starting an 8v71

[Dreamscape]

Lin is right on! When I use the block heater she fires right up, without it takes a bit longer and I'd rather not take a chance. I've gotten in the habit of plugging it in about 1 hour before I crank it, longer if it's below freezing. And I hate cold weather, so it's not that often!

Paul

[bevans6]

Mine has never not started with three hours of block heater.  White smoke is just unburnt fuel.  You see a lot of white smoke when you are cranking and not firing.  that's why closing the engine stop lever while cranking, and then letting it off, will help.  You're not injecting freezing cold fuel into the combustion chamber, so compression warms it up faster, and when you back off the engine stop lever and release the racks the fuel is going into warmed chambers and has a better chance of firing.

Brian

[pd4501-771]

totally agree...block heater is the only way to go. I would also add caution about stuck injectors. I've been around two different Scenicruisers with 8Vs. that had stuck injectors from sitting around way too long.  Make darn sure your e-stop works, or you have a very quick plan to cut off  fuel /air. Nothing like a run-away jimmie to get your blood pump'n. kinda spooky!

Tom

[Fredward]

Agreed with PD4501-771. The 71 series can scare the crap out of you if one (or more) injectors don't close all the way with the rack. We had an 871 in a Trojan loader that sat for awhile. We started it and it ran away sort of (not totally) but scared the crap out of all of us. Took one fearless guy to climbe back up there and shut her down.

My experience with my 8V71 in our Mc-5 is with good batteries it will start down to about 45 degrees using bump and roll approach. It belches white smoke and misses on a couple cylinders for about 30 seconds and then smoothes right out. Should not be that way but i'm sure it's about 50% used up. We ran the rack a couple years ago and that helped. Once warmed up it runs great and does not smoke.

I vote for block heater. I use mine everytime if possible even sometimes in warm weather in a campground so it doesn't smoke so much upon start.

I always carry a can of ether for an emergency cold start just in case but usually I can plan my starts and I plug it in.

Fred

[challenger440]

Thanks all.  I've gotten spoiled by my fuel injected gas engines.  1 revolution and its alive.  But this kind of stuff is what I like about the bus.  You have to think about what your doing.  After Magic is warm, it starts right up.  It's the cold start issue that I was unsure about.  And I agree, plug it in when you can.  JM