Changfa starting at minus degrees

[pekkap]

Hello!

Winter is getting to be present here in finland. Just started changfa at -10C (14F i guess..). Hand cranking was too heavy so i used electric start. Started but not easily.

What kind oil you use in winter conditions? And how cold is it possible to start changa without glow plugs? Is there some fluids for diesel fuels that helps cold starting? I use cheapest 10W-30 and it is pretty hard stuff in -10C..

[Carlb]

In winter i use full synthetic Mobil1 0-30w in my listeroid

[Ronmar]

Can you provide any pre-heat?  They start way easier and build oil pressure/distribute lube oil much nicer if you warm the oil.  It being a generator, you probably don't have power available before the start, so it will fall to some other form of pre-heat.  A small alcohol stove,bunson burner under the oil pan for a bit before lightoff will probably take the edge off of starting and ease wear and tear on the engine.  Running over the injector and fuel lines with a propane torch to warm the fuel system will also help with a faster lightoff, so less wear on the starter be it electric or your arm:)

Go to youtube and search "alcohol stove" or "beer can stove" and you will find instructional videos on how to make your own simple stove.  You pour in a measured quantity of alcohol and light it and it burns till exhausted.  The ammount of fuel you add determines how much preheat you will receive...

[yellowhead]

If you do have (some) power available I can confirm starting at -35C running 5W40 by blowing hot air from a heat gun into the intake for a short period of time. The colder it is the longer it takes before the engine is 'happy' but I don't recall ever needing it for more than a minute. You need to make sure nothing nasty gets blown in along with the hot air; I eventually built a box around the intake filter so that I could feed the engine hot air but leave the filter in place just in case.

[XYZER]

It doesn't get that cold over here in the valley but at my 5,250 off foot grid ranch it can do the below zero thing. I have always kept a propane torch that uses the small bottles handy. It works great for lighting a pellet stove and in a pinch I would use it to warm a cold engine. The bottles last for ever and are good for many other fix its. Set it on a low flame under the crankcase and go have coffee. Warm the intake and away you go. Even give it a wif of propane

[pekkap]

That -35C sure is low. There is somekind of intake air warming system on the market but blowing hot air sounds a lot cheaper solution for startup. Now that i know it works. Engine is used in excavator, so it does not need to start immediately. Burning things under engine sounds fastest way to heat up the oil. Other idea has been making hole nearby cylinder and put resistor in to the cooling fluids. But as said, if it wont blow up, propane would be easier and faster. I cant say if excavator around it lits on fire though...  I will use these tricks on next time i start it. Thanks.

How those synthetic oils stay inside changfa? Is there higher oil consumption compared to mineral oils? And is 0W-30 or 5W-40 ok in summer also? Or is it just a myth that these engines has bigger tolerans than some others?

[LincTex]

1. Drain coolant
2. Place liquid coolant in large container or pot, and place it over a fire to warm it.
3. Pour warm coolant back into coolant hopper.  Engine will now start instantly!

[Ronmar]

1. Drain coolant
2. Place liquid coolant in large container or pot, and place it over a fire to warm it.
3. Pour warm coolant back into coolant hopper.  Engine will now start instantly!

That is what my Chinese tractor manual says to do.  If going to go below freezing, drain crankcase.  If weather is cold, refill with warmed water to aid starting...

[pekkap]

last startup i used big propane torch to warm up engine. worked well. i have never tried to warm coolant outside engine, but i bet it is effective. it warms up areas that need heat.

[mike90045]

I'm considering a can of sterno under my crankcase for about 2 hours before trying to start.  Pros - cons ??

[Tom Reed]

I've used a propane weed burner when it's real cold. Heat the intake elbow, injector and line for about 10 min and she fires right off. Once you get done with that 30wt break in oil put some 10-30 in there and it will be much easier to crank.

[Ronmar]

I don't think the can of sterno would take 2 hours, especially if you covered the engine while you applied the heat. 

I have been using a small alcohol stove(beer can stove, search youtube) to preheat the oil tank for my garage heater.  A 1/2 ounce of alcohol burns for nearly 10 minutes and brings around a gallon of used motor oil in the steel tank from around 30 degrees to around 100 degrees by the feel of it... I will take an actual temp measurement today as I am headed for the garage now.  Havn't tried it under the changfa yet, but I am guessing it will have a similar effect...

[OilCan]

Hello!

Winter is getting to be present here in finland. Just started changfa at -10C (14F i guess..). Hand cranking was too heavy so i used electric start. Started but not easily.

What kind oil you use in winter conditions? And how cold is it possible to start changa without glow plugs? Is there some fluids for diesel fuels that helps cold starting? I use cheapest 10W-30 and it is pretty hard stuff in -10C..

Here is what I use in this thread, do an internet search for "charcloth" to see how it's made and give it a try.

http://www.microcogen.info/index.php?topic=881.msg10868#msg10868