New Beta Marine won't start. Sat for 2 years.

[sailor_ed]

The last couple of years my Beta50 has been very hard to start after winter storage. Crank, crank, crank, nothing. I bleed up to the injection pump then crack all the injectors and turn the engine over. I have to do this several times, seemingly getting good fuel at the nuts and stopping frequently to let the starter cool. After a bit I tighten a nut or two and hope for a cough. If I get it I tighten them all and it comes to life. It always seems too take way longer than it should. I never have starting problems again til the next spring.

The first time I encountered this I was convinced there was a serious issue but persistence paid off. The engine has 1300 hours on it.

Good luck!

[a64pilot]

Have you checked to make that however the fuel is turned off on this motor, is not turned off?
I have at least once attempted to start a Diesel with the fuel tuned off.
Luckily before I tore it apart, I figured out what was wrong. In my defense, I hadn’t been on that tractor in a long time.

[Perna]

Originally Posted by svJasmine

NO ETHER! Unless you want to break the pistons.

Not true.

I worked for a well known piston supplier and we measured starting in-cylinder pressures to verify this very point. It turned out the cylinder pressures starting with ether were way less than anything a diesel normally has under load.


Ether is just fine, and may be the quickest way to start the OP's engine.

[Hoohaa]

Thanks for all the great ideas. I tried to register the owner on CF today but had some problems with his phone. But I should be able to sort it out tomorrow so that he can read all of the posts.
I can tell you that it is getting fuel.
Ether. I assume thats a nice name for a can of "Start You Bastard". (Yes its real brand here in OZ). Yeah we have tried it.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Hoohaa

...... .
Ether. I assume thats a nice name for a can of "Start You Bastard". (Yes its real brand here in OZ). Yeah we have tried it.

OK, this is getting serious. If ether doesn't work, you have to assume a very low compression or a very very slow starter. If it is spinning over nicely and a squirt of ether isn't working, you must start looking at compression issues.

[deblen]

Originally Posted by Perna

Not true.

I worked for a well known piston supplier and we measured starting in-cylinder pressures to verify this very point. It turned out the cylinder pressures starting with ether were way less than anything a diesel normally has under load.


Ether is just fine, and may be the quickest way to start the OP's engine.

Perhaps the safest way to apply ether is to get the engine rolling on starter & then spray ether.
Luv that NZ brand name!! Len

[Pete7]

That would require arms like an octopus on my boat. Just a small squirt of ether is all that is needed even on a really cold engine. If it takes a couple of seconds to then get to the starter panel it won't matter. After all we are taking about small 1 to 2 litre engines, not tractors or buses.

However, if it won't start on ether, then as wotname suggests that is serious. Pull the exhaust hose off the exhaust manifold and put your hand over to see if the engine is actually breathing out.

[james247]

Originally Posted by Hoohaa

Thanks for all the great ideas. I tried to register the owner on CF today but had some problems with his phone. But I should be able to sort it out tomorrow so that he can read all of the posts.
I can tell you that it is getting fuel.
Ether. I assume thats a nice name for a can of "Start You Bastard". (Yes its real brand here in OZ). Yeah we have tried it.

A life time ago the old seagull outboard never started unless you said "wouldn't be funny if she went". This might help.
Fresh fuel flushed all the way through the system and out through the injector lines is the first issue. Lots of cranking and lift pump. The fuel in the pump is likely gummy
Then if you have compression she should start. Unless the injector nipples have rusted from condensate in the cylinders. But the high pressures of the diesel should clear it.
The water in the sump oil could likely come from condensation
Esther is not necessary in a diesel the explosion is from compression not spark.
When ever I buy a boat cheep I have a diesel mechanic remove hue pump and injectors and have them serviced. Change the fuel and oil and filters. Turn the engine over with out the injectors for a bit. Check the compression. Reinstall injectors and pump and always works. Change the oil after 10 hours.

[rveldman1]

Originally Posted by svJasmine

NO ETHER! Unless you want to break the pistons.

Jasmine is right! NEVER NEVER USE EITHER!!!
If your engine needs a bump, use WD-40. It has lubricant in it and it is just as good as either. Just warm the can

[jamhass]

Possibility of a fuel shutoff valve hidden away? Had a similar problem once that turned out to be the emergency shutoff was off.

[GrowleyMonster]

Stuck valve. OP seems to have seen to the fuel, which would be my firstest guess. Got fuel, got air, only need compression (and timing LOL) to run it. It's a diesel. High compression. A gas engine might limp into action with very low compression but a diesel needs good compression to start.



Does this engine use glow plugs?



I would also change oil and filter, and clean the sump. See if any more water or cloudiness appears in it after several start attempts.


Check throttle suction, if possible/practical. If it doesn't feel like it will suck the skin right off your hand, something is wrong. (valves!)



Don't burn out the starter. Give it a nice rest between start attempts. I know it is frustrating, but leaning on the starter button like a drunk on a lamp post is not the answer. Don't ask me how I know.



What does the exhaust smoke look like? Light gray? Pure white? Black and oily?



Mech should do a compression check, I think.



I have used ether (starting fluid) on all manner of internal combustion engines from tiny 2 stroke gas outboards to D353 Cats in shrimp boats, my entire life. It may be kinda hard on a gas engine but reasonable and sensible use is not going to hurt a diesel at all. Two man job, though. Hit starter, then spray. If you can get it to kick a little, it might shake any stuck valves loose. I had that issue with an Atomic once.

[dakno]

Cloudy oil is a big clue. Condensation has accumulated in the oil. Certainly a call to Beta is in order, could even be in warranty .

[Mike Banks]

It sounds as though your glow plugs may be dodgy if all else seems OK.

If you want to try the engine without glow plugs to help, I used a lighter for a Tilley lamp, which is an asbestos or glass fibre wick in a clamp, which is soaked in methylated spirits.

Light this (or a bit of cloth soaked in meths tied securely on the end of a wire) and wave it in front of the air intake as you press the starter. If the engine runs, the problem is your glow plugs.

Rough--but works.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by Mike Banks

It sounds as though your glow plugs may be dodgy if all else seems OK.

If you want to try the engine without glow plugs to help, I used a lighter for a Tilley lamp, which is an asbestos or glass fibre wick in a clamp, which is soaked in methylated spirits.

Light this (or a bit of cloth soaked in meths tied securely on the end of a wire) and wave it in front of the air intake as you press the starter. If the engine runs, the problem is your glow plugs.

Rough--but works.

What a great idea! I bet you could do the same thing with a heat gun.

[CarlF]

I still think fuel. Bleed two or three more times. Be sure you've bled enough that the old fuel is totally out of the system.

Have you been cranking with the seacock open so long that water may have backed up into the cylinders from the muffler?