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I seem to have touched on a raw nerve with some members regarding my suggestion that a squirt of easistart was worth a try in an engine that wouldn't fire on initial start up.

The conviction of some of the replies fascinates me, ranging from "I'd never use that muck" to "It's called engine rebuild in a can" because it will blow your engine up if you use it.

While I can't say that I have used masses of easistart over the years I have found it to be a very useful tool when starting a variety of machinery after it has been stood for long periods of time or is damp. I don't use it as a matter of course, but it has definitely helped me get some heat into engines that don't really want to get up & go.

So come on, explain to me in sensible terms why the application of a bit of highly volatile ether into an engine will damage it in any way. The calorific value of easistart is much less than that of petrol so the "bang" it will give an engine is smaller than that of petrol it simply ignites easer if it is exposed to a spark, no matter how small. This warms the plug tip & enables the engine to start on petrol assuming all is working OK ish.

I await your explanation as to why this is such a bad thing.

M

The only explanation I could think of, is if its used often, it might wash the oil film of the cylender bores,
if the engine dont fire up on first go ?

Jens Christian


PS brake cleaner works just as good

Hi Jens,

That was my thought too. But the idea that anyone could afford to put that much of anything other than petrol through an engine strikes me as impossible.

Bore washing is not going to be an issue in a couple of seconds of running. . . . is it?

M

What I've heard is that it ignites very powerfully(?) and could result in preignition with following piston damage. The cylinder pressures are sky high when using it.

You wouldn't run a Methanol engine on 13:1 comp either.

I have used it, mainly on the mowers and stuff like that. These sit for very long periods without being run and have mechanical fuel pumps, so rather than crank them for minutes, to allow stale fuel to go through and risk burning out the starter motor, I do use some of these products, but of late, I've found the cheap degreaser just as good, only needs a small squirt and off we go.

These products are fairly harmless unless you empty a whole can down the throat of the carby at every start, if you were to do that, then sure, I'd expect the bore to wear and valves to burn.

could result in preignition with following piston damage.

I can't see this as the engine is stone cold, there is no latent heat in the plug, the piston crown or the block, the tiny amount of heat generated could not possibly result in piston damage.

M

Fuel would contribute more to bore wear I would have thought, especially with blow by. I used to abuse a lawn mower with it regularly, but it smoked worse than a bush fire.

The only time I used it for my vehicle was after a long period of inactivity and when the battery had fallen over and needed help to start before it gave up the ghost.

I think opinions like this are formed through myths rather than experience. And more likely when starting an unknown engine for the first time it may seem that failures are caused by ether in a can rather than a pre existing problem.

I think opinions like this are formed through myths rather than experience. And more likely when starting an unknown engine for the first time it may seem that failures are caused by ether in a can rather than a pre existing problem.

I couldn't have put it better myself.

m

I've used it many times for at least 25 years. I mainly use CRC Aerostart, but Start Ya Bastard is much the same (has a bit more ether I think).

I've used it occasionally on Minis, they usually start pretty well, but its handy in the middle of winter when the battery is a bit sluggish and you know its not going to keep cranking much longer...

Its particularly good on small two strokes which always seem to have frustratingly fiddly starting rituals. I've used it on outboards, mowers, brush cutters and chainsaws.

A few years back I had a serious accident in a Moke that left me with a leg injury that took a couple of years to heal. I had a lot of trouble kick starting my bike when it was cold, so I plumbed it up so I could squirt Aerostart directly into the throat of the carby each morning. It made life a lot easier for a year or so.

I've never experienced any problems as a result of using it, but I've heard tales of people killing engines by trying to keep them running on a continuous stream of it. There's also this rumour that engines become 'addicted' to it and won't be able to start without it, even if the problem is fixed. It sounds like utter bollocks to me.

Tim

mk1 wrote:I think opinions like this are formed through myths rather than experience. And more likely when starting an unknown engine for the first time it may seem that failures are caused by ether in a can rather than a pre existing problem.

I couldn't have put it better myself.

m

I agree. I have also used Aerostart for many years and have never had a problem, it very good for starting stubborn Diesel engines as well. You just have to be careful if the engine backfires, it can light the Either and burn the hairs off the back of your hand

& heres not what to do...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_7Vzcb4Iiw

I so wanted that to end in a MASSIVE explosion

mk1 wrote:could result in preignition with following piston damage.

I can't see this as the engine is stone cold, there is no latent heat in the plug, the piston crown or the block, the tiny amount of heat generated could not possibly result in piston damage.

M

It burns so much more rapid than petrol and ignites more easily as well ( That's the whole point isn't it )
That's what I've been told, but that does not mean that it's a fact.
I once was told that picking up women in Harrogate was easy as well.. Blatant lie!

I do believe that some Ford Transits (diesel) and Cummins truck engines had ether start systems fitted as OEM.

I would say use only a little puf at a time because it raises the comp and can certainly lock the engine momentarily. That's why when using on a diesel transit you can really here a heavy knock on the bottom end . I can understand the wife's tale about a engine being addicted to it , I had a fork truck we used it on once and the bastard would never start again with out it lol

We used to have a Fergy D20 and that would only start with Bradex . Only from cold mind you.
And yes, I heard that once you start using the stuff the engine kind of gets addicted to it.

I'm the one that quoted my dad (a mechanic) as the stuff being "engine rebuild in a can". He's gone now so I can't ask but his attitude was that you should fix what's wrong. And, that you're going to have to fix it sooner or later...

Me? I can't say that I've never resorted to using it. I had this 40 year old snowblower that would just about break your arm trying to pull start it.... Come to think of it, dad did give me the thing. Maybe he was just testing me...

mk1 wrote:I so wanted that to end in a MASSIVE explosion

I so wanted it to end up rolling off on to his toes.

I just can't see how it this stuff would result in any sort of catastrophic engine damage.

The idea that it contains more potential energy than gasoline, and is therefore going to create a big "boom" that spreads parts all over the garage is actually backwards thinking. Fuel with a higher potential energy requires more work to ignite, which is why it's required in high compression engines. Using a fluid that is difficult to ignite would be totally contradictory to the goal of a product named 'Start ya Bastard', and even if you DID pour in fluid with an incredibly high potential energy, it would just result in incomplete combustion in an engine with a CR too low to make use if it.

In order for this stuff to work, it must be easy to ignite, and therefore contain a lower potential energy as Mark originally stated. This would be similar to running a fuel with a very low octane rating, which would tend to cause pre-ignition. Of course, pre-ignition can be dangerous for an engine, but typically only when the engine is under load. I've NEVER heard of an engine pinging, and damaging a piston in an unloaded, idle condition. This is even more unlikely when you consider that starting fluid is normally introduced in short bursts to get the engine cranking.

I suscribe to the idea that A LOT of engines that get starting fluid have a fundamental problem that only rears its head when the engine starts, leading to a PERCEPTION that the starting fluid caused the failure.

zippypinhead wrote:
I so wanted it to end up rolling off on to his toes.

Dont tell Brian (BRI MKI)

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