Starting Fluid--Harmful?

Seems there's varying opinions regarding starting fluid.

Some either don't use it at all or very sparingly while others use it frenquently without concern.

Welcome some opinions.

Personally I like to be sure some diesel fuel is in the cylinders prior to using a tiny bit of starter fluid.

Yes, a "heater", of one type of another would be my first choice--if I had one.

Don

The only engines that I have personally had issues with using starting fluid were briggs and straton or other small engines like this. The starting fluid washes the oil off the cylinder walls and creates problems on these engines with out a pressureized oiling system.

It's more then a matter of opinion. I'm sure many here have had to rebuild diesels ruined by the overuse of either. I did one for a guy twice in one month.

Ether can be murder on an IDI engine with glow plugs, and can shatter the precombustion chambers.

DI engines can usualy handle ether if fed with some sort of control and used carefully. John Deere puts automatic ether injection on some tractors, right from the factory. Below a certain temp, ether is automatically injected when you start cranking.

Most tractor companies that offer either injection OEM, manual or automatic, usually have an ether tube with a small orifice to prevent you from overloading an engine and breaking piston rings and pistons, and sometimes bending rods.

That being said, you can take almost any engine, and it you spray enough raw ether directly into the air intake while trying to start it, you can damage it fast. All depends on the engine. Some are stronger than others.

Manufacturers recomend it and tractors have either injectors.I've used it on lots of tractors over the last 40 years with no problem.
Either gets blamed for a lot of problems that were already there,or some guy that doesn't know how to use it.

IF (and only if) you how to use it, sparing use is OK for MOST engines.

If you do not know how to use it you should NEVER use it on ANY engine.

Dean

I've been using it for 30 years on everything from diesels to chain saws.

Never had a problem. Small doses is the key.

You sure ether washes off the cylinder wall? It is so volitile I doubt it is liquid when it gets sucked into the cylinder.

Using starting fluid when a block heater is an option is just plain daft.

Dean said,IF (and only if) you how to use it, sparing use is OK for MOST engines.
If you do not know how to use it you should NEVER use it on ANY engine.

Dean
And that says it all.
What would you tell anyone regarding push starts and chain towing?
Hey someone should start a thread intitled"I will never forget the day I asked my wife to push start the haying truck".

I dont think the eather you buy for ag use is very strong,,,,,,,,,,,,I understand they used eather for surgical purposes in the old days,,,,,,,,,,,,,,sooooooooo,,,,I had this bright idee that i would spray this damn ol tom cat down that had been pissssen in my welding helmet so i could castrate it,,,,,,,,,sooooooooo,,,,,,stuck him in a coon cage and let him have it,,,,,,,,,,about all i got was one really pissssssed off TOM CAT,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

(quoted from post at 03:25:29 12/13/09) Seems there's varying opinions regarding starting fluid.

Some either don't use it at all or very sparingly while others use it frenquently without concern.

Welcome some opinions.

Personally I like to be sure some diesel fuel is in the cylinders prior to using a tiny bit of starter fluid.

Yes, a "heater", of one type of another would be my first choice--if I had one.

Don

Click to expand...

Use sparingly and with throttle on idle.

AMEN, MJ .

"Lumpy" is spreading an old wives tale he cannot back up with facts/verifiable experience.

I have used starting fluid for 40 years on everthing from my lawnmower to my j3 cub
airplane with no ill effects on anything.

On your welding helmet???

I'd shoot him!

Paul

All things in moderation. Sure, a healthy dose of starting fluid can cause serious damage to a diesel engine, but so can gasoline, which some folks suggest as a "safer" alternative to starting fluid.

It suspect that a lot of guys who say how bad starting fluid is never had to start a 71-series Detroit in cold weather.

Someone mentioned there being different types of starting fluid.

News to me. How different? What brands?

Bet a can of starting fluid ignited by a smoker while holding it in his hands would be a real bomb ! Fishing for real stories here.

And, that proves what? How many diesel repair shops have you worked in?

i use WD40 instead ,less volitale, and some lube to it .

