Don't use starter fluid?

[Lionsfan]

Most normal failure mode is a cracked piston, ring (s) or ring land. Usually applies to smaller diesel engines, kubota, yanmar, shibora, Perkins, Mitsubishi, cat, etc all suffer the same fate. Larger engines are much more forgiving, but not invincible to breaking. Steel pistons/ crowns seem much less affected. Most mfg of diesel engines these days do not advocate for starting fluid to be used. There are a few that still offer either start systems, but the days of manually unloading a can are over.(expect for the determined idiot.) Modern diesels just don't need it thanks to electronic fuel management, multi injection events and the ability to control timing basically infinity to crank/cam rotation. Last D-11R I worked on still had a either start system, but wasn't needed even in freezing temps. Besides that, the system was made just about idiot proof. Metered amount of either and would only inject after you started to crank the engine.

My old mentor claimed you could stretch the head bolts enough to literally blow the head right off a small industrial engine. The combination of small bore, long stoke and high compression can generate a lot of heat with a cylinder full of ether. We're forced to use it when the temperatures drop in the spring and fall (particularly with older Yanmar's), and a little puff on a shop rag held close to the air inlet is typically safe.

 

[ZeroJunk]

My old mentor claimed you could stretch the head bolts enough to literally blow the head right off a small industrial engine. The combination of small bore, long stoke and high compression can generate a lot of heat with a cylinder full of ether. We're forced to use it when the temperatures drop in the spring and fall (particularly with older Yanmar's), and a little puff on a shop rag held close to the air inlet is typically safe.

OK. If you go to O'reillys, or AutoZone, etc. and buy a can of today's starter fluid and blow your engine up I will buy you a new engine.

 

[SS396driver]

I’ve not sprayed ether directly into a carb a few shots on the filter and replace the lid starts pretty much all the time . Granted this is on cars . I had a 6.2 that wouldn’t start from time to time a shot of WD40 and she would start right up . Truck had 245k when I sold it guy had it for years after .

 

[Del_]

As Tommy Lee was fond of saying:

"Just a sniff will do ya."

 

[ZeroJunk]

I’ve not sprayed ether directly into a carb a few shots on the filter and replace the lid starts pretty much all the time . Granted this is on cars . I had a 6.2 that wouldn’t start from time to time a shot of WD40 and she would start right up . Truck had 245k when I sold it guy had it for years after .

I can remember when you could buy pure ether. Had to be careful with it.

Today's starter fluid has a dab of ether in it, but you can literally flood a saw with it.

Just looking. Mostly heptane. Some MSDS sheets say as much as 100% heptane, meaning there may be no ether in it at all.


Live in the past if you wish.

 

[bwalker]

OK. If you go to O'reillys, or AutoZone, etc. and buy a can of today's starter fluid and blow your engine up I will buy you a new engine.

Good point, the new stuff has alot less oomph. You can't use it to seat tires to the bead.
NAPA brand is still like the old stuff or it was 10 years ago.
FWIW I had a 1979 John Deere 440 skidder that had a place on the dash to screw in a can of either. That thing either had to be hooked up to a pick up trucks coolant system and warmed up that way or the ether needed to be poured to it to get it to fire.

 

[bwalker]

I can remember when you could buy pure ether. Had to be careful with it.

Today's starter fluid has a dab of ether in it, but you can literally flood a saw with it.

Just looking. Mostly heptane. Some MSDS sheets say as much as 100% heptane, meaning there may be no ether in it at all.


Live in the past if you wish.

A snoot of the old stuff could and would make you keel over.

 

[sean donato]

You're just getting the junk starting fluid if it's not at least 40% diethyl ether. yes, even that will blow a small diesel engine, happens every year with the first cold snap. Won't have any issues with any gas engine. Never did.
You can still get good either, just need to order it off the internet. It's about 3x as expensive as the auto joke parts store. Champion comes to mind immediately 80% ether $65.00 for an 11oz can. Pen ray makes a "high" ether starter fluid, 40% ether $16.00 for 11oz. Most normal starter fluids come in at 20% or lower ether content. Deere claims their premium ether is 100% either, however that's a lie since it still needs a propelant, ie propane, butane, heptane etc.

 

[sean donato]

My old mentor claimed you could stretch the head bolts enough to literally blow the head right off a small industrial engine. The combination of small bore, long stoke and high compression can generate a lot of heat with a cylinder full of ether. We're forced to use it when the temperatures drop in the spring and fall (particularly with older Yanmar's), and a little puff on a shop rag held close to the air inlet is typically safe.

Wouldn't surprise me if that was true. Puts the smaller high comp diesel engines under a lot of stress. Ether auto ignites around 350*f, diesel is at least twice that. It hits way before the engine is actually ready to fire, often before the injection event. One of the reasons you'll see an engine lock up when someone sprays too much down the intake.

 

[SS396driver]

I can remember when you could buy pure ether. Had to be careful with it.

Today's starter fluid has a dab of ether in it, but you can literally flood a saw with it.

Just looking. Mostly heptane. Some MSDS sheets say as much as 100% heptane, meaning there may be no ether in it at all.


Live in the past if you wish.

Not sure what you’re saying ? I said ether I should have said starter fluid . I don’t live in the past . I haven’t had to use starting fluid in a two Stroke so I didn’t comment on it

 

[ZeroJunk]

Well, I'll eat some crow. Apparently there is starter fluid and then there is starter fluid.
One guy ran a four cycle lawn mower engine 30 minutes on nothing but starter fluid, tore the engine down, no damage. But, that was just car parts store stuff.

I think John Deere claims some 80% ether. Think one would have to be more judicious using that.

 

[pioneerguy600]

Good point, the new stuff has alot less oomph. You can't use it to seat tires to the bead.
NAPA brand is still like the old stuff or it was 10 years ago.
FWIW I had a 1979 John Deere 440 skidder that had a place on the dash to screw in a can of either. That thing either had to be hooked up to a pick up trucks coolant system and warmed up that way or the ether needed to be poured to it to get it to fire.

Just used it this past weekend to seat the 4 new rear tires on the tandem dump truck, new can just bought from NAPA last Friday

 

[bwalker]

Just used it this past weekend to seat the 4 new rear tires on the tandem dump truck, new can just bought from NAPA last Friday

Thanks for that info.

 

[ZeroJunk]

I buy the stuff by the case. Use it for cleaning more than trying to start something.

I managed to set a lawn mower tire on fire with it.

 

[HansFranz]

I was surprised to learn that you can DRINK ether without it killing you.

Apparently it was/is quite popular in Ireland and Poland. Supposedly it makes you real drunk real fast, then wears off just as fast -- in something like 15 minutes -- without leaving you with a hangover.

 

[OM617YOTA]

Ether used to be used as a surgical anesthetic when inhaled. Not sure if it's the same stuff.

 

[ZeroJunk]

Ether used to be used as a surgical anesthetic when inhaled. Not sure if it's the same stuff.

I think it is. When I was in Anatomy class we had close to pure ether and we would take a little on a cotton swab and put a frog to sleep before pithing it. Gross, I know.

Anyhow, we threw the cotton swabs in trash can. Back in those days you could still smoke and Becky something or the other threw a cigarette in that trash can. Woooph. Burnt her panty hose and legs a little.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

I was surprised to learn that you can DRINK ether without it killing you.

Apparently it was/is quite popular in Ireland and Poland. Supposedly it makes you real drunk real fast, then wears off just as fast -- in something like 15 minutes -- without leaving you with a hangover.

Ethanol Punch- mixed with Tropical fruit juice.......