+.20 headgasket and hard starts

[ramman]

Has anyone else experienced hard starting and LOTS of smoke after installing the thicker marine head gasket,mine needs two cycles of the grid heaters in 30 degree temps,I'm not sure it would even start at 0 . Timing was to be set at 18. 5 but that may not be right either as I think he used the spill port method which leaves a lot to chance. Any input would be helpful. Ramman

 

[FL70CAT]

Timing might have slipped.

 

[Brandon]

heard its common for cold starts... ... . adj timing to compensate



or move to southerly places he he

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Check timing.



Mine started at zero deg F in Ely Nevada at 6500 ft elevation. I cycled the heater twice and it wasn't real happy, but the power steering howling was the major unhappiness I think.

 

[Cooker]

I may be wrong, but isn't spill port timing fairly accurate.

 

[FL70CAT]

I had the 020 head gasket AND the marine 15:0. 1 pistons W/O a grid heater. It was very hard to start by 30f. With the block heater it would start no matter the temp. Ether always used to get it started if it didn't want to cooperate.

DON'T use ether if you have a grid heater>>>BAD!!!



I'd think the grid heater would make starting ALOT easier... ...

that's why I wonder if the timing may have slipped some.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

..... there's no mention of any evidence that the grid heaters are actually cycling. I 'assume' mine are working by watching my voltage gauge drop... . and the fact that it has always started. (shutting down has been interesting a couple of times, though... . )



Matt

 

[Don M]

Well it got frickin cold here last night and this morning (26 degrees) when I fired up the truck it was not any harder to get going, but it was tough to get it to burn the fuel completly.

I have the 20 thou gasket and always have a white haze from the unburned fuel when it is cold. That thick gasket is better suited for high boost and fueling levels, IMO.



You might check your timing too. Oh, I cycled the grids once.



Don~

 

[ramman]

Thanks for the replys guys,Thumper smokes like a tractor on start up even warm it's way more than I'd like,isn't there an adjustment for no laod that can be done,I thought I'd seen a post some time ago on it.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

I thought I read somewhere that if the seals on the prefilter were marginal, you'd get a bunch of blue smoke as a result... . may be worth looking into. Or, if you've already done this..... do what Don said and check timing... .



Matt

On edit: Bad CHRA seals/bearings in the turbo can also cause a lot of blue smoke..... not to mention piston rings... ... the list goes on.