This seems like a simple question but a search found no matches.

Yesterday I was putting the last of the hay in the barn trying to beat the rain, which I mostly did.

Dad had his 1992 W200 CTD parked in the last bay (club cab manual bought new with 120K now). Its been sitting there since he had the rust repaired and a repaint waiting for his worthless son to kill the dowel pin for him.

The battery was dead so I hooked up the charger and went back to rebuilding the carb on my M880. after an hour I switched it from 4 amps to 40. After another hour or so I went to start it and it just clicked. So I figured the battery was dragging it down and removed the battery but even on "start" it just clicked. So I figured the charger didn't have enough cranking amps. Brought my truck over to jump it. Still just clicking with an occasional slow spin.

Running out of time I decided to drag it out and pull start with the help of my brother (not the worthless son). In 5th it wouldn't pull start but I didn't want to try and go faster because I had a short chain and the bale spear on the back of the tractor, so we just parked in for now until we get a new battery Monday.

Question is, assuming all other components are in working order, you can pull start these things right? The motor just needs to spin fast enough to light the fuel?

And yes I got the last of the hay in right as it started to rain.

 

It should pop off pretty easily, but you do need enough battery to hold the FSS open.

No way anything less than a ship builder's welder will put out enough to start it without a good battery. Jumpers likewise, unless they are extremely heavy won't spin it over very well. The starter just draws too much current.

You need to check the battery, and if that's good, check all the heavy connections. A good fresh group 24 should start it in warm weather, but the right battery is a high CCA group 31.

If you have a fresh battery in it and no connections are heating up, and it still spins slow, the starter's dragging. What happens is the bushings get bad enough so the armature touches the pole shoes, and the magnetic short thus generated will cause it to turn weak and draw way too much current. Nothing's hurt as long as you don't push it till you fry the insulation off the fields and armature.

 

Pull starter? maybe a kick starter would be better
As long as the fss has power it should work

 

Pull starter? maybe a kick starter would be better
As long as the fss has power it should work

 

put the battery in, run a jumper wire to the FSS, fuel shut of solenoid on the back of the injection pump, turn the key on(which in theory should also engage the FSS, but the jumper wire will eliminate any questions). then give her a tug in 2nd or 3rd and it should fire.

 

I find 3rd to be the best for popping it off.

 

i've push started mine in reverse out of a parking spot, with just myself and the girl pushing(she's 5'3" 110 lbs)

 

I'm glad you added the last part of this comment, it saved a lot of posts.

 

Haha, well it was meant to imply that she wasn't a whole heck of a lot of help and that these things are generally pretty easy to bump start

 

I have popped off a lot of Dodge diesel with a manual.
Easy to do.
I like 3rd as well.
Often I am on a loosed dirt surface and the tires will just skid to low speeds and a low gear.

 

Yea I guess "pull start" made it sound like a lawn mower engine...

I didn't think to try a lower gear. His has an open rear end and I figures it would just drag in the gravel.

Brother put a new battery in yesterday and it fired right up. If ever in that situation again we'll try a lower gear.

Thanks guys,