Forklift wont start - Cold

[snowman]

I have a toyota LP forklift that's unfortunately stored outside. Got a good deal on an old inductotherm induction melter, but can't get it out of the truck without getting the forklift started. Right now it's 31 and snowing. Tomorrow it's supposed to be colder. It ran a month ago, but it's usually a difficult start, nothing has changed. Turns over and has spark, so it's gotta be a fuel issue.

Is the regulator in these likely liquid cooled? Meaning I have to heat up the whole damn block, radiator and regulator in order to get anywhere?

 

[plastikdreams]

Giver a lil snoot of Cosby sauce see if that helps.

 

[michiganbuck]

You might hang a light blub someplace under the hood to keep it warm, A lite bulb in a tin can is pretty safe

 

[snowman]

Giver a lil snoot of Cosby sauce see if that helps.

Tried it.

You might hang a light blub someplace under the hood to keep it warm, A lite bulb in a tin can is pretty safe

Yeah, I'm needing something in the future. This sucks. I've got a hotplate in the induction cabinet right now. The whole damn thing is water cooled, and only works with DI water.

 

[Ultradog MN]

Cold temperatures reduce the volitility of the fuel/air mixture. Makes them hard to start.
The best way to get them to start is to warm the coolant in the water jacket. The best way to do That is to install a block heater. Sscond best is to install a circulating heater in ths lower radiator hose.
Also check your spark. Pull a plug wire and hold it near a good ground.
You want a bright bluish white spark that will jump at least a 3/8" gap. Short or yellowish spark Will Not Do.
Cold country here. We know about starting cold engines.
My little Ford tractor has the block heater plugged in as I write this. Gotta plow snow later this morning.

 

[snowman]

Cold temperatures reduce the volitility of the fuel/air mixture. Makes them hard to start.
The best way to get them to start is to warm the coolant in the water jacket. The best way to do That is to install a block heater. Sscond best is to install a circulating heater in ths lower radiator hose.
Also check your spark. Pull a plug wire and hold it near a good ground.
You want a bright bluish white spark that will jump at least a 3/8" gap. Short or yellowish spark Will Not Do.
Cold country here. We know about starting cold engines.
My little Ford tractor has the block heater plugged in as I write this. Gotta plow snow later this morning.

Do you have to keep it running constantly, or do you only plug it in when you are going to use it? If the latter, how long do you let it run the block heater before you start?

 

[dkmc]

Maybe a propane torch on the intake manifold? Propane needs a hot spark, hotter the better. Modern forklifts benifit with electronic ignition instead of points/coil. I'm a big fan of GM HEI conversions in older machines. The evaporator is actually 'liquid heated' to prevent icing. Can be a problem if engine coolant levels get so low no coolant circulates thru the evaporator which is usually connected to the engine heater hose circuit. I have used a propane torch on the evaporators before but its a dangerous situation. A heat gun is probably a much safer option. Electric block heaters of 300-500 watts usually will help if run for 1 hour or so before starting. YMMV!

 

[Gearclash]

Get out the ether can.

Or an old quart gear oil bottle with a virgin nozzle and drill a 1/16” hole in the end of the nozzle. Fill the bottle 3/4 full of gasoline and shoot it down the air intake. Pull the air filter. Redneck fuel injection.

 

[Ultradog MN]

Do you have to keep it running constantly, or do you only plug it in when you are going to use it? If the latter, how long do you let it run the block heater before you start?

I just plug it in whenI know I need it - like today I plowed the snow we just got out of the driveway.
It is an old diesel with no glow plugs or other cold starting aids. Those are especially balky to start when it is cold.
At 0 degrees If I plug in the block heater for an hour or two it will start like it is July.
Below 0 I usually stay in ths house with my bunny slippers on.

