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[Taxi_Driver]

What does it do.....to make the diesel start and is it any good for the engine?

[Marks DTM Calib]

Easistart/Ether is a very volatile fuel basicaly so ignites easily, this should:

a) Create some combustion heat
b) spin the engine over

As a result diesels often start on it.

However, its VERY bad for the engine as it ignites way before TDC and often results in a shattered top ring (seen a lot of them), failed piston ring lands on the piston (seen some of those to), possible bent con rod (seen a few of them also).

All the above results in poorer compression resulting in the need to use ether more and more.....and hence how engines get addicted to the stuff.

Bottom line, if the engine is not starting, fix it. Use Ether and you WILL kill it.

At the heritage centre I have banned the stuff as I am fed up of repairing engines where it has been used (which is not cheap). As a result I have a few cans of the stuff and it makes a great cleaner....just dont breath it in to much 

[Kevin Wood]

Yes and no..

It's normally a very volatile solvent such as ether which ignites in air very much easier than a squirt of diesel. So easily, in fact, that it normally ignites well in advance of TDC and the resulting knock does the engine no good at all.

[Taxi_Driver]

Easistart/Ether is a very volatile fuel basicaly so ignites easily, this should:

a) Create some combustion heat
b) spin the engine over

As a result diesels often start on it.

However, its VERY bad for the engine as it ignites way before TDC and often results in a shattered top ring (seen a lot of them), failed piston ring lands on the piston (seen some of those to), possible bent con rod (seen a few of them also).

All the above results in poorer compression resulting in the need to use ether more and more.....and hence how engines get addicted to the stuff.

Bottom line, if the engine is not starting, fix it. Use Ether and you WILL kill it.

At the heritage centre I have banned the stuff as I am fed up of repairing engines where it has been used (which is not cheap). As a result I have a few cans of the stuff and it makes a great cleaner....just dont breath it in to much 

Thanks for your informative answer Mark 

Was just wondering coz....my Skudo broke down last thursday evening.....engine stopped and wouldnt restart.....got recovered to garage.....ive since been told.....the garage squirted a can of 'easystart' into the airintake trying to start it.....it did start and ran on 'easystart' .....as soon as they stopped squirting it in....the engine stalled......garage diagnosis "nowt wrong with that engine" ......they've since diagnosed its the crankshaft sensor.....new one being fitted tomorrow.....

[Kevin Wood]

It can also kill MAF sensors, etc. so keep a very close eye out for any new faults.

[Seth]

Easistart/Ether is a very volatile fuel basicaly so ignites easily, this should:

a) Create some combustion heat
b) spin the engine over

As a result diesels often start on it.

However, its VERY bad for the engine as it ignites way before TDC and often results in a shattered top ring (seen a lot of them), failed piston ring lands on the piston (seen some of those to), possible bent con rod (seen a few of them also).

All the above results in poorer compression resulting in the need to use ether more and more.....and hence how engines get addicted to the stuff.

Bottom line, if the engine is not starting, fix it. Use Ether and you WILL kill it.

At the heritage centre I have banned the stuff as I am fed up of repairing engines where it has been used (which is not cheap). As a result I have a few cans of the stuff and it makes a great cleaner....just dont breath it in to much 

Did the same when I was engineering supervisor on the buses maaaany moons ago .........

In fact, it was a disciplinary offence to use it, and it was deleted from our stock allocation.

I've also seen a turbocharger 'back spin' and self-destruct.

The only method we used (in such circumstances) was an ignited paraffin-soaked rag held by welding rod over the intake.

[hoofing it]

Easistart/Ether is a very volatile fuel basicaly so ignites easily, this should:

a) Create some combustion heat
b) spin the engine over

As a result diesels often start on it.

However, its VERY bad for the engine as it ignites way before TDC and often results in a shattered top ring (seen a lot of them), failed piston ring lands on the piston (seen some of those to), possible bent con rod (seen a few of them also).

