cold weather starting question

[mike90045]

Just had the water lines freeze for the night, hopefully, they will thaw about noon tomorrow, line is 1.5" poly, 70' clear span over a creek. 12F right now.
 So I got some 5-20 gas engine oil today, and a bottle of Lucas engine break-in additive, full of zinc and phosphorus. I'll mix it maybe 50/50 with the delo 15-40 and hope it ends up thin enough to crank.  Apparently the starter sat in salt water on the maine lobster boat, and it's bearings seem shot as bad as the OEM ones in the ST head.  No easy starting for me.  I'll change the oil out this weekend. Hopefully modern gas engine oil is as good as 1930's diesel oil.   But if I don't run Wilhiems 90wt, will I still get the 200,000 hour warranty?

Saturday looks to be the cold day, H: 37, L 19F, not much going to thaw then.  Bbbrrrrrrrr

[Thob]

Another trick for starting a cold engine is to drain the oil into a metal container and heat in on the stove, then pour the warm oil back into the engine.  As with any of the starting methods here, please be careful - you're dealing with fire and flammable materials - don't burn the house down trying to start the generator.  Plus, if there's any chance of water in the oil, the water can flash to steam and splatter the oil. (I know that from trying to dry oil!).
 

[Tom]

Just for grins I just went and started my 'roid. It was 24f last night 31f now, oil is delo 400 15-40 and running B100. It started on the 5th compression stroke. Actually the start was not for grins, there's no antifreeze in the cooling system and it would be a bummer if it froze.

[buickanddeere]

Another trick for starting a cold engine is to drain the oil into a metal container and heat in on the stove, then pour the warm oil back into the engine.  As with any of the starting methods here, please be careful - you're dealing with fire and flammable materials - don't burn the house down trying to start the generator.  Plus, if there's any chance of water in the oil, the water can flash to steam and splatter the oil. (I know that from trying to dry oil!).
 

Considering the thermal storage capacity of a few quarts of oil vs all that cold cast iron in a Lister............ Sure it's going to warm  up the engine
 some but.........

[Jordan]

I saw a manual for a Russian vehicle, where they recommended diluting the oil with kerosene for freezing conditions.
I don't remember though, whether it was for the petrol engine, or for the transmission.

Jordan

[mike90045]

Lot easier just to put on an electric starter than you never have to worry about the cold. 

1) what's the fun in that (my starter is seized)

2) doesn't address the issue of getting lube into bearings when the oil is like jello.

I'd tried starting the robin/subaru/hatz yesterday afternoon when it was warmer (29f) and it cranked and cranked and sputtered till the battery was flat.  Put a 2nd battery on and sputtered a bit more, then started to run.  But the smoke it was putting out till it warmed up was vile.  I guess it's going to need one of those intake heaters.  Now to peel all the layers of trim off to see if I can find the intake manifold. Silly new designs that hide the mechanical stuff behind pretty layers of sheet metal.

[buickanddeere]

Lot easier just to put on an electric starter than you never have to worry about the cold. 

1) what's the fun in that (my starter is seized)

2) doesn't address the issue of getting lube into bearings when the oil is like jello.

I'd tried starting the robin/subaru/hatz yesterday afternoon when it was warmer (29f) and it cranked and cranked and sputtered till the battery was flat.  Put a 2nd battery on and sputtered a bit more, then started to run.  But the smoke it was putting out till it warmed up was vile.  I guess it's going to need one of those intake heaters.  Now to peel all the layers of trim off to see if I can find the intake manifold. Silly new designs that hide the mechanical stuff behind pretty layers of sheet metal.

      The smoke would have been much less if the engine had started on the 2nd turn . The cylinder walls, piston and head would not have been wet with raw liquid fuel.
      If pre-heating is not an option. How about a 24V start/12V run electrical system ?
       Lube oil like jello is not a concern if a real synthetic oil is used. Something form Mobile 1, Amsoil or Lubrication Engineers. The rest of the so called synthetics are just highly refined mineral oil.     

[mike90045]

...
       Lube oil like jello is not a concern if a real synthetic oil is used. Something form Mobile 1, Amsoil or Lubrication Engineers. ..

Sadly, both engines are "new" and still being broken in.  As soon as I can, I plan to switch to the synthetics, which I have on hand. Just waiting till break-in is done.

[buickanddeere]

http://www.phillipsandtemro.com/userfiles/file/2013_ZEROSTART_CATALOG.pdf

Page 67 or 70 depending on how you look at it. A list of nifty immersion heaters for oil and coolant. Page 76 for tank heaters.

[mike90045]

http://www.phillipsandtemro.com/userfiles/file/2013_ZEROSTART_CATALOG.pdf

Page 67 or 70 depending on how you look at it. A list of nifty immersion heaters for oil and coolant. Page 76 for tank heaters.

After repairs, I'll try a can of sterno.  I'm off grid and don't have power budget to run electric heaters.  Which is why my water line is still frozen after 48 hours.   It's poly pipe, and we have record cold snap.  -6F the other AM.  got up to 37F today, melted the snow off the solar panels, and the batteries charged up.

[bschwartz]

I was able to hand start the Witte yesterday at around 35 degrees.  My shoulder hurts, but with a propane torch shoved up it's intake, it caught by the 4th compression.