then a gas engine. It has only compression, air and fuel to run; no electricity. The Case 730 and 830 ( and probably others) were indirect injection (as mentioned), and they are much more difficult to start in colder weather. A couple of nights at 20 deg will soak through the iron and cause you some grief. The Case tractors had a manifold heater located in the intake manifold. You turned the ignition counter clockwise one notch for 30 seconds to light it up

Using ether to get the engine started can cause a lot of mechanical grief. If you think you HAVE to use it, it's much safer for your engine to have the engine turning over as you spray it into the air intake.

The owner's manual suggest removing the oil and storing it in a warm place and pre heat it to 100 deg, then replace just before starting engine. Even has a paragraph stating remove the anti-freeze and warming before starting.

Seems foolish to us today, but interesting reading.

 

[Ouachita]

I'm not going to speculate on the start problem, but if you know the oil is too heavy for the temps change it now. More damage can done using too heavy an oil than too light an oil.

 

[Nesikep]

I don't know the DB tractors... Our IH 684 has a "start" position on the shutoff lever... it's up to run, halfway to cold start, and all the way down to shut off, I think it retards the timing. It had a factory ether injection on it. My friend's German built IH 484 (I think) has a heater in the manifold you plug an extension cord into for a minute before you start it. You really need to know if it has a manifold heater, or glow plugs before using ether... yours may have an ether injector on it somewhere.

Check to make sure the block heater is working.. after having it plugged in for an hour, you should be able to feel the top of the engine and it should be reasonably warm (I'd say at least 40F depending on how cold it was to start off with).

If all else fails, I have an old british tractor that is a bear to start in cold weather. I remove the air cleaner-engine hose, put a heat gun in it (toward the engine) for a half a minute on high, then start it.. helps to have someone there to hold it, you can leave the heat gun running while you try to start it, and after it has started as well for a minute or so. Just make sure you put the air cleaner hose on properly after, and especially doublecheck it before summertime. I ended up welding a little bung with a plug so it's an easy 1 person job.. it made all the difference in the world. Before, it would require ether to start, and you'd have to give it a little to keep it running for the first while... with the heat gun, it starts and idles like it was summertime and is very much easier on the engine.

If you can post some pictures of the engine, and perhaps the controls, we could help you determine if ether is safe to use on it

 

[jallen]

I don't know the difference in glow plugs and a block heater but you can plug this tractor in. I don't know if it is working or not but will check tonight.

 

[dun]

I don't know the difference in glow plugs and a block heater but you can plug this tractor in. I don't know if it is working or not but will check tonight.

Glow plugs are near the injectors and super heat the fuel as it goes into the cylinder. A block heater is a device that heats the water in the engine, those are plugged in. Glow plugs funtion from the key.

 

[OklaBrangusBreeder]

My Dad has a Case 1394 which is a David Brown model with a new hood....

It just takes a long time to start in cold weather. It will crank, crank, crank, cough, sputter, then start. Always starts, just takes friggin forever.

It may be a common trait in the old David Brown tractors?

 

[jallen]

I'm assuming it has the block heater then. It also has an option when you turn the key to heat? It goes from off to acc to heat. The guy told me to let it sit on heat for 15-20 seconds before trying to crank so I'll try that and see what happens. Do the block heaters have replaceable parts on them? He told me he didn't think it worked because whatever part hasn't been replaced in 20 yrs?

 

[jallen]

Talked with the guy again--tractor came with glow plugs. They added the block heater later-- I'm not sure if either is working so that's where I'll start along with an oil change.

 

[hurleyjd]

I don't know the difference in glow plugs and a block heater but you can plug this tractor in. I don't know if it is working or not but will check tonight.[/quote
Your tractor will have a thermostart. It will be located in the side of the intake manifold. It will have an electrical wire and a fuel line hooked to it.