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Given the friendly nature of this forum asking for posts that ONLY deal with factual experiences is probably not going to work. Feel free to filter out what you don't like and use the rest. It occurs to me, though, that the discussions that result from some of the questions asked on the forum sometimes start some good thought processes.
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I wholeheartedly agree with the Wes Bender’s sentiments but when statements are presented as fact rather than hearsay and are fundamentally flawed I do believe that they should be politely challenged rather than overlooked in the interest of tranquillity. Therefore please accept my humble apologies in advance if I tread on anyone’s toes!
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Ether explodes in the cylinders, diesel fuel burns.
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Ether contains enough energy to blow the prechamber apart in the engine.
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If it hits the 800*f+ glow plug the ether will explode (Not burn like diesel) faster than the PC can safely let the pressure out.
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Starting fluid on a glow plug equiped high compression diesel can break rings, ring lands, burn the prechamber tips, and melt the piston crown. Occasionally it will completely fail the piston by blowing a hole in it.
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In the same vein we could say: “Gunpowder can blow off your roof. Therefore you must NEVER strike a match in your house”.
Firstly ether burns with a soft yellow (cool) flame and obeys the same physical laws as gasoline, diesel, ethanol, kerosene, LPG etc. No need to take my word for it, you can safely try it yourself with a teaspoonful, but do it outside! Ether has a flashpoint at - 45ºC and a heavier-than-air vapor that can sneak onto the floor. I can promise you it will not “explode” in your face!
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I find it hard to comprehend how a small quantity of ether is going to destroy something as robust as an MB Diesel engine. Jim
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Quite so, Jim, and so do I. The volume of ether in a five-second aerosol burst, mixed as it is with propellant, is nowhere near sufficient to even turn a 3litre engine over at idle speed. Without the addition of diesel fuel you will get nothing more than a knock and a splutter. Ether with its cetane rating of 85-96 serves only to precipitate the ignition of the diesel fuel mixture in the PC by effectively raising its cetane rating. The ether vapor that remains in the cyl. will detonate early causing a very loud knock but that is quite harmless. To even suggest that it will blow the PC apart, melt or blow holes in pistons or break rings is just pure hogwash. These are maintenance and operating abuse issues that manifest after hundreds of hours, not a few seconds spray with ether. A well maintained engine regardless of mileage should never need to use a spray in US latitudes if you use a block heater. This is, in any case, a method of last resort and if you are ever stranded on an interstate in a snow blizzard it could save your life.
BUT- you must use the correct procedure for a diesel engine:
1)Disable glowplugs.
2)Just a touch of throttle and engine
must be turning over
before you begin to spray.
Model airplane diesel engines run on a mixture equal parts by volume of ether, kerosene and castor oil. My son had a 5cc diesel engine - more or less the volume of a PC. A 3mm wall steel sleeve pressed into an aluminum crankcase. I caught him once mixing the fuel 50% ether, he thought it would give more power and I guess it did! My grandson now uses that same engine in a boat and I’m still waiting for it to explode.
To answer Tirebiters other question:
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Have YOU ever seen a Bosch MFI pump damaged by washing them down with water when they are hot/warm?
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No I haven’t, and cannot imagine what sort of damage you might be alluding to. I have had the Bosch, CAV and Simms agencies for over 30 years and can honestly say we have never had a pump in for service damaged in such a way. Water inside the pump, yes, and frequently! Fuel is constantly circulating from the tank through the pump relief valve back to the tank and this keeps the pump temperature between 50 and 60ºC under normal conditions. The metering elements are surrounded by fuel and are thus well insulated. Even ice cold water will have no detrimental effect whatever. But why use cold water? A dirty engine is best steam cleaned and when it is HOT!
That then is my two cents worth and I shall now slip quietly back into the ether.