3B Diesel hard Starting - Glow plugs check OK

[Pete]

Hi All,

When 3b starts feels like it fires on 2 x cylinders and smokes heaps of white when its cold. No smoke when running - starts OK when warm. The glow plugs test OK across batteries - the glow bright red - about 1/3 of the length - Are they supposed to glow along the whole length ? Glow plug timer and relay etc seem to be OK. Any thoughts on where to check next ?

cheers,

pete

[Henry]

Hi

My engine has issues with the contacts between the glow plugs and the rails that go between them...
Clean every thing and try to get good contacts....

[ClassicCruiserSpares]

Hi there, id be getting a leak down test done to check if its got a blown head gasket or cracked head, the white smoke isnt good.

[Pete]

Thanks for the info - just been down and had another play - i have 21v across the rail and if i glowed it 3-4 times the problem pretty much goes away (very little smoke).
i'll organise a compression test / leakdown as well. It seems to run pretty well with no water usd and very little oil ( drops most of it)

Funnily enough the motor in my other truck does the same thing.....

Cheers,
Pete

ps: had cleaned the rail up with emery paper last week.

[Henry]

Hi

The compression/leakdown tests are a good idea.
But I need to cycle the glow plugs once if it is a warm day and 2 time if it is cold and 3 times if the truck is outside and a frost.

These are a old engine design and they didn't get every thing right... But it should last 300k to 500k.... go onto
http://www.ih8mud.com/ and ask questions if necessary. THere are some real 3b gurus there.....

[ClassicCruiserSpares]

You could also need to replace the glow relay if its putting out 21V thats pretty high.

[Pete]

Gidday,

The glow plugs are rated at 23V - so I reckon the relay is all good. The Cruisers as far as i can tell came out with two kinds of setups one with 14V plugs and the other with 23V plugs.
Cheers,

Pete

[Henry]

Hi

21 volts. ??

Sounds like you have a 24 volt setup. As mine is. It is a 2 X 12 Volt battery system- Japanese import. my system still gives 23 or so as the glow plugs are on and if I check with the motor running you should have 28volts or so across the batterys...

How good are your batterys?

Perhaps you need to look else where and also accept that some of this is 3b Features?

Kim