Can a Diesel (Kubota tractor) start without any Glow Plugs, Intake Air heating?
 

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.......;)

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.

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.

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.

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.

Thats what they had to do to get the tanks running during the Russian winters...if they had to shut them down that is. The Panther was hand cranked which I'm sure was a royal PITA at -50 degree's with a T34 rolling towards you!:eek: Two poor SOB's had to stand at the back and crank away for all they were worth.

Kubota is likely IDI.

If they have glowplugs, use them when the engine is cold. An intake air heater is not a good substitute, it wastes energy heating all the air when only the air in the prechamber needs to be heated and it will take longer to start.

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.

I am guessing this thing is 20 years old..
 

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..