 

[Richard King]

I also live in Minnasnowta and it is cold. 3 Deg F today. When you can buy a tank heater or a Block heater. I plug mine in the night before I'm going to use it. Another trick I use is a LP blower heater I blow under the car or Bob Cat before I Installed a block heater. Also put a battery charger on the Battery. Mine has a jump start selection. If it's low set it on 20 amp overnight. I also give it a squirt of ether in the air filter. Once on my tractor when it was below zero, before I store it in my pole barn I bought a tarp and tented it and used my Propane blower heater blowing to warm it. Have to be careful the tarp does not catch fire.

I have seen how people cook a baked potatos wrap in tin foil and lay several on the intake manifold or make a charcoal fire in a oil change pan and slide it under the oil pan. LOL

 

[Ox]

I also have a block heater on one of my forktrucks, but it hardly ever sleeps in the cold.

I have another truck that is in unheated wherehouse, no heater, but it has a "choke" equiv button that helps a bit. It rarely gits much below freezing in there tho.

The vaporizer will be fine as long as you have coolant in the motor. It will freeze up if you run it in the winter w/o "warmant". But not right away.


-----------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

 

[snowman]

Got it finally. Put a hotplate (all I could find) under the seat. I had finally given up and decided to go get a torpedo and my tarps from my father in law. Was going to just heat up the whole damn thing. Between the social visit and all that, it took two hours...and that seemed to be enough time.

The hard part was the ice. Smooth solid tire forklift, just sat and spun. Shoveled and scraped and salted the entire driveway just so I could lift something out of the truck and shove it into the garage. Lift won't fit under the garage door...lol. I really need a bigger shop.

Thank you all for your help!

 

[Garwood]

I had a very worn out, no compression, Ford diesel 4x4 loader tractor that was my "forklift" for years. It was an ether start on a hot day kind of deal. I had a truck showing up with a crate I had to unload and it was 10 degrees that day. I covered important stuff with tin foil and put a propane weed burner on low on the cylinder head for about 20 minutes. That and some ether got it to fire.

If the ignition system checks out, you might order up the kits to rebuild the propane bits. They're pretty low cost and easy to do. I've done it to 2 forklifts that were hard starters and it solved the problem. Propane widgetry gets gummed up inside with the nasty shit that's in the Propane. Gotta clean it out every decade or so.

 

[Ultradog MN]

Got it finally. Put a hotplate (all I could find) under the seat. I had finally given up and decided to go get a torpedo and my tarps from my father in law. Was going to just heat up the whole damn thing. Between the social visit and all that, it took two hours...and that seemed to be enough time.

The hard part was the ice. Smooth solid tire forklift, just sat and spun. Shoveled and scraped and salted the entire driveway just so I could lift something out of the truck and shove it into the garage. Lift won't fit under the garage door...lol. I really need a bigger shop.

Thank you all for your help!

Good you got it going.
As for the ice...
Yeah, that is another thing we learn to deal with here.

 

[snowman]

I thought about just putting a bunch of drywall screws in it.

 

[Richard King]

I thought about just putting a bunch of drywall screws in it.

Studded tires, good idea.... Back in the 1960's here in Minnesota we had studded tires on cars, but they wore out the roads so bad they banned them. We lived in the country and down a gravel road with hills. They worked super on icy days. My dad put them on front and back tires. Steering was good too That was when most cars were rear wheel drive.

 

[Ox]

Floor dry


-----------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

 

[Strostkovy]

I thought our Hyster had a fuel issue. Turns out the timing belt had meth mouth.

 

[john.k]

Although it hardly gets cold here ,on a chilly morning ,I used to pour a pitcher full of boiling water over the vaporizer before starting .....slow pour so the heat is taken into the metal.........in some respects ,the freeze up can be a safety measure.....if the radiator is out of water ,the vaporizer will freeze in a few minutes ,even on a hot day.

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

Snowman
My Daewoo LP forklift was having a hard start issue a few years back, what I found was the propane valve was actuated by an oil pressure switch, so propane would not flow till it saw oil pressure. In my case it just needed a new oil pressure switch, no idea if Toyota is the same