Starting an LMTV in the cold is like

[Guruman]

Near your old location - northwest of Kalispell ...

I love that drive from T-Falls, up through Libby, along Lake Koocanusa (or cut through the Yaak), into Rexford/Eureka, then down 93 into Whitefish..... I only ever did the whole thing once, as it's an all day deal, but that's some nice country with so few people in the way.

I joke about Butte (because I can).... but we stayed in a hotel there one weekend and woke up on Saturday morning to a cold snap that nobody predicted, and it was -30 outside, and I had no idea how I was going to get our 7.3 liter diesel Excursion to start and run enough to get us going..... I had to walk to get an extension cord and some diesel 911. We never overnighted in Godforsaken Butte again.

It would be unusual for it to get down to -30 in T-Falls. The mountains and the Clark Fork River tend to keep the temp stable in that valley. Does it get that cold regularly up where you are?

 

[CR_ieee.org]

Starting a radial engine...

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO MAYBE NO NO NO NO MAYBE MAYBE NO MAYBE MAYBE SMOKE SMOKE SMOKE MAYBE SMOKE SMOKE SMOKE SMOKE MAYBE SMOKE OK OK OK MAYBE SMOKE SMOKE OK

I need to find an ether cyclinder. It not normaily this cold in the northwest...

I have a question. Where is the ether cylinder located? I have an idea mine could at least stand to be inspected.

 

[Ronmar]

inboard of the air filter. usually a red cannister on top of a solenoid valve(oriented vertically)..

 

[CR_ieee.org]

RR and thank you. When mine sits all night in the high 30's and low 40's, it starts quickly but runs rough as a cob and smokes black and white smoke for about 60 seconds. Once you get a mile down the road, it starts behaving like it was 75 all night. Dodge/Cummins starts in the very cold just fine however, in the interest of fairness, it has a block heater which we plug in a couple-three hours before use.

Maybe the answer is to knock out the duty freeze plug and install block heater?

 

[Mullaney]

RR and thank you. When mine sits all night in the high 30's and low 40's, it starts quickly but runs rough as a cob and smokes black and white smoke for about 60 seconds. Once you get a mile down the road, it starts behaving like it was 75 all night. Dodge/Cummins starts in the very cold just fine however, in the interest of fairness, it has a block heater which we plug in a couple-three hours before use.

Maybe the answer is to knock out the duty freeze plug and install block heater?

.
Yessir, and it will help the life of your engine (lack of starting fluid)

 

[Ronmar]

RR and thank you. When mine sits all night in the high 30's and low 40's, it starts quickly but runs rough as a cob and smokes black and white smoke for about 60 seconds. Once you get a mile down the road, it starts behaving like it was 75 all night. Dodge/Cummins starts in the very cold just fine however, in the interest of fairness, it has a block heater which we plug in a couple-three hours before use.

Maybe the answer is to knock out the duty freeze plug and install block heater?

yep, knock out the freeze-plug and put in a 1500W heater. 15-30 minutes of preheat and it will start like it is 70 out

 

[Ronmar]

.
Yessir, and it will help the life of your engine (lack of starting fluid)

Ether in itself is not a problem, it is just a clean gaseous more easily combustible fuel on top of the fuel that is already being injected. it is when it is overused and the full length of the intake plumbing is filled with it, that you have the over-revving/damaging runaways that do harm. an Installed system with metered nozzles direct to the manifold like ours is very safe and very controllable. about the only way it could be better, at least on an A0 is if it was on a interval timer to mimmic the 3 sec on, 2 sec off procedure from the operators manual... the A1's ether start assist is controlled automatically by the ECU...

 

[MatthewWBailey]

RR and thank you. When mine sits all night in the high 30's and low 40's, it starts quickly but runs rough as a cob and smokes black and white smoke for about 60 seconds. Once you get a mile down the road, it starts behaving like it was 75 all night. Dodge/Cummins starts in the very cold just fine however, in the interest of fairness, it has a block heater which we plug in a couple-three hours before use.

Maybe the answer is to knock out the duty freeze plug and install block heater?

Mine doesn't start unless I have the block heater on for an hour if the temp is under 25F

 

[GeneralDisorder]

Mine doesn't start unless I have the block heater on for an hour if the temp is under 25F

Sounds like your grid heater isn't working..... Below about 18-20 it should engage the Ether if it has any and that will disable the grid heater so if the bottle is empty..... Ya kinda stuck if she won't kick over. Block heater and take a nap.

 

[Ronmar]

RR and thank you. When mine sits all night in the high 30's and low 40's, it starts quickly but runs rough as a cob and smokes black and white smoke for about 60 seconds. Once you get a mile down the road, it starts behaving like it was 75 all night. Dodge/Cummins starts in the very cold just fine however, in the interest of fairness, it has a block heater which we plug in a couple-three hours before use.

Maybe the answer is to knock out the duty freeze plug and install block heater?

Are you sure the primary fuel system is holding a prime? After it has set overnight, or a day or two, reach in under the cab and push the primer bulb with your hand until it is firm. If it has held its prime, it should be firm/high resistance from the first press on the bulb as the path between primer bulb and pressure regulator at the output of the head should be full of fuel and you will hydraulically feel the regulator resisting fuel flow when y0u push on the primer button.

If it is easy to pump for many presses, then you have lost prime and are displacing air. If it has lost prime the injectors won’t fill and fire properly until all the air is pushed thru the fuel gallery…

 

[CR_ieee.org]

Are you sure the primary fuel system is holding a prime? After it has set overnight, or a day or two, reach in under the cab and push the primer bulb with your hand until it is firm. If it has held its prime, it should be firm/high resistance from the first press on the bulb as the path between primer bulb and pressure regulator at the output of the head should be full of fuel and you will hydraulically feel the regulator resisting fuel flow when y0u push on the primer button.

If it is easy to pump for many presses, then you have lost prime and are displacing air. If it has lost prime the injectors won’t fill and fire properly until all the air is pushed thru the fuel gallery…

No priming problem in the fuel system. A short crank and it starts but when cold, runs a bit rough for 5-10 minutes.

 

[Ronmar]

No priming problem in the fuel system. A short crank and it starts but when cold, runs a bit rough for 5-10 minutes.

What year and model truck do you have?

 

[CR_ieee.org]

What year and model truck do you have?

2004 LMTV 1078A1

 

[Ronmar]

As i recommend to all, i would still suggest you measure your primary fuel pressure It may be holding prime, but if the main fuel line is leaking its fuel back to the tank it could take a little bit of running to clear that air out of the system. Airleaks show quite clearly on a primary pressure gauge/test.

it being EFI, it could also be a sensor not accurately reporting temp or pressure when cold...