Hard Starting Dexta Help 2

[gunner312]

I spent the day checking the Pre-heater and the injector.

The preheater will get hot, but not when I use the button on the lower dash. I jumped frrom the battery to the pre-heater and it got cherry red in 40 seconds.

However the pre-heater injector won't spray. When I take the line off, the pre-heater injector pump will squirt clear across the parking pad. (well, a couple of feet anyway). With the Oriface installed on the line, it barely oozes.
Also, I found that the pre-heater injector threads are stripped out in the air intake manifold. I'll have to take it off and make a bushing for the manifold and then thread the bushing for the injector. I'll also have to replace the injector oriface as it won't squirt onto the pre-heater coil. Now the problem will be to find one. I will also have to find gaskets for the Air Intake.

Dexta parts are kinda like hens teeth her in my small part of the world. (Belfair, Washington. That's Washington State, not the one on the East coast where all the um, politicians are).

I got the Dexta started, I had to resort to a small squirt of ether. Why is it that it will start fine after it starts on ether. I let it run for 20 minutes of so and then shut it off, let it sit for an hour and then it will kick right off?

I checked the blow-by on the engine breather tube that is under the lower right side of the engine. There is a bit of blow-by but nothing radical. I could barely feel it with the engine running.

I also found that the wiring harness has been chopped up and it's no longer wired as it came from the factory. This may have something to do with the Pre-Heater not working properly.

Are new wiring harnesses available?

My list of things to repair is getting longer each day I work on this tractor. (If I stop working on it wil my list get shorter?)

Ideas?, Advise?,

Jim Wright

[Lesfen]

Hi Jim and
welcome to Dextas,

Wiring harnesses come up on eBay and especially eBay.UK.

Orfices have a spring loaded ball in them and maybe soaking it in penetrating oil would help free it up.

Last December (Down for a Seahawks game but couldn't help checking out Dextas too!), there was a Dexta engine sitting on a pallet out back at Scholten's equipment (Burlington location) that had the intake manifold still on.
Also saw an injector pump and related parts at a wreckers near Lynden. (Maybe Meridian Tractor?)

Best of luck,
Les
(I noticed the casting numbers you posted on the registry are part numbers rather than the date codes.)

[Jerry Coles]

Hi Jim
If you remove the small adapter from the manifold there is a spring loaded ball in there which stops fuel from being sucked into the manifold. It's that spring pressure that you have to overcome when pumping the fuel tap.
If you have had water in the fuel then theres a good chance that the spring and/or the ball is rusty which is preventing the fuel getting into the manifold. Lightly push a fine drill in backwards from the outside end of the adapter and see if you cant free it off.

Regarding the wiring, do you want to restore it to original condition or is your Dexta going to be worked?
If you look at the top of the Dexta main page the third entry 'Looking for information......' will take you to a wiring diagram I set up to include lights and an alternator which you may find useful.

Regards
Jerry
Bath
UK

[gunner312]

On and off for the last week, I've been working on my Dexta.

Good news is that my dexta will indeed start without ether.

Bad news is I have found that the ball in the fuel Atomizer is indeed stuck and as to how I will free it up I havn't a clue.

I talked with the local Perkins service rep. and he sent me a new heater element that they put in the present-day manufactured 3-Cylinder Diesels. They also have a Pre-Heat start cycle. Unlike the Dexta 144/152, the new engine has a automated start cyycle and you don't have to hold the button down for 40 seconds.

Also the new engine has the Pre-Heater and the Atomizer combined into one unit.

I pulled the one out of my Dexta and compared it to the new one. The thread pitch and diameter is the same but the heater element has a stainless steel sleeve around it that prevents it from going ito the present manifold cavity.

I have to take the manifold off soon and make a bushing for my present atomizer as the manifold threads are stripped out.

At the same time, I plan on taking a look at the pre-heater recess and see if I can modify it to take the new one.

My question on this is: Will this offend the purists and Dexta afficianados and what in general do people think about making this modification?

The perkins Service Representative tells me that this will/should/might/maybe cure the hard-starting problem on my Dexta. I will still have to hold down the pre-heater button, but the new system is much more efficient and compact.

Thoughts?

Jim Wright

[Brian]

I would go for it, if the old one is not available, anything to avoid using ether. Get that system working and she will be so easy to start.

Just remember to keep your PERKINS man in his place though, you have a FORDSON engine not a PERKINS.

[gunner312]

Another day working on the Dexta.

Today I found a Youtube short flick that showed a Dexta being started.

I believe something is wrong with my starter or at least something is missing from it.
On Youtube, the gentleman reached down and pushed the starter lever down, the starter engaged and the tractor started.

With mine, I have to push down the starter lever and then push a separate button on the dash to make it turn over.

This can't be right.

I've taken a picture of the starter and I believer that there is supposed to be a button? or something that the lever engages that puts juice to the starter and makes the tractor turn over. At least there is a fitting on the starter that appears to need somthing moounted on it.

I'd attach the picture but I don't know how.

I guess that I'm looking for whatever it is that is missing from mine.

Help? (With the starter problem and how to attach photos).

Jim Wright

[Brian]

There should be a switch on the starter that switches the solenoid to deliver the main power to the motor once you have manually engaged it with the lever. The proper switch is hard to find so someone has done a "modification".

Some people fit the later type starter and a new key switch with a "start" position.

[gunner312]

OK,

I need to know;

What starter can I put on this old girl to make it work?

I'm more than willing to make a modificatioin to it so I can put it to work.

The present starting system is a bit clumsey (to say the least) so, what starter should I be looking for to make the change to a better deal?

I can install a key starter switch like a car has in it but what starter do I use? This Will also make it harder to steal, not impossible just harder.

Jim Wright

[Erik B]

I also had a stuck ball in the injector nozzle. Spent some time wondering how to fix it, and ended up useing the greasegun. Somewhere (dont remember where) on one of my guns the threads fitted so i could screw the nozzle backwards in, and a sec or two later the ball, spring and the ring holding it in place were out in the free. A little polishing and then back in. Works as new....

[gunner312]

Yesterday, I modified my Dexta to take the Perkins All-in-one Preheater to replace the Dexta Preheater and separate Atomizer.

The Perkins has the atomizer and preheater all in one part.

The Preheater gets hot FAST, wow!! I still need to replace the preheater switch but I have that and am just waiting for the rubber switch boot to arrive before I put it in.

The Perkins part is threaded 7/8-14 so the Dexta intake manifold has to be re-tapped to take it. The Original is tapped (I think) 3/8-14 British Standard Pipe Thread and is .045 smaller than the Perkins, so it's not as I thought a direct plug-in. It's an easy job though, just drill out to 13/16ths and re-tap for 7/8-14 and put a Pipe tapped plug in the Atomizer port. I pulled the air intake manifold off and 15 minutes later i had the job done and was re-installing the manifold with a new gasket.

The perkins is designed so that it won't inject till it gets hot so as soon as the pre-heater cooks, hit the fuel pump and then the starter.

I got mine screwed onto the fuel line to test it out and jumped the pre-heater direct to the battery and it came up red hot in about 10 seconds, I hit the fuel pump and it spit flame like a dragon.

I installed it and tried it out. As soon as I hit the starter after the pre-heat and fuel, it kicked off. Couldn't believe it. I'm impressed. This Dexta has been started on ether for the last 10 plus years and it started llike a new tractor.

Next thing is to up-date the starter motor. I understand that the Ford 2000 starter will fit and since it pulls more amps it cranks faster and starts easier. Does require a heavier battery and cables though as well as wiring for a key starter switch.

Extremely pleased,

Jim Wright