Difficult -5ºC Cold start on the Cummins NT 855

The South of England has been hit by a severe cold snap and the temperature dropped overnight to -11ºC and as all the power distribution in the area is by overhead power cables I thought it was well to test the Gen in case of a power outage.
The temperature at startup is around minus 5 and hense the long hard cranking.
I know most of you have seen this all before, but this is taken with a HD camcorder and wide angle lens adaptor with better low light performance.

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[gardnerbm]

Wow, wheres the block heater??

[simonspiers]

@gardnerbm No block heater.

[cripticgatekeep]

-5 c isnt all that cold its only 23 f I have started a class 8 tractor in colder temps and it didn't have to crank near as hard. Plus I am supprised that the gen room wasnt heated and that you dont preform a start up atleast once a week to make sure the genset started.

[simonspiers]

@cripticgatekeep Not much point heating the room if -5 is not that cold.

[cripticgatekeep]

@simonspiers now I could see it having a hard time starting if it was -5 F. You would have had to put a charger on the battery and dump alot of ether into the air cleaner.

[simonspiers]

@cripticgatekeep According to people who know this engine, this is a normal starting scenario for this model. We seldom get temperatures like you do in the states so we have never fitter any starting aids.

I have had bad experiences with ether blowing piston ring lands. A blow torch into the inlet helps.

[simonspiers]

@lonerman270 My girlfriend thinks i'm mad videoing engines starting!

[cullen9017]

love thses cold starting vids

[bobbj77]

Defo requires a jacket heater and a pre lube pump to prolong enging life ( not forgetting the starters)

[FINRUSEXP]

Give the engine little aether :) Works fine

[amit79ful]

Hey buddy thats nice video, in India this model is manufactured and we use the same starting procedure, in Kashmir in north of India temperature in Leh can go down to minus 20 degrees C.

I guess the Indian model also has provisions for glow plugs, probably this one too had it. But yes winters are tough time for diesels. We add little kerosene in diesel tank to prevent gelling of diesel as well.

[FJSchrank]

you can use a hair dryer on the air intake to start it, almost like a intake manifold heater.

[FJSchrank]

If it doesnt have a block heater throw a block heater on or coolant heater on. It's of course bad for the starter but it's bad for the engine when only a few cyliders fire. Thanks for the video, 855 is a great diesel.

[bassboy923]

poor starter

[petermackett37]

What a massive exhaust pipe!

[luvtotruck]

855 cum apart is a notorious hard engine to wake up when in a cold slumber. see old peterbilt cold start, and ice cold cummins pops bangs and smokes. They both have same engine. But once you get them out of thier bitchy moods, they are workhorses and perform flawlessly. You just learn to deal with the temper tantrum they throw when they are cold.