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Its that time of year. Lets discuss ether.

td25c

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2009
Messages
5,250
Location
indiana
SKOAL tobacco when around either / starting fluid . Smoking can be bad for the health when around flammable's . :)

serveimage
 

Ronsii

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2011
Messages
3,464
Location
Western Washington
Occupation
s/e Heavy equipment operator
I have used ether and a BIC lighter to clear Wasp infestations from equipment.

I learned that trick many years ago ;) it's cheaper than bee spray too!!! and when used properly they can't figure out what's going on... also found when used inside structures they don't seem to reinhabit when you leave their blackened encampments roasted in place.
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,432
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Drove fuel tanker at night as a second/third job late 70's, gas, diesel, JP4. Used to smoke HEAVILY, where that was a no-no so started with Skoal, the Copenhagen then up'd the ante to Redman and Uncut Beechnut long leaf. Would go a little further when made Jerseyville IL where a old store still sold Plug and Block dried tobacco for chew. At one point driving home one day had a cigarette in my hand while smoking, had a roll of beechnut in my cheek and was drinking a Coke. Got pretty good at not swallowing the cud, and HAD to have the nicotine hit. Finally quit it all in '96, threw a 3-5 PACKS a day habit in the trash and did not look back.
 

Greatwestcam

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2010
Messages
382
Location
Northern Alberta
Occupation
Driver/Mechanic
We tried ether in a buddies potato gun that he had in camp, didn't work very well, I thought it would be great, best propellant is hair spray unreal how well that works!
 

RZucker

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2013
Messages
4,077
Location
Wherever I end up
Occupation
Mechanic/welder
Drove fuel tanker at night as a second/third job late 70's, gas, diesel, JP4. Used to smoke HEAVILY, where that was a no-no so started with Skoal, the Copenhagen then up'd the ante to Redman and Uncut Beechnut long leaf. Would go a little further when made Jerseyville IL where a old store still sold Plug and Block dried tobacco for chew. At one point driving home one day had a cigarette in my hand while smoking, had a roll of beechnut in my cheek and was drinking a Coke. Got pretty good at not swallowing the cud, and HAD to have the nicotine hit. Finally quit it all in '96, threw a 3-5 PACKS a day habit in the trash and did not look back.
I drove a tanker in 1983, luckily Copenhagen was enough to get me by 'til I could grab a smoke.
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,432
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
You'd have enjoyed my old ride. 1974 A-car round fender, Super 250 Cummins with a thirteen, SQHD Rockwells 4.33 ratio on 10,00x22 rubber. Had the LOVELY White Velvet Ride suspension that had been adapted to it, great for the kidneys, back, churning lunch. 170+/-" wb with Armstrong PS an old Bostrum spring ride seat while AC was 4/50, ALL the windows open and 50mph. Tanker had a pto pump mounted under(old US AF 8200 gal STEEL tanker) inside tool boxes, could almost scale 5000 gallon Diesel in it, just Not Quite. Single drop, NO baffles and SUCKED to drive with half a load. Side roll, end SLAP at stops/takeoffs. Still not sure why the end caps stayed on it!!

Was not fast, was steady! In winter would stuff rags/old towels along door openings to keep what little heat it made INSIDE the cab! I believe if memory serves it weighed EMPTY at just around 46000.

Only good point, the scale boys KNEW the truck, KNEW the load would take DAYS to settle if jostled and when hit the slab would get a auto green light!! Scale crossed many times with 85k gross!
 

bcguide

New Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2016
Messages
2
Location
BC
A spark or a match won't light diesel fuel. Die Hard 2 comes to mind when apparently the leaking jet fuel is lit with a lighter and travels along the spill all the way to blow up the plane.

Jet fuel is mixed with naptha
I used to use it to burn the garbage pit
it always went off with a big whoomp and a nice blue flame
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,432
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
Different breeds of JP out there. JP4 is as volatile as gasoline(petroleum Naptha based) as it does contain a rather copious quantity of naptha and will light with a match if fuming. Was cautioned Heavily by the Helo crew using it out of Jerseyville IL.
 

walkerv

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2016
Messages
1,125
Location
wingate nc
I started the old grader the other day with my torch warmed up the big cast intake manifold and took the air filters out ,had a big time oxygen rich flame and let it suck in hot air it worked pretty ok , still took a bit but it finally lit off . I am apparently out of ether in the shop we don't use it much so we tend to forget about ordering any .
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,432
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
I may have to scrounge up some firewood and build some heat under my 7G Allis, need to use it today but is cold soaked something fierce!! Torch heat sounds a better idea!
 

Willie B

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2016
Messages
4,040
Location
Mount Tabor VT
Occupation
Electrician
Good ether is like perfume. Just enough to smell. After cranking enough to see oil pressure begin to build, hold the can back 18" from the air intake. A 1 second spritz where only a small portion of the ether finds its way through the air cleaner is enough.
 

PJ The Kid

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2016
Messages
230
Location
KC
Occupation
Mechanic
Just sold an old 7.3 to a fella. Got out there knowing it wouldn't start, hit the key, let the plugs cycle, and no crank. So I walk around to the other side of the shop truck to grab a set of cables and hear the dreaded "pssssssssssssssst" got long 5-10 second spray of the nose candy right into the air filter housing. Told him as soon as I heard it not to do it again. hooked the cables up and went to crank it again and see between the hood and cowl he is spraying again. About that time the glow plugs hit and POW goes the filter box. Fireball, burning filter, them yelling at me to quit cranking (at this point the truck is about to fire and I would rather suck the fire down it's throat like an old 4 bbl back fire than let this oil slobbering pig burn. Finally got her churnin on her own and used the intake to suck up what fire was left. Looked at him and said "that things got glow plugs, theres a reason I told you no ether!" He replied "no hable espanol"
 

Vetech63

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2016
Messages
6,362
Location
Oklahoma
I ran across a CAT loader a few years ago. They called and said they had been using ether to start it for months, but now it wont start at all. I went there and pulled the air filter cap off to find..........only the wire cage of the filter. LOL Some time in the past the filter had caught on fire and burned the paper up. They had been running the machine with NO air filter........instant engine overhaul.
 

Willie B

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2016
Messages
4,040
Location
Mount Tabor VT
Occupation
Electrician
You need from the ether a source of fire, not the fuel to run. If the engine is to run on starting fluid, it needs valve timing changed. Diesel burns, expanding slowly enough to push the piston down. (Think of a foot on a bicycle pedal) . Immagine a smashing blow on that pedal before it reaches top center. If it were less explosive, it would try to run backward. As it is ether explodes too suddenly to move a crankshaft, most of its energy is destructive. A tiny bit ignites diesel fuel. That is a good thing. Too much, it wants to oppose the starter, firing too early.
 

td25c

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2009
Messages
5,250
Location
indiana
Picked up a few cans of either at the hardware store this evening ....

Hardware store feller warned me it was flammable . I thanked him for the advice .

No chit Sherlock . :D
 
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