Ford 1710 starting problem

[Francis Kingz]

Hi,

I own a Ford 1710. Had it for a few years now. Has an aftermarket loader and backhoe, 4wd. Excellent little machine in general. Not pretty but does a great job and pretty much unbreakable.

I could use some help.

Problem is starting in below freezing temperatures. It has always been slow to start when below 30 degrees but this year it won't start at all. Engine slowly cranks but no start. Once the temps get back in the 30's it will start pretty easily but not real easy.

I always use the preheat even in warmer weather. I can see it glowing through the viewing hole in the dash. I have experimented with it and it seems to be working because there is a difference in how it cranks if I do or do not preheat first.

It has a plug for a block heater which I have plugged in. Don't know if it is working or not. Battery new this summer and I have it on trickle charger.

Any suggestions or advice appreciated. I am a novice when it comes to working on cars and tractors but good with my hands otherwise.

Thank you for you help.

 

[Transit]

Are all the battery cables in good condition, connections clean at both ends? take a good look at the terminal connections where the cable enters the terminal. What oil are you using? Is the block heater really working, look at your house power meter with the heater on and off? The power meter should spin faster with the heater on.

 

[JC-jetro]

I guess it might be your glow plug. Having the glow plug indicator glow red is not an indication of glow plug operation. The indicator turning red is just a timer to let you you have kept in preheat position long enough. I start by measuring voltage between glow plug wire and the block while the switch is in pre-heat position. You want to verify if you have enough juice there. I would then take a glow plug out and see if it actually gets hot. Do use a non contact (infra red) Thermometer to see if it heats up. I have taken my glow plug out but I have not measured to what temp mine gets and whether it actually glows red or not, But at least you can verify if it gets hot.

you might have issue with your diesel fuel as well, do you have any Anti-gelling to your fuel? I might try and use a heat gun and lightly heat the fuel line to the injector lines to see if that make any difference.

JC,

 

[Francis Kingz]

Thanks for the quick reply.

Oil? The tractor is supposed to have oil in it? Sorry just kidding.

10w-30, changed in the summer. Very light usage in meantime.

Battery connections seem to be good. Have tried taking them off and cleaning them. Didn't seem to change anything. Battery charger reads 13.2 volts.

I will check the block heater later this evening when I have someone else around to help. Excellent suggestion. Never would have thought of that.

Thanks again.

 

[Francis Kingz]

Reply to JC.

Glow plug replaced this summer by neighbor who rebuilds tractors for the fun of it. Trust his work. He has about 10 tractors. He could figure this out I am sure but he is in his 70's and if I call him he'll stand outside working on it for hours and won't give up till he figures it out.

I will try to confirm the plug is working though.

No to the anti-gelling. Never heard of it to be honest. Will go to Tractor Supply and get some.

Thanks for your help.

 

[jimmysisson]

Plug the block heater in and you might hear it start to sizzle. Wait 2-3 minutes and the area around the heater will start to warm up. If not, you need a new one.
Jim

 

[PILOON]

Also you can feel heat from the block heater, gets warm to the touch after few mins.
Same goes for glow plugs, you can feel the warmth as well.

The positive check for the plugs is to disconnect the leads from each and take a resistance reading from tip to enging ground. No need to remouve them.
That should read low ohms (like 5-15 ohms) on each. (use lowest scale on ohm meter)
O ohms = burnt glow plug!
Other check is voltage getting to the plugs, should read 12, or less with plugs powered as they draw lots of amps.

Very often it is merely a matter of corrosive conections on the plug contacts, remouving and re connecting the leads often cures that.
Higher amperage connections (note the size of the wire) need super good and clean contacts

 

[dqdave1]

I switched to 5w 30 synthetic oil; world of difference when cold in starting. Make sure your battery cables are good. Connections can be clean but corrosion in cable itself is not unheard of. Make sure ground connection at frame is clean. Can check for resistance in cables to see if you have a corrosion issue or just replace cables with new.

 

[fltem06]

Next time you buy a battery try purchasing a group 65. It fits tight, but 1000 cca will spin that 1710 over like it's summer time. They use 2 of these in the Ford diesel trucks. Though it doesn't get much below 20 degrees here in Florida, it still is cold & damp.

 

[Francis Kingz]

Thanks very much for all the help.

Finally got around to working on it. Changed oil, put anti gelling stuff in, cleaned battery cables, gave it a good charge. Block heater must have had bad connection. I played with it a little and it started working. Really makes a difference. Turns over and starts in a couple of seconds.

I am going to buy a bigger battery as suggested though. Size it came with when I bought it does seem to be marginal in cold weather.

Should I leave the block heater plugged in all the time in below freezing weather or will that cause problems? If I do leave it unplugged how long does it generally take to warm it up? And does it use a lot of electricity?

One last amusing thing. After getting it started and running just fine I decided to recheck all the electrical connections I could easily reach. Disconnected them, cleaned them if they were rusty, sprayed in some WD40 and reconnected them. Now tractor won't turn over. Preheat works fine but when I turn the key, nothing.

Should have mentioned at the beginning I am cursed when it comes to electricity.