5% petrol in diesel, cold starting

has any one used the 5% petrol in diesel during the cold weather?
some finland friends do it and i know of some canadians who use the same method to keep their machines running smoothly during
freezing weather. i also do it in my mitsubishi shogun helps starting.
my 6748 does not start great in this cold weather. i put the rev lever to full and put in the cold start button. takes about 5mins. battery is new and strong. when the engine starts it is in full revs... i read on here that it should automatically be on 1000-1300rpm until the engine is warm, is this true? should i prime the engine prior to starting using lift pump. There is a heater plug wired up in the air intake, is this after market?
many thanks, mark

Yes, intake heater is aftermarket.
I put 5% gasoline in the diesel of my volvo S70 TDI to clear it before the annual DMV (??) check, so it passes the soot test.
Well i did it with the 850, but the S70 so far passes with flying colours.

I live in Vermont, USA and all the fuel dealers around here blend their diesel in the winter, mostly to keep it from gelling. Not sure what the blend is, but have heard that it's 50/50 diesel and kerosene. Farmers that have their own bulk tanks add a diesel conditioner also. I do the same.

Don't think has anything to do with starting. Any time I've had fuel gel, it's been after starting - but having it gel is a real pain!

thanks for answers, gonna put a drop of petrol in and see if it helps.

still no answer on the revs when starting with the cold start button,
or whether to prime before starting
i am just wondering if something is not quite right.
thanks, mark

Mark

Coldstart only works at full throttle so the 1300 revs info is wrong. You just have to shut it down a bit as it fires up to stop it revving too hard. If someone has fitted the glowplug it sounds like she has been a problem in the past. Could be the engine is getting tired and is low on compression. You could try hand priming before you try to start in case the pump chamber has lost some fuel. Someone could have altered the timing ??

Mike

be careful vith petrol in the diesel. here in norway we use to blend in a bit of paraffin mixed with a bit of two stroke oil. makes winter starting easy.

thanks for all your answers.

just going to have to remember it is an old tractor and instant starting is a thing of the past. Starts ok! in normal English weather
seems ok with everything else.

if i turn the pto to neutral witrh cutch in, it seems to help.
perhaps this is the proper way to start it.

I have some trouble with my 6748 too, it starts but stops again if I don't rev full for a little longer than my "heart" wants to. But I start it 2-3 times with the coldstart on rather than killing the engine.
A new "geared" starter made it a dream in sted of the old one.

hey steiner, nice to find another 6748. how long have you had yours and your opinion on them?

i bought the geared starter replaced all the plastic and rubber fuel hoses. Starts well now just a 2-3 of starts.

glad to find you were able to fix the clutch problem with the mig welder through the inspection plate.

laters, mark