Forklift wont start - Cold

[john.k]

There is usually a safety device on the gas ,because if gas leaks into the motor it can ---and will-- blow up when you try to start it.......this explosion will trash the sump unless its solid cast iron ,and blow the rocker cover and dipstick .......the mchanics down from me used to do gas/V8 conversions and had at least one explosion a week.

 

[Strostkovy]

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

My Caterpillar had a vacuum switch as well, which cut off propane unless the engine was actually cranking

 

[steve-l]

I cannot believe this thread. LP will not gasify when cold. That's why it won't start. LP forklifts should never be stored in the cold.... Sell forklift and get a diesel forklift with glow plugs.

 

[Strostkovy]

I cannot believe this thread. LP will not gasify when cold. That's why it won't start. LP forklifts should never be stored in the cold.... Sell forklift and get a diesel forklift with glow plugs.

Propane has to be extremely cold to not evaporate. Like well, well below the freezing point of antifreeze. And propane "carburetors" are just negative pressure regulators so hardly any pressure needs to be maintained in the tank to feed liquid into the evaporator.
Forklifts are hard to start in the cold because they never get any maintenance or care. Especially not the ones stored outside.
And why go diesel for cold? Gasoline engines start perfectly fine in freezing weather with no glow plugs. The only engines I've ever had problems with due to the cold are diesel.

EDIT: propane generators often have problems in the cold. This is because they rely on higher pressures to feed their much cheaper fuel systems, and because they draw gas from the tank, so the propane gets colder and the vapor pressure gets lower and eventually it can't sustain the pressure that the generator wants to see.

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

I cannot believe this thread. LP will not gasify when cold. That's why it won't start. LP forklifts should never be stored in the cold.... Sell forklift and get a diesel forklift with glow plugs.

I fill 20lb tanks from the 250 gallon tank, and did so at -20F 2 weeks ago. Google says propane will not gassify at around -44 degrees F.

 

[Ox]

I fill 20lb tanks from the 250 gallon tank, and did so at -20F 2 weeks ago. Google says propane will not gassify at around -44 degrees F.

"slowly"


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

"slowly"


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

It does take about 15-20 minutes to get a full-ish tank at those temps.

 

[snowman]

Well, all I know is that once the regulator was warmed up, it started. So it's my guess that I've got mercaptan oil in the regulator that is gumming up the diaphragm. BUT...I'll figure that out in the summer.

Hoping I don't to worry about meth mouth in the timing belt. That would be a bitch to try to fix.