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Cat 257b Hard Start

watglen

watglen

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2009
Messages
1,324
Location
Dunnville, Ontario, Canada
Occupation
Farmer, drainage and excavating contractor, Farm d
Hello all,

I wanted to ask whether anyone else has a cat 257b (or similar) that is hard starting. Pre-heater helps a lot to get it going. The other day it was in the shop nice and warm. I cranked it and it wouldn't start. Finally ran the preheater for a couple seconds and it fired right up.

The machine has 360 hrs on it.

Explain?
 
bill onthehill

bill onthehill

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
661
Location
pa/ny border
Fuel quality or low compression would be possible. With that low hours something strange you need preheat for a warm machine.
 
Squizzy246B

Squizzy246B

Administrator
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Sep 9, 2005
Messages
3,388
Location
Perth, Western Australia
Occupation
Digger Driver
I don't know about "hard" starting but my 226BII almost always needs 5 seconds of glow plugs for the first start of the day. The manual says 10 seconds for cold conditions. It always starts fine if I glow it and it has the same hours as yours.
 
watglen

watglen

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2009
Messages
1,324
Location
Dunnville, Ontario, Canada
Occupation
Farmer, drainage and excavating contractor, Farm d
That is exactly what i'm talking about. I crank and crank, makes lots of white smoke, but no fire. And yes, its always the first start of the day.
 
heavytorching

heavytorching

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Feb 15, 2010
Messages
19
Location
michigan
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heavy torching/scrap steel processing
white smoke,sounds like water in fuel?,i would syphon tank and replace filters?
 
John C.

John C.

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Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,870
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Northwest
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Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
What you are describing is normal for those small engines. I don't know why that is so but I've never seen an easy starting Cat skid steer.
 
watglen

watglen

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2009
Messages
1,324
Location
Dunnville, Ontario, Canada
Occupation
Farmer, drainage and excavating contractor, Farm d
i kinda figured that. I assumed that the emissions requirements created an injection pump that wont start the motor. I could be wrong.
 
7120

7120

Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2010
Messages
18
Location
Seymour, Indiana
Occupation
Farmer
I have a 262 Cat it starts good in cold weather with no smoke. I do use the glow plugs if it is cold outside.
 
D

DRPEPPER

Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
14
Location
Texas
all the small skid steers with the 3024 engine are hard to start like 216 226 232 247 257 b and b2 models the larger ones with the 3044 engine arnt to bad to start in the cold
 
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