Hard Starting Dexta help

[gunner312]

Well, I finally got my account working and can post a question.

I have purchased a 1959 (I think) Dexta SN957E34718 and while I can get it started, It is a struggle.

The previous owner ALWAYS started it with ether and as far as I can tell never did any maintenance on it at all.

I checked it over and bled out the fuel lines.

The pre-heater does get warm (but how warm should it get?). The fuel tap gives it a shot of Diesel as it should.

I bled out all the lines and it has fuel to the injectors.

When I turn it over, it blows dark fumes out the stack and it does crank reasonably fast.

But, no joy it absolutely refuses to start.

Sigh.

Suggestions?

Thanks,

Jim Wright
in the USA

[JC]

Hi Jim,
Welcome to the forum.

Does your Dexta start when you give it a shot of ether?

I would say that it is addicted to ether, which means that due to overuse of ether it has broken compression rings, and doesn't have enough compression to fire the diesel without help from more ether.

[pjjms]

How long are you pre heating for? They do need a good 40 seconds or they just won't go.

[gunner312]

I held the pre-heater button down for at least 50 seconds (slow count). gave it two pumps on the fuel tap and hit the starter. It sounds like it wants to hit but won't.

New rings? Valve job?

I put a new (correct) fuel pump on it. The old one was lacking the primer lever, and when I pulled the old one, I got a gush of Diesel from the injector pump. Should this have happened?

I'm beginning to feel a bit over my head.

Jim Wright

[The Swanndri Guy]

Hi there Jim, welcome to the forum .Have you, or do you know when the valve clearances were last checked? Might pay to check them.TSG.

[russelm]

There should be diesel spillage when you remove the pump as the injector pump will be diesel filled (with excess exiting through the underside overflow pipe) for lubrication from the fuel leaking past the injector pump pistons.

[Brian]

The heater should get red hot not just warm. It needs to get hot enough so that when diesel is sprayed onto it, the diesel burst into flame with an audible "pop". The flame is then drawn into the engine and ignites the fuel being sprayed into the pre-combustion chambers and makes her start. If the fuel primer is working but the heater not, all you are doing is pumping unburnt diesel into the cylinders and this will give you your black smoke.

Ether is very bad for these engines, it causes ring failure, piston failure and bends connecting rods. If she has been started with ether there is a 90% chance one or all these things have happened. I would make sure the heater works, the pump on the tap works, give her 40 seconds then pump the tap pump three times, listen for the "pop", then hit the starter.

DO NOT USE ETHER ONCE THE HEATER IS WORKING!! If you do, you stand a chance of meeting Henry Ford himself in Fordson Heaven.

[Jerry Coles]

Don't use the heater and ether as the ether will ignite in the manifold and the resulting pressure will blowback through the aircleaner and the oil will then erupt out of the top cover - oil everywhere!!
Been there - done that in my very early days as a Dexta owner.
Jerry
Bath
UK