Starting questions

[ezbme]

Hello All! Been a while since I have visited...

Well we have finally gotten settled into our cabin & now after 6 months I decided to go out & fire up the bus on this beautiful & toasty day. I tried cranking it for a little bit just on it's own but it didn't try to start. I then used a little starting fluid & as soon as there is a shot of ether in the intake it fires right up, sounds good, but will not continue to run. I heard that you shouldn't spray a lot of ether at one time as it will cause potential damage. Is this true?

I also heard of something called Heet that helps to start diesel engines. I was told you empty the fuel filters & replace it with this Heet, has anyone used this?

The problem I am having may be old fuel along with the lack of air in the system & the throttle is an air throttle. I was thinking maybe filling up the air tank to be able to use the throttle, would this help? The batteries are new & have a strong charge.

I am looking for any help on this or suggestions of what some of you may have done...

Oh if it matters, I have a CAT 3208 Turbo...

Thanks! Jonathan

[elkoskoolie]

I believe the 3208 also has the shut-off solenoid located somewhere in the valley between the cylinder banks. Make sure it isn't bad. I had one go out on a DD 8.2. It would run on ether, not on it's own. The solenoid shuts off the fuel supply to stop the engine. If it had been running O.K., it should be one of these two issues- lost prime or solenoid.