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[bootie]

I had a quick search on the subject but didn't really get the info I was after.

Basically, what damage can it do to a diesel engine when sprayed into the air intake?

I hasten to add it wasn't me, I would never use the stuff having heard previous horror stories, but therein lies the problem.
All I have heard are stories from previous users and never anything definitive to say don't use it.
Would anyone be able to tell me what damage could occur?

The reason I'm asking is that after that was done, I tried to start the estate and it would only fire on 4 or 5 (hard to tell) and there was clouds of smoke every where, couldn't see where it was all coming from but it was not just the exhaust tail pipe, it was coming out from all the arches and up into the engine bay so I turned it off and left it for the local garage to pick up and sort (it was one of their mechanics that used the ezystart in the first place).They still haven't picked it up yet so I'm wondering what I can expect when they do eventually take her in!

Jon

[philhoward]

It's a bit of a last chance trick I find - OK to prove a fuelling problem but only in very small doses.  Very easy to get runaway.

[Entwood]

It's terrible stuff that quickly knackers engines so much that they won't start without it, and that's like a drug addict .. on its way to certain death 

Without getting too complicated ... the main constituent is ether based, which has a VERY low ignition point ... the idea being the ether ignites, engine fires, and the combination of heat and presure enables the diesel mixture to start to work as it should..... that's fine in theory .....

Reality .....

The ether will ignite whenever it wants, probably early in the stroke as it is quite unstable .. this highly advanced combustion puts immense strain on pistons/piston rings/conrods/bigends/bearings etc .. the engine is NOT designed to have such an advanced conmbustion stroke.....

The ether "washes" all traces of lubricant off the bores/piston rings leading to extremely high wear rates, which reduces compression - and means eazystart is required more and more to get the engine running due to low compression - (drug addict syndrome).....

The ignition of the ether is NOT uniform as the diesel mixture would be .. it has areas of extremely high temperature which can (and does) cause damage to the piston crown, this further reduces the compression/fuel pattern and makes starting harder.....

I could go on, but I hope you get the drift .....it is NOT a good idea to even own a can of this crap IMHO ...

[Marks DTM Calib]

Its evil stuff and the tool of the bodge merchant, if it wont start then ether will tell you nothing.

Ether is very volatile and ignites at much lower compression ratios than diesel, the result is combustion whilst the piston is around two thirds of the way up the compression stroke. The fuel ignites violently and expands and yet the engins is still trying to compress the gas.

The result is massive loading on the piston and rings.

This can cause ring racture and even bend the rods.

Here is a pic of a piston I removed from a Ford BSD444 engine which had been given a dose of ether:



You can see where the rings have been fractured and made a bid for freedom up the side of the piston, the fragments have then been smashed into the piston crown. In this case it was incompitent users who did not know how to start the machine and operate the thermostart pre-heat, no fault with the engine until the ether was used.

I have seen this a few times and also seen two bent rods (just slightly but enough to reduce compression enough to make starting even harder and hence the phrase they get 'addicted' to it).

Funniest was an idiot who used it on a petrol mower, it blew the cylidner head clean off!

 

[philhoward]

Never attempted to use it on a diesel though....and by the looks of it won't either!

[Marks DTM Calib]

Never attempted to use it on a diesel though....and by the looks of it won't either!

It can do the same to petrols to

[Sir Tigger KC]

Don't use it! It was used on my Merc once at a garage and it's never been quite the same since!!   

[omega3000]

  Wow , new it was devils gas but 

[Marks DTM Calib]

A picture speaks a thousand words!

This is now used to store paint brushes in  (the BSD 444 is a four cylinder Basildon Standard diesel with 4.4 inch stroke and 4.4 inch bore so there nice and big)

[omega3000]

A picture speaks a thousand words!

This is now used to store paint brushes in (the BSD 444 is a four cylinder Basildon Standard diesel with 4.4 inch stroke and 4.4 inch bore so there nice and big)

Its the best thing for a 4 pot 

[Marks DTM Calib]

Its only the piston, the engine is back running as sweet as a nut. (added the last smiley to annoy Gizer!  )

[Marks DTM Calib]

I should add that I now use the multitude of cans of easistart which I have gathered for cleaning brakes with, very good solvent if a little wiffy

[05omegav6]

Presumably all the cans you have collected are dented from 'educating' the previous owners

[Andy B]

....
This is now used to store paint brushes in  (the BSD 444 is a four cylinder Basildon Standard diesel with 4.4 inch stroke and 4.4 inch bore so there nice and big)

what's that in millimeters ............     

[05omegav6]

111mm