[C38] difficulty starting

[Les]

Before going that route, rent or buy a ammeter and measure the current
draw.  Make sure it can read the peak current, which will only last a
few milliseconds.  I suspect that the cold current of the preheaters
will be about 100A.  This is because most "hot wire" devices have a much
lower cold resistance than their ultimate hot resistance.  I think a
starter solenoid would still handle it OK, because most starters have an
inrush of similar proportions.

	I once welded a series of 5 relays all at the same time, discovering
this particular bit of information, because I didn't always read specs
first.

Regards,
Les H.
On Fri, 2010-11-26 at 13:42 -0500, Chuck Finn wrote:
> David,
> I see we are thinking along the same lines!  Ever since Tom T. made us
> aware of the dangers of our amp meters and Larry M. had is fire, I
> have been thinking of the last high amp draw that goes all the way
> from our battery, to the control panel, to the engine.  That of course
> is the glow plug circuit.  When you think about it, this is another
> really dumb idea for two reasons.  First is the possibility of wire
> fatigue/wear and fire.  Second is the voltage drop.
> My thinking is the best answer is re-wire the glow plug circuit with
> an inexpensive starter solenoid ($15).  This will dramatically shorten
> the wire distance and reduce the chance of fire.  It will also
> eliminate the last high amp connection to the wire harness and control
> panel.  I am thinking starter solenoid because they can handle much
> more than 20 amps and are off the shelf.  Will also install a 25 amp
> in-line slow fuse.
> 
> This seem like such a simple answer that I am worried I am missing
> something....  Especially since solenoids have been around forever!
> 
> Thoughts?
> 
> Chuck Finn
> Commodore
> 
> On 11/17/2010 12:18 PM, David Epstein wrote: 
> > Patrick,
> > 
> > One possibility is the wiring to the glow plugs and/or the switch.
> > The later models include a solenoid for the glow plugs so that the
> > higher current (about 20a for all three plugs) is not reliant on the
> > wiring harness and the switch itself.  In my online search, I
> > learned that people reported a huge difference in the effectiveness
> > of the glow plugs after installing a solenoid, and a much shorter
> > "warm up" before starting.  I am in the process of installing such a
> > solenoid on SuperStar along with replacement of the engine control
> > panel.
> > 
> > Did you change the engine mounted fuel pump, or the electric "lift"
> > pump?  Also, do you have problems starting when the engine is warm,
> > or only when it is cold?
> > 
> > David Epstein
> > SuperStar #122
> > Marina del Rey
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> 
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