D 239 troubleshooting help

Anonymous-0 · Feb 23, 2009

Hi I have a 250A with the D239 and the problem is over the last several years it has become very hard to start in the cold. 3 years ago it would start with 1 hour of the circulating heater plugged in, 2 years ago 1-2 hours last year 2+ hours and this year 3-6 hours plugged in. I replaced the fuel filter and installed a new circulating heater 1500 watt and no help. I have the largest 12v battery TSC sells and 00 battery cables and it just seems like it wont start in thecold any more. This year I have even had to use either twice. Both time I used it the engine almost stopped turning over??? Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated Thanks Jason

Anonymous-0 · Feb 23, 2009

the next place to look is the starter.if the motor isn"t turning over fast enough it it will be hard to start. i would take the starter to a shop and have it gone over.if you need to run the tractor try to use just enough either to start it.if starter is already slow too much either will slow it more and stop it like you said.

wolfman · Feb 23, 2009

These 239's are tough to start in winter unless the advance on the pump is working. Do you turn engine over about once and then pull out the advance or do you set it before cranking? I'm sure one of mine works better to set the advance first & the other tractor starts faster if turn it over a second or two then pull it on.

JimB2 · Feb 23, 2009

Hi Jason, could you describe the starting problems in more detail? How cold is cold? -5F, -10F,-30F? Does the starter crank the engine fast enough for it to fire? Do you get puffs of white smoke out the exhaust? How many hours are on the engine? Are you burning Winter Diesel fuel? Do you know about the START position on the injection pump? Has anyone ever had the injection pump removed & re-installed?

JimB

Bob M · Feb 23, 2009

Jason - A couple questions:

1 - Does the starter still spin the engine as fast as when the tractor started easily? If not find and correct the cause. Look for a failing starter, bad cable connection, a weak or undersized battery, etc. (Just because a battery's the biggest TSC sells doesn't mean it's big enough to start your tractor!).

2 - Are you getting lots of white out the exhaust while cranking? If not it's an injection system problem. However if you see lots of dense white exhaust the problem is low compression. Time for a ring and/or valve job.

Anonymous-0 · Feb 23, 2009

Thanks for all the replies. It turns over OK for a few attempts then it gets pretty slow. The battery is about 3 years old but may be getting a little weak from being charged a bunch of times, with the cab on it I cannot acess the battery compartment and check water/acid level. I believe the battery is 900 or so cca. When it doesnt want to start I dont see any smoke from the exhaust? Temps I am refering to are about 15 to 0 degrees it has the real problem starting. The part that bugs me is that it used to start so much easier and it starts quick in summer. Another observation is that it seems to smoke white/blueish smoke sometimes and other times no smoke. I have a very long driveway and this is my only way out after a big snow storm so I am trying to see if I can do anything before I have to spend a fortune to have it rebuilt Thanks Jason

Hugh MacKay · Feb 23, 2009

Jason: Bob eluded to battery size, and he's right. A D-239 would have been a dual battery system when new. I doubt if TSC is selling a single battery that has the same cranking amps as the original two battery system.

Anonymous-0 · Feb 23, 2009

Thanks Hugh, Bob it definitely doesnt turn over very fast as opposed to summer time. I have a manual for the tractor but it doesnt have a battery size listed. Do you have any ideas on the possible right setup? When I bought it years ago it actually had an interstate 450 cca car battery in it so I went out and bought the biggest 12v battery I could find. Thanks again it may not be the total problem but I bet it would help alot if it turned over faster Jason

JimB2 · Feb 23, 2009

Jason, a three year old battery in a Diesel engine is near end of life especially if there has been many cold weather starts. You do know about the START position on the injection pump?
If you are getting engine lockup when using ether you are using to much ether. We were warned by an IH Mechanic DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CRANK ENGINE when it is lockedup from ether, let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes. You could break the top piston ring. See following site, they are selling a product but do list the principles of cold starting a Diesel engine: https://www.koldban.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=26

As others have said, good battery, good starter are a must.

JimB

Hugh MacKay · Feb 23, 2009

Jason I notice also someone suggested battery cables. You suggested this has become progressively worse over several years.

In 1986 I had a 6 cylinder turbo Deere, batteries were 5 years old. Cables looked decent but had a few breaks in the casing. It was just before Christmas and the Deere was a bit slugish on starting right around freezing mark or colder. These cables were 11 years old. I went to Deere ordered complete new cables to factory specs. This was a forestry skidder being operated miles from electricity. When real winter hit and temps started dipping to -30F every night. The Deere started just fine with a sip of ether. By the way, I got two more winters out of those batteries.

By the way if you want a good ether system, look at pre 1980 Deere. Their system very superior to others. You carry the can in your pocket and keep it warm. On the daily trip to bush, we kept ether over pickup defroster. Warm ether is far more effective than cold.

Hugh MacKay · Feb 23, 2009

Jim: Beg to differ, but I always got 6-7 years on batteries and all mine were 6 cylinder diesels. Now I will admit my 656 560 and 1066 didn't get started much in winter, but that old Deere fired up 5 days per week all winter.

Bob M · Feb 23, 2009

Jason - You're on the right track....diesel's have gotta spin FAST in order to start!

I'm not familiar with your tractor/engine so I don't know what the correct battery CCA is. However you should OK by providing at least 4 CCA for each cubic inch of engine displacement. More CCA is even better...

Anonymous-0 · Feb 23, 2009

Thanks for the info on the either I have never used it before and apparently used too much. I always use the start setting for the injection pump and I am pretty sure its working OK because if you turn it on after the engine is warm it will smoke alot and run rough. Tomorrow I would like to change the battery any suggestions (2) 6 volt batteries in series? Thanks Jason

D 239 troubleshooting help

Anonymous-0

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wolfman

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JimB2

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Bob M

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Anonymous-0

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Hugh MacKay

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Anonymous-0

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