Re: [VintageLambo] Re: Cold weather starting...

Bill - I think the use of ether is ok if the amount is metered. But trying to hit 6 carbs quickly with air cleaners off, before the ether evaps is hard to do, and a blast directly in the mouth of the air cleaner is going to give the forward cylinders a big dose and the rear cylinders very little?!. Being in sunny South Tx does not pose a problem for starting gas engines, but the diesels can be stubborn at times.I own a 64 W300 with Perkins and a factory firewall mounted ether bottle w/ a line to the air intake. This setup is provides a metered amount of ether. I never have to use it, the bottle is empty, but I do plug in the 110V coolant heater on frosty days. However, I had a Ford with a Perkins retrofitted, and the owner had a hole cut in the rad support, so he could spray ether directly into the Cyclopak (filter) intake.That truck was reliant on the ether to start, hot or cold outside.It would re-start on its own once driven and warmed up. I found that a diesel thats gets accustomed to ether, will require it more. Aaron (0586) ----- Original Message ----- From: wspohn4@aol.com To: VintageLambo@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, December 20, 2002 8:30 AM Subject: [VintageLambo] Re: Cold weather starting... In a message dated 12/20/02 6:24:32 AM Pacific Standard Time, aaron@telespecialists.com writes: Try to install a coolant warmer/block heater, before getting silly with the ether, esp. having such an expensive engine. How effective would this be with an alloy block I wonder? It"s not really cold here - around 40 deg. It"s just that the gas takes a bit more of a shot to get it started (starting seems to gradually decrease in efficiency below about 60 deg., which I take to be the average temperature in Rome....) The warming blankets are for getting oil warm enough to crank over in really cold areas - mine cranks just fine. If you give it too much of a shot, you wet the plugs, and have the problems I am dealing with. Sometimes plugs dry out on their own, sometimes once wet they"ll still be wet if you take them out months later. I just have to get around to pulling at least half of them and drying them out, I guess. Meanwhile I will leave it a couple of days, charge the battery, and go out there to give it a try - hope springs eternal. Maybe if I try it on Christmas day..... Bill