Battery Cranking amps

[Codi]

Hi all!
This is going to me two questions in one....

I was checking my battery today and saw that the cold cranking amps (32 F) of 590 and 0F of 425 amps. Does this seem a little low? If it is, would the glow plugs take longer to heat up? I have noticed if I don't preheat at least 30-40 seconds I will get a considerable amount of white smoke. But the longer I preheat, the less white smoke I get.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[85Hokie]

That is a fine CCA battery, sure higher IS better, but if it spin fast enough to fire, that really is the bottom line - and as for preheating, the hotter the temp inside the head, the better the total burn will be and the less smoke there is - on a cold engine that has a lot of fuel delivered to it - it will smoke due to unburned fuel. The hotter chamber will allow the fuel to ignite once the pressure builds.
Think of a piece of paper that is slightly damp, it is harder to burn, a piece that is completely dry will ignite easier. A cold over fueled head will not burn the gasses as well as a preheated one.

 

[Daren Todd]

Cranking amps are basically the horse power rating of a battery The more amps the more oomph to spin over the motor.

The glow plugs heating up depends on the age of the gp's, and I believe the ratings. Some plugs heat faster and hotter then others. Not sure of the specs on them though.

The timing seems about right depending on the temps out side. I usually hit mine for around 20 to 30 seconds. If the motor starts with less time on the plugs, that's fine as well. The white smoke is just unburned fuel. It won't hurt your tractor.

 

[Codi]

That is a fine CCA battery, sure higher IS better, but if it spin fast enough to fire, that really is the bottom line - and as for preheating, the hotter the temp inside the head, the better the total burn will be and the less smoke there is - on a cold engine that has a lot of fuel delivered to it - it will smoke due to unburned fuel. The hotter chamber will allow the fuel to ignite once the pressure builds.
Think of a piece of paper that is slightly damp, it is harder to burn, a piece that is completely dry will ignite easier. A cold over fueled head will not burn the gasses as well as a preheated one.

That makes since. I just never remember it doing the white smoke on cold starts when I use to use at papaw's. Maybe it is just getting old?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Codi]

Cranking amps are basically the horse power rating of a battery The more amps the more oomph to spin over the motor.



The glow plugs heating up depends on the age of the gp's, and I believe the ratings. Some plugs heat faster and hotter then others. Not sure of the specs on them though.



The timing seems about right depending on the temps out side. I usually hit mine for around 20 to 30 seconds. If the motor starts with less time on the plugs, that's fine as well. The white smoke is just unburned fuel. It won't hurt your tractor.

I replaced the plugs a little over a month ago. The rating I am not sure on. I did get them from Kubota though so it is whatever they recommend for the tractor. But that is me assuming....and you know what they say about assuming.... :[emoji13]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Grouse Feathers]

Check your manual, some diesels have automatic systems for pre-warming and some have a chart of temperature versus pre-warm time. I know some tractors call for 30 seconds or more for cold temperatures while my little BX only takes 10 seconds down to 5 F. The long pre-heats of 30 seconds may serve two purposes, warming the engine and warming the battery. The current flow during the pre-heat warms the battery so it supplies more power for faster cranking.

 

[seanbarr]

...and remember, an engine block heater, lightbulb under the oil pan, warm shop, etc all contribute to faster warm-up & starting times. No need to make the battery do all the work if you can help it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Codi]

Check your manual, some diesels have automatic systems for pre-warming and some have a chart of temperature versus pre-warm time. I know some tractors call for 30 seconds or more for cold temperatures while my little BX only takes 10 seconds down to 5 F. The long pre-heats of 30 seconds may serve two purposes, warming the engine and warming the battery. The current flow during the pre-heat warms the battery so it supplies more power for faster cranking.

Mine is only supposed to take 20 seconds down to 32 F. After that is recommended to be between 30 and 60 seconds.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Diydave]

I have a battery hierarchy. Good new batteries go in trucks, and vehicles that are needed to generate $. When I take one out of these vehicles for whatever reason, if it will test good to 300 CCA, then it goes into a kubota, if it will fit. I have never had a problem yet, with one starting a lil kubota, that meets the above criteria...

 

[Stubbyie]

To answer your question, follow this reasoning:

consider glow plugs are in essence just like an [incandescent] light bulb.

A 12-vdc light bulb can be hooked up to the biggest truck battery or a lawnmower battery.

If each is fully charged, the light glows the same.

Of course the much larger battery 'stores' more power so the bulb will stay lit longer.

In the case of Kubota glow plugs, if they stay on 30-seconds, there's a problem in the system.

Another poster mentions block and other heating methods. Any supplemental heat safely applied to the engine helps take the load off the glow plugs and starter and makes all starts easier.

Please post back your continuing experiences so we may all learn.

 

[Tooljunkie]

I had trouble as it got cold, i couldnt glow plug long enough and there wasnt enough battery left to crank. This is very harmful to your starter. So i proceeded to test a few of my spare batteries. I have a carbon pile load tester, places a real load on battery. I found one that load tested at 300,this is a 50 %load test so its roughly 600 amps.
My little machine never started so well.
If it at all seems weak, consider the cost of a replacement battery vs the cost of a new starter. If you get 6 years out of a battery (at least up here) you are doing well. After that its just a matter of time. My other tractor has a battery thats 8 years old, i got it for nothing as it froze when it was in a new car.

 

[chieffan]

When the temp gets down to freezing or below I use a 50K BTU forced air heater directed at the engine from about 6-8 ft away. Let that run for 20 min or so and help a BUNCH for starting.

 

[skeets]

And in the cold a battery tender will make a BIG difference in the life of your battery