First start of the day

[20050626|2|003738|000000|68.158.211.165]

I have to give my '83 6.2 a shot of starting fluid first of the morning, is this harmful, is there something else that can be used?

[britannic]

The real problem with starting fluid is that the glow plugs can ignite it and cause a massive blow back through the intake, or it can build up in the manifold and cause the engine to run away uncontrolled.

A more serious issue is hydrostatic lock, which can lift the heads or bend rods etc., because the fluid isn't being atomized. It's likely for these reasons, this is why GM warns against using starting fluid.

Assuming a good lift pump, IP, injectors and air-leak free fuel supply lines, try getting the timing set correctly, ensuring all of the glow plugs work and the controller is doing it's job.

With a properly maintained engine, there should be no reason to use starter fluid. On older diesel designs it was practically mandatory and they were designed with special fluid ports and other features to handle it.

[blazer84]

Originally posted by Capt. Bob:
I have to give my '83 6.2 a shot of starting fluid first of the morning, is this harmful, is there something else that can be used? my new to me '84 6.2 started to be real hard to start in the mornings (and I have new batteries - new fuel filters). For the heck of it, I plugged in the block heater for 2-3 hours before trying it, and it fires right up - Might be worth an experiment for you, even though Florida is not too cold at night either. Might point to a glow plug problem if you get the same result.
-Eric

[TimK]

Bob,

If you checked all of things that Brittanic has listed and you still have hard starting, then I would suggest having your cylinder compression checked. Low compression and a cold engine is a horrible combination for the 6.2. The problem is the engine not building enough temp to burn the fuel. In a cold engine that has sat all night, a lot of the oil that sticks to the cylinder walls has drained off and this oil could be helping to reduce blow by when the engine is warmer. Of course you also have no residual heat in the engine block after it has sat all night.

TimK

[20050626|2|003738|000000|68.158.211.165]

Thanks for the replys, I'm going to try a few things to get it to start better, haven't had it to long just didn't want to do anything to cause any damage. Thanks