All the above results in poorer compression resulting in the need to use ether more and more.....and hence how engines get addicted to the stuff.

Bottom line, if the engine is not starting, fix it. Use Ether and you WILL kill it.

At the heritage centre I have banned the stuff as I am fed up of repairing engines where it has been used (which is not cheap). As a result I have a few cans of the stuff and it makes a great cleaner....just dont breath it in to much 

Thanks for your informative answer Mark 

Was just wondering coz....my Skudo broke down last thursday evening.....engine stopped and wouldnt restart.....got recovered to garage.....ive since been told.....the garage squirted a can of 'easystart' into the airintake trying to start it.....it did start and ran on 'easystart' .....as soon as they stopped squirting it in....the engine stalled......garage diagnosis "nowt wrong with that engine" ......they've since diagnosed its the crankshaft sensor.....new one being fitted tomorrow.....

These guys were arseholescowboys as dtm says BAN easystart better using a burning rag.

[Taxi_Driver]

It can also kill MAF sensors, etc. so keep a very close eye out for any new faults.

I will ta 

Tho when i walked past it on Friday at the garage....the air filter was on the floor....so i guess they had taken the air filter out to squirt the easystart in......not sure where the MAF sensor is....before or after the air filter  :-/

[hoofing it]

It can also kill MAF sensors, etc. so keep a very close eye out for any new faults.

I will ta 

Tho when i walked past it on Friday at the garage....the air filter was on the floor....so i guess they had taken the air filter out to squirt the easystart in......not sure where the MAF sensor is....before or after the air filter  :-/

Its after the air filter on the top cover you will see a wire attached to the lid

[Bionic]

I was taught when I was taught the trade that overuse will 'feather' the valves. I do not know whether that applies today with the new materials used but this is how it works. It is Ether based and has a very low ignition point that is far less than even petrol. The higher compression of the deisel uses that property to make it easier to start. However because it ignites earlier it also causes a degree of pre-ignition so use with lots of care.
Another emthod we used on the trucks and buses that were bad cold starters was to take off the air filter intake pipe from the manifold and hold a blowtorch's naked flame over the hole. It worked every time without fail too.....even though it was b*oody dangerous
More to the point is have you had the pre-heaters (glowplugs) tested? Is the compessions up to the mark? Are the injectors and pump in top working order? Not to mention the timing aspects. Sounds like a really good service is called for by a reputable mechy. Personally I would not recommend the use of Eazystart at all. Hope you get it done soon...

[Marks DTM Calib]

Struggling to see how it can 'feather the valves' as the inlet and exhaust will both be shut long before it ignites.

But the old burning rag, blow torch method works much better.

I also quite like the thermostart systems, they are very good cold start devices.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwDqpKm-SMk&feature=related[/media]

[Taxi_Driver]

Crankshaft sensor did the job, its up and running again 

Oh and knackered a Skoda Superb i'd been given as a loan car
I dont think it liked having the aircon/climate control turned on......after a couple of hours of being on this afternoon, it shredded both aux belts (i suspect the aircon compressor one got shredded, which took out the other belt) 
IME when an aux belt gets shredded its usually coz something has seized...air con compressor maybe  Dunno not my problem tho 

[Bionic]

It used to feather the valves with excessive use when the valves were not made of the modern harder materials they are today. many of those materials were changed with the introduction of unleaded fuels which it was discovered used to stick the valves to the cast iron valve seat inserts and pull them out of the alloy heads. In cases of poor compressions it was particularly the exhaust valves that suffered because the usual cause of poor compressions was badly seated valves which allowed superheated gas to pass forming micro fissures in the valve edge which grew quickly into pieces that were easily seen by the naked eye. When I was at college the lecturer had some on display to show what could happen due to neglecting servicing. Pre-ignition caused by a more volatile fuel such as eazystart only served to exacerbate the problem. Hope that explains it a bit better.