Some people can tear up a crowbar in a sandpile.To start a diesel thats in good shape with hot batteries crank it over about like you would start it usually then stop and wait about a minute,then the second time it usually will start without ether because the compression heats up the combustion chambers and it fires the diesel way better than cold steel in the combustion chamber.You want to try that a couple of times before you even hit the ether injector if it has one.If you use ether right it can start your engine.Just a sniff with the air cleaner out while its cranking is usually enough.I have many times fired my truck up by myself by giving it a shot which is about a one second shot or less directly with the air cleaner out,then cranking it after I got in the cab.The colder it gets the harder it is to get it fired up the first time because the ether looses its potency when you walk around to crank the engine over,second time will usually get it going.However its not good to keep squirting ether in if it doesnt start.Like those ether injectors only squirt a measured amount.You dont want to squirt any more than that which is about a one second burst.If you have help cranking it and even a smaller shot than one second will usually fire an engine in good shape.I have started a gas engine with ether but not very many times.You dont want to just shoot ether wildly into the carburetor of anything.Preferably with somebody cranking shoot a sniff at the carburetor.Thats usually all it takes to fire a good engine.If that wont fire it you arent going to get it running probably and if you use a bunch of ether you can lock the motor and burn up the starter maybe blow the head gasket and break head bolts.Ether has always been a last resort on a gas engine for me.If its getting gas you ought to be able to get it started without ether by using the choke.If the motor is wore out and the choke wont start it,maybe ether will if you are lucky.Two things also work besides ether.Wait for a warmer day,and pull it with something that runs if it doesnt have an automatic transmission or is froze because it has water in it.I dont know about brake cleaner,never tried it.
Also where it dries out the cylinders,it doesnt have to wash the cylinders down,it can burn all the combustable stuff out of a cylinder because it is a volitile explosion in there and dries out the cylinder,then it has less compression.Ive seen it happen before and took plugs out and squirted oil in the cylinders and got it running.Motors with a lot of wear might start good on a warm day but not even think about it when its cold.Just by not cranking it as fast as when its warm,or when its warm the pistons fit better and have a little more compression,or whatever.Then you burn that film off of the walls of the cylinder with volatile ether and it has less compression,wont start until you squirt oil in it.

I've used starting fluid in repair shops and in the field conditions. In a perfect world, a diesel will start IF the electrical and fuel systems are in top condition. A LITTLE shot put in as the engine is turning over is ok, but engines that are worn out (low compression)sometimes need a little extra long shot to fire up.
Case in point:
Working with Roadway Express, I found that their Detroit V6 2cycle "whisper jets" needed a steady stream of fluid to get them running in the winter. Their Harrisburg rebuild shop told me "shoot it till it starts!"
Didn't help that they were air start systems either.

When I found out the price of a new starter for a
1950 Oliver we put an either injector system on it.
Never a problem with it.
Bought a 2640 JD cheap with a smokey exhaust
problem that the previous owner had used a lot of
ether in, and it required a total engine overhaul
but it would start right up after about $1000

I WON'T say it does.

But..... I've seen an H and a 9N locked up after ether was used.

I have used starting fluid for many years on gas and diesel engines when cold & other conditions were such that I couldn't start, but not any with glow plugs. 1) It used to be labeled Ether, but now it is labeled Starting Fluid....that is because now days ether is one component, no longer 100% ether & in seating beads, it clearly is much less volatile after the change/dilution. 2) Some one said whiff, another 1 second shot...those pretty much describe my use, I could probably inhale what I use, but won't!
2) If you put enough it there for liquid to ever reach the cylinder walls, I guarantee that you way, way, way, over sprayed! 4) Burning oil off cylinder walls, well I can't speak on that, one way or another. 5) I have developed a liking to propane vs starting fluid on gas engines, but have never tried it on a diesel.......anyone used propane? 6) I have observed using a gasoline wet rag draped over the air intake used for this purpose (cold starting) and it seemed to start just fine on the vapors. My cautious approach comes from "we learn by mistakes, hopefully someone else's mistakes" & in my case seeing the insides of another fellow's engine following what I guess was a real load of Starting Fluid! Not pretty.