JD 4100 compact utility

[backwoodsfarm]

I was wondering if any of you folks have any experience with the yanmar engine in the 4100 style compact tractors? I have one at work with 1100 hours on it and it's having a big problem with starting. Battery is good, filters are all good, dealer just installed a new fuel filter housing because of a crack and leak. Thought this was the problem but still starts hard first start of the day. While the engine is cranking, it puffs white smoke and when it finally starts, it blows white smoke for a few minutes and then it clears up. Tractor will run great and start great for the rest of the day with no smoke. This tractor has had service done by dealer at every interval, so I have a hard time believing it's compression. I haven't noticed any blow by, however, it was a quart low on oil this time, which is odd. Any thoughts or suggestions before it goes back to the dealer? Thanks.

 

[Mike M]

The glow plugs and/or their relay may not be working right.

 

[John Heine]

Check glow plugs and switch and relays

 

[buickanddeere]

Did the starting problem appear with cold weather?
Where is the tractor located?
I think??? those are an open chamber diesel without glowplugs. If so the tractor sounds perfectly normal for a diesel engine in too cold of weather.
It's normal to use block heaterss with diesel engines in cold weather.
Look around the engine, there is likely a block heater on there somewhere.
Pickups use glow plug diesels because everbody expects to just jump in and drive away as if it was a gasser.
Any engine will start better, wear less and burn less fuel. If pre-warmed before starting.

 

[F-I-T]

No, Glenn, this one has glow plugs. One at every cylinder.

The white smoke concerns me as that can sometimes indicate water in a diesel, like leaking coolant. I have two of these Yanmars, but neither uses glow plugs. That said, I have run a half-million miles with three diesel cars that all had glow systems, and there are some easy things to check before you toss it to the dealer.

Like the fellas said, check the glow plug circuit relays/voltage/etc. Sometimes the relay coils have fuse protection, so it could be that simple.

Try on a cool/cold morning when you know it should normally start hard, and lift the hood and clip a 12 volt test lamp onto the glow plug bus and to ground. Since the glow plugs are wired in parallel from a common bus, just clip to the top of any of the three glow plugs. Turn on the key to the start position and look for your lamp to turn on. If not, start tracing back, and read your owners manual to make sure how long it should take to pre-heat. Maybe the 4100 is one of those hinky ones that you have to turn the switch to the left, wait for the pre-heat light to go out, then turn it to the right to crank and start. All models seem to be different. VW Rabbit diesels would really start hard when the glow system stopped working, and they could get slowly worse as they dropped one and then two plugs. It could be compression, but at 1,100 hours, only if someone pulled a hole in the air filter and dusted the cylinders raw. My 855 with a Yanmar has 2500 hours on it now, uses not a quart of oil from annual change to annual change, and starts right up. It is direct injection, so no glow plugs, but it does have one of those little air preheaters on the intake manifold that kicks in at around 35*, though I can't say whether it helps or not becuase the little critter fires up fine even with frost on the hood.

 

[buickanddeere]

Sorry.
It's the next generation of the 4000 ten series and the current 4000 twenties. That use the investment cast block, no glow plugs, open combustion chambers and intake manifold heater.

4100 glow plug components. And a block hetaer which should be installed.

1 19M8708 SCREW 2 M8 X 18, (SUB FOR 19M6887)
2 M800125 ADAPTER FITTING 1
3 M805828 GASKET 1
4 AM882530 ADAPTER KIT 1 BLOCK HEATER ADAPTER, (SUB FOR AM101390)
5 AR87184 COOLANT HEATER 1
6 AR87168 POWER CORD 1
7 AR87167 KIT 1 BLOCK HEATER

RG60042 RELAY 1
2 RELAY 1 GLOW PLUG
3 BRACKET 1
4 R114044 BOLT 6
5 M809173 RELAY
1 GLOW PLUG CONTROLLER, (SUB FOR M808088)
28 AT110814 PLUG 3
29 M802705 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSY 1 GLOW PLUG

 

[Machinery-Man]

Per JD Parts online your tractor does have glow plugs. Keep in mind that you some of these models you have to turn the key counterclockwise to activate the plugs then go back to the start model rapidly. I suggest you thoroughly review your operator's manual, then if this does not work, check for current to the plugs. Generally they are fused. Then if that's working the next step would be consideration of new glow plugs. Of course you could run a compression check but if it's starting the rest of the day, I question that it would be compression.

 

[backwoodsfarm]

Very interesting. I"ve used the tractor for six years, since 150 hours. It has always started like a champ. I am located in Maine, and our winters are long and cold. This tractor starts at 0 to load a truck mounted salt/sander all winter, and has until now been a very tough and strong little tractor. I never even thought of glow plugs so I will certainly check those. Good thing is that with this tractor, I get paid to tinker on it!! Ha, ha. Thanks for the info. I"ll post back when I figure it out.

 

[wilamayb]

B and D... I hate to break it to you, but the 4020 series tractors also have glow plugs. One per cylinder, not a central intake manifold heater.

 

[buickanddeere]

Check the parts book yourself. The current 4005 uses an intake manifold heater and no glow plugs.