Why Does a Diesel Engine Start Immediately When Starting Fluid is Sprayed?
3 Answers
It indicates a malfunction in the engine's fuel injectors. If a diesel vehicle owner notices that their car requires starting fluid every time it starts, they should pay attention, as this is highly likely related to the engine's fuel injectors. It is essential for the owner to promptly identify any issues with the fuel injectors, as this can reduce unnecessary operations during subsequent driving, making the driving experience more convenient. Additional Information: The primary function of these fuel injectors is to ensure complete combustion in the engine, improving the utilization of existing resources, which is highly beneficial for the owner. Moreover, diesel vehicles are quite common, and some owners prefer them due to their significant advantage of being more fuel-efficient than gasoline engines, offering better economy.
As a veteran long-haul truck driver, my biggest winter headache is diesel engines failing to start. Starting fluid acts like a 'fuse' - sprayed into the engine, it ignites instantly. The key lies in compression ignition - no spark plugs needed, just compressed air heating up to ignite diesel. But cold engines can't generate enough compression heat to ignite the thickened diesel. Starting fluid contains highly flammable components like ether that atomize and combust explosively upon contacting hot air in cylinders, instantly raising diesel temperature. Overuse damages engines though, cracking rubber components. Keep the spray away from turbos - the spray gun might even melt from backfire!
From a chemical perspective, this is quite fascinating. Diesel fuel typically has an autoignition temperature around 210°C, but during cold starts, cylinder temperatures might barely exceed 100°C. The ethyl acetate and propane in starting fluid have extremely low boiling points (diethyl ether boils at just 34°C), instantly vaporizing when injected into the intake manifold to form a combustible mixture. More crucially, their autoignition temperatures are only about 160°C - significantly lower than diesel - making them easily compression-ignited to produce instantaneous high-temperature flame chains. This ignition acts like an instant heating element for the entire combustion chamber, forcibly 'tearing apart' the viscous diesel molecules. Our lab conducted comparative tests showing starting fluid injection can make cylinder temperatures surge over 300°C within 0.2 seconds.
