Ford diesel 5900 tractor

afisher

New User
Have a 1988(or so) ford 5900 diesel tractor and wanting to add some ether to help start on extremely cold days,but it has a oil "bath" instead of the ususal air filters. Where would you add the ether to get it to start?? New owner so not that familiar with the machine.
 
Right after they brought those up from Mexico to sell in the colder US, Ford offered a "thermo-start" kit to get them to start in the cold, I'd be looking into that before I fed it ether. If you have power where it's kept, a block heater would be a great addition too
thermostart parts
 
Yes please skip the ether and install a block heater. I have a 1974 5000 with a block heater and never have a problem starting it in the winter. I am in NE Indiana. I never use ether.
 
To answer your question.. give em a 1/2 second shot into the mushroom cap on top of the oil bath. Then go around and crank. It will take a bit more cranking for the ether to work it way to the engine, but will get there. If no fire after 8 seconds of cranking, give it another 1/2 second shot and recrank. Be sure battery is in good shape or even jump it as cranking speed is extremely important for firing it off. As others said, cold starting aids also help but sometimes,,,, the tractor is not near a power plug or you dont have the thermostart glow plug, so judicious use of either will start it, as along as you dont over do it. The oil bath air filter will help mix the ether with ambient air to further increase your safety. Never... "over do it" with ether. New formulas have changed its contents to reduce the volatility to a less explosive gas so its not as good as it once was. We used to take a rag soaked in gasoline and hold it over the intake mushroom in the old days to feed cattle in the winter. The gas fumes would help fire it off a bit sooner. Cant say it helped your hands from cracking though.
 
I agree to skip the ether. It really scared me the few times I used it as the engines really didn't like the huge explosions when it went off. I use Thermostart devices on my Fords and they work really nice.

You now know how to use ether per Bill's comments. The block heater is a no brainer if you have electricity and would be my preferred choice.

The Thermostart: Sources to it are fuel and 12v when you want to energize it prior to attempting to start. Funny, I was checking mine today and here is what it did(I have a separate switch unlike some later Fords that have a position on the "ignition" key that activates it.)

I flipped on the switch and within 15 seconds the electric coil was glowing orange, heat of which released the fuel line plug allowing diesel to drip on the hot wire. This produced flaming balls of fuel (some exploded with a popping noise) within about 30 seconds of switch activation......So, there is your minimum delay period for energizing the TS before you roll the engine.

Intake suction sucks the fireballs into the combustion chamber and assist in getting the diesel hot enough to explode and start the engine.

On the key switch, when you go to ON the red Alt. and Oil bulbs illuminate. As you roll toward Start, the lights go out.....when they are out you have activation on the TS. Stay there your 30 seconds or so and roll on over to Start. TS remains on giving time for numerous balls to be consumed by the engine and it will catch a few hits and more etc.. If you have a manual button, continue to hold the button activated until the engine starts.

As Bill stated, you need a good battery, fully charged as you are sucking amps for the starter while you are running the TS. Course figuring 15 (fused) amps for the TS is nothing compared to the 300 amps give or take required to roll the engine. This is where Synthetic 5w-40 (Shell Rot T is what I use) pays the added cost.
 

Many tractors have factory installed ether injection systems, but though a metered port and in some cases, the button only works while in the engine is also in the cranking position. Correctly done, it works very well and has been in use for 50 years or so. In use by the wrong person, it can be damaging to the engine.



Lots of compact tractors can NOT take any ether as it explodes way too early in the compression cycle and the engine trys to run backwards and it jambs the starter to a stop.

Then I have seen engines so worn out that even ether will not make them pop.


MOST STARTING FLUIDS are now heptane. Some are propane or butane. Very few are Diethyl-Ether anymore. As I said, many of freezing mornings a rag soak in gasoline held over the intake and jumper cables from two different sources started the hay tractor for feeding. Had to use what we had on hand.
 

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