Can a Diesel (tractor) start without any Glow Plugs, Intake Air heating? My friend has a Kubota Diesel tractor that won't start. He says that it doesn't have glowplugs or any intake manifold preheat. I was astonished. He also says his Caterpiller does the same thing, just fires off compression. I know automotive and emergency generator diesels pretty well, but agricultural diesels are a new thing to me. Request info and feedback.

if it's DI and in fine condition, I see no reason why it would need glow plugs... the new DI diesels are amazing. I hear the cars/trucks have an intake heater, but it is for emissions, not starting...
My Kubota tractor was built in 64... it has glow plugs for sure... serial type... and it's STILL hard to start... 12000 hours will do that to a two cylinder motor...

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

No first hand knowledge but have heard that injector performance on the DI engines is very important as they operate at much higher pressures. The injectors are also much, more expensive.

Hmmm.............. one batch of bad/dirty fuel can be a very expensive problem. Filtering must be critical.

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Sam

84 300SD 350K+ miles ( Blue Belle )

I used to have a Yanmar 3 cylinder. According to it's FSM, It started without GP's in the summer. In the winter you had to run the GP's and use the compression release at initial cranking of the engine. It started in the summer months pretty easily. Winter was another story.

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RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

99 W210 E300 Turbo Diesel, chipped, DPF/Converter Delete. Still needs EGR Delete, 232K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K

Gone and still missed...1982 w123 300D, 1991 w124 300D

Not all diesels use glow plugs or air heaters to start. Depends on the design of the engine. Ones I can think of off the top of my head or have had experience with:

1960's GMC V-6
All old Detroit Diesel 2-cycles
Caterpillar 3208 V-8 (along with other series)
John Deere Diesel tractors
And many many more

Many brands do or have not used glow plugs. Most of time engine block water heaters are used for cold weather starting.

Yeah my grandfathers Kubota tractor was like that. A lot of diesels don't have heaters they just start on compression. On the big engines a lot of people add air box heaters.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

My '68 Ford 3000 Diesel tractor does not have glow plugs or any other starting aid. It spins a few times then off it goes. Battery has to have the proper charge.
And in the winter in really cold weather it usually isn't properly motivated to start. Of course, if it's that cold I'm usually not motivated to be on it in the first place.......

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Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

Is he double sure there are no GP's? Most of these tractors have manual GP activation. You have to twist the key backward for like, 20 sec. to activate them, then twist it forward to start. However, if it has always started fine without this procedure, it's probably something else.

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-Evan


Benz Fleet:
1968 UNIMOG 404.114
1998 E300
2008 E63


Non-Benz Fleet:
1992 Aerostar
1993 MR2
2000 F250

My little single cylinder, hand crank "Lister", gen set engine will sit for months and light right off with ease with only compression. It has a compression release tho. The Kubotas I have seen have GPs.

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1985 Euro 240D 5 spd 140K
1979 240D 5 spd, 40K on engine rebuild
1994 Dodge/Cummins, 5 spd, 121K
1964 Allice Chalmers D15 tractor
2014 Kubota L3800 tractor
1964 VW bug

"Lifes too short to drive a boring car"

Our weensie BX1800 Kubota uses GPs but the 2040 Deere doesn't...the Deere is a DI engine and it will roll over and start in sub-20F temps no prob. The Komatsu dozer has GPs but at any temp above 55 it doesn't need em...below that it has to have them and smokes like a fiend until it warms up a bit...30 sec of running or so.

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

On my bx2200 you twist the key clockwise until the glowplug idiot light glows, hold for a few then twist further clockwise and activate the starter.

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Kevin

1978 300D
1979 240D

It sat in a non running state for the last ten years. I got to get a Shop manual or something likewise. In the meantime just venturing, when a 300D doesnt start first thing you check is the Glow Plugs. On a Kubota is their a similar Achilles heel?

I am starting to see Kubota's are a whole nother world, which doesnt dismay me, somethings its fun to learn new stuff. After all in the end, its pistons, a block and fuel igniting in the piston cylinders, no matter what. At least there will be no computers and fuel management sensors like the modern diesel--it will be staright mechanical..

The older Yanmar tractors had an option for cold-weather starting called Thermo-Start. It was an electric heater element in the air intake throat. You turned the key counter-clockwise to engage the thermostart, and the heater element started glowing. Then there was a little cannister of diesel fuel that started dripping down onto the heater element. There were no glow plugs.

This was essentially a small fire in the air intake.

Early models had a cannister with screw top that you had to refill. Later models had the cannister top off by being in the injector fuel return line.

You can do essentially the same thing on that Kubota with a hair blow dryer, or better, a heat gun. You could try a propane torch but need to be careful not to melt anything. A heat gun would be pretty good.

It's just a matter of heating up the intake air to facilitate compression ignition.

Ken300D

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1982 300D at 351K miles
1984 300SD at 217K miles
1987 300D at 370K miles

My dad bought a kabota tractor back in the mid 80's for our family farm. It doesn't have glow plugs and for the size of the tractor has a small engine. a little 3 banger with probably a 2 and ahalf inch bore. These things start on compression and fuel/air only. what are the symptomes of the tractor? The most common problem is alge in the tank because these tractors sit for long periods of time.
-Stephen

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68 250s SOLD
78 300d non turbo SOLD
1980 240d manual SOLD
1981 300SD 360,000 miles I think she's doomed for a parts car but has a good engine SOLD the engine to spamman
1977 300d non turbo SOLD
1985 300SD california car
1978 240D Manual

My great-uncle's JD 2020 and 3020 both have no heating systems. They start on compression alone faster than my Mercedes will start after a 30 second glow cycle.

The 2020 has a fitting for a starting fluid can up on the dashboard where it's convenient, you can give it a quick shot if you need it.

They're both diesels and he's only had to use the ether once or twice. Well, and one winter before I was born they had to put a pail of coals under the oil pan... but other than those few cold days, they just fire right off.

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~Michael S.~
Past cars:

1986 300SDL
1987 300SDL
1982 240D
1982 300SD


Current:

1987 300SDL