IH574 Cold Start

[RW-IH574]

Starting the IH574 from cold is very difficult. Although i hear this is a common challenge with these tractors, i am wondering what i can do to improve starting. It was slightly easier when the weather was warmer, but now it has dropped below zero degrees C it is very difficult.

The basic problem is that with my brand new fully charges 80Ah battery, it depleats itself fully before it manages to start the tractor thus meaning that it nearly always required a jump or bump start.

Any suggestions welcome. Thanks in advance

 

[tractorsam]

Do you have either (or both) a block heater or the factory
ether kit installed? Do they work?

 

[rustred]

appears like u have a lawn mower battery in it. better get one in the 800-900 cca range, higher the better, 1000 better yet. plus any diesel
will be harder starting when temps drop. they rely on good compression for starting and cranking speed. if its not cranking fast enough
forget it starting. the compression heats the compressed air in cylinders. i dont know if those use glow plugs or starting fluid. also plug
it in if you have a block heater.

 

[JimB2]

Hi, see my post below about the Cold Start position on the STOP/START/RUN lever.
I hope your 574 has a Bosch VA pump like my photo in below post, some of the very early ones had a CVA/DPA injection pump.
Your tractor should have an ether injection system to hold a starting fluid can but I don't really like ether as it can cause engine damage if too much is used.
My brother has five of these IH Doncaster tractors all with German Diesels, the newer ones with the higher compression pistons start very well, the older 684 with D-239 requires 30 minutes of recirculating block
heater when it is below 0*C.
As other poster said 800 - 1000 CCA battery plus recirculation block heater, see attached photo of recirculating block heater on my brother's CIH 495 D-179 German Diesel.

These recirculating block heaters used to be available in different wattages, 500 watts, plugin over night, 800-1000 watts plug in for 30 minutes and go.

 

[crsutton81]

<img
src=https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto142705.jpg>
We have several of these 74 series
tractors. What I have found is the
stop / start/ run decal is usually
not placed in the optimal position
to align for cold starts on the
Start position. What we do with good
success is ensure that the needle
inside the barrel I'm pointing at is
flush to just slightly protruding
out towards the drivers seat. Crack
the throttle open just slightly. If
the engine will spin over good,
(good battery), it will start.

 

[Dieseltech]

The pump in this photo is NOT the Bosch VA pump, it's the mechanical governed Bosch VE pump.

 

[Dieseltech]

If the spring loaded stop is set right you should NOT see the plunger move at all. The cable should be pulled just enough to FEEL the lever contact the plunger and held there for starting. Pulling further to move the spring loaded plunger is the stop position. If pump works right engine will surge with the stop/start/run lever held in the start position. The lever should move fully forward to the lower front screw for full rated power, if lever does not contact the front stop screw power will be lower than normal. I've seen low power complaints on the VA pump because the stop cable needed replaced or had slipped in the bracket.

 

[JimB2]

Hi Dieseltech, in that photo I was illustrating the recirculating tank heater, it was my mistake as the VA pump photo I was referring to was in the other thread that poster had started farther down the page.

 

[caterpillar guy]

We use a group 31 battery at 1000 cca with a heater for winter starting in mid MI Shiawassee county. Will start at -20 with that set up. We used to need it everyday for loader work scraping out alleys and loading feed wagon. If it has an ether start set up on it and no can you found why it is hard starting the dirt sucked in through the small line has honed the cylinders out as well as the rings. This will also lead to your smoking and slobbering down the pipe you talked about in your other post. Get a can of ether and after washing out the line and attaching bracket put the can in there even if you don't use it just to plug the line or remove the line at the manifold and put a plug in the manifold. Not where the line was but where the fitting was. A clean air filter will also help some as the air can flow easily.

 

[sandcastle1]

you do not mention a block heater, my 574 did not have glow plugs. It would not reliably start below 50 degrees F without using a block heater, below 10
degrees F and it wanted an hour or two of heat to start. Once it was hot enough it would start easily down to -20 degrees F. I still needed to use the cold
weather start position, until it had been running for a while. Good luck