440ICD Starting

jac · Post by **jac** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 7:57 pm

It is getting cold in NY and I still am using my 440 clearing some land. Any tricks to get that 2-53 to start when cold? With the oil bath air cleaner I assume getting ether into the machine is not that simple without taking off the blower hoses? Got is started last weekend, but just barely, and it was not that cold. No chance in another few weeks without some starting fluid or a very large battery.

Post by **Lavoy** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 9:26 pm

The vapor should still travel through the oil bath, just don't overdo it. Otherwise, look for a small plug somewhere on the blower housing that you can take out, and give it a small shot.
If you have it near electricity, you could put in a block heater.
Lavoy

emichaelhaynes · Post by **emichaelhaynes** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 1:14 am

average summer high temp where i have my crawler is 67. Don't have an oil bath, just the empty can. do have a dry filter where the precleaner went. pull the filter off and a quick blast in the tube starts it in under 10 seconds.

michael

shinnery · Post by **shinnery** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 1:41 am

My 440ICD has a small (1/8") pipe plug that looks like it feeds right into the blower intake, I have thought of buying a small 1/4 turn valve to replace the plug and be able to open for ether and shut off the unfiltered air easily. Mine starts better with the throttle opened up a ways, but I realize it is warmer here in Texas. When I got mine the whole air filter assembly was missing so I bought a Baldwin dry paper filter and attached it to the rubber adapter at the blower with about a foot of exhaust tubing.. Built a bracket to support the tubing and mounted it to the bolts holding the fuel filter on.
Bryce

jac · Post by **jac** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 6:23 am

Thanks to everyone. I just put in the oil bath filter so I will keep that in-place and will check to see if my machine has the plug. If not, I will try to get the ether through like Lavoy suggested.

I could always drill and tap a plug if this becomes a problem.

lastchancegarage · Post by **lastchancegarage** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 8:05 am

Jac,
I've started my 440 either way. With the air cleaner inlet, I just give it a "one one-thousand" squirt up under the cap with the throttle set just above midway and she starts pretty quick regardless of temp. There is a plug on the blower housing right in the middle. I think it's a 3/8" plug if I remember correctly. The manual prefers you spray the ether through that particular port. it's more of a hassle between removing the plug, squirting the juice, replacing plug and climbing up to start the unit. I usually keep the can under my seat inside the post so I can grab it and give the air inlet cap a squirt. As Lavoy said, don't overdo it. Good luck.

Scott

jac · Post by **jac** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:24 pm

Found the blower plug and a little squirt into the blower and it stared right up. It was in the 30's last weekend so looks like I should be able to get it started all winter.

JD440ICD2006 · Post by **JD440ICD2006** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 3:03 pm

The JD Operator's manual for the 440 ICD says the following about cold weather starting procedures:
"Note: The engine will start easier if the engine speed control lever is placed in the one-half-speed position while starting at low ambient temperatures."
"Do not spray ether into air cleaner intake as instructed on some cans. Ether drawn through oil in an air cleaner loses much of its effectiveness. This practice can also result in too much ether getting into cylinders especially during extremely cold temperatures.
CAUTION: Too much ether will cause pre-ignition or flooding and may damage engine or starter"

Howard Yoder · Post by **Howard Yoder** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:55 pm

In N.Y. I would suggest a block heater it will start without either.

jac · Post by **jac** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 8:22 pm

Block heater would be great except they want to charge me $10,000 to run power into my property. I think I will stay with my 1953 Onan generator. It will last a while since it only has 400 hours on it, but would be kind of expensive to run for just a block heater. I plan on shutting down the crawler for most of the winter. Property too steep and I do not like the thought of ice skating down a hill on a crawler. Not my idea of excitement.

wwattson · Post by **wwattson** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 8:57 pm

Maybe it's just me but it sounds like the crawler is at a location that you don't normally live at and you only want to use it when you're there. Wouldn't the block heater still make sense because you could plug it in when you're there and using the generator and have the advantage of easy starts if you need to use the crawler for clearing the road, driveway, whatever?

country53 · Post by **country53** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 5:11 am

On the diesels I put a quart of kerosene with 5 gallon of diesel fuel, works well for me. But it only gets down around 0'F here. I have heard of truckers putting transmission fluid in the fuel to start em. It got down to 30 below here one time and being I'm an uneducated scientest and my tractor fuel was jelled I poured a pint of Gasoline in it, the fuel unjelled instantly and it started in a hurry that did well till it got 40 above and then the tractor would get hot after about a half an hour.

hunter41mag · Post by **hunter41mag** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 7:20 am

Hi,
I have been working around diesels for over 30 years in Pennsylvania and around early November we start mixing 70% #2 diesel fuel with 30% #1 diesel fuel (keroseen or Jet A). Auto Trans fluid is good for helping clean injectors and increased power (more BTU's) but it will also gel quicker in the winter. Remember when mixing #1 fuel (kero) with #2 that #1 fuel has less BTU's (less power) and less lubricity (wears upper cylinder components quicker).

But above all avoid gasoline. Any small amount can be explosive when the cap is taken off a tank and an ignition source is close by (cigarette or cigar).

I would also recommend a fuel heater. Davco makes a small unit that uses battery power (when key is turned on, thermostatically controlled) and also engine coolant to heat the fuel during cold weather.

Don
Eastern PA
JD 440IC

jac · Post by **jac** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 8:42 am

Yes, my crawler is 40 miles away from my house.

I like the fuel heater idea. That would work well. As for a block heater running off a generator, I think that it would take some time for a block heater to heat up the engine due to the thermal mass of the engine. Much quicker to just use a little ether. Fuel heater would likely work well since you are only heating up a small amount of fuel, which which can occur very fast. Getting a small block heater to heat an engine is another story.

Tim_in_IA · Post by **Tim_in_IA** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 8:45 am

Anyone know what block heater one would use in these? I like the idea of putting a block heater in mine. (440ic).

There is a GE360 on the yesterdays tractor site, I am assuming that would work since it is for any jd 2 cylinder? $30. Not too bad